A Car Crash, A Collapsing Building, and a Big Finale Blowout.

All three appear to be present in Braden's first attempt at playing "Tarantella" by Pieczonka at the proper speed (170 beats per minute).

He started out well ... and then I forgot to turn the page. (Whoops!)


As we listened to the video afterward, some of the chords he missed sound like something one might hear if car crashes and building demolishings had soundtracks. He completely lost the beat at the end, and ended with a spectacularly bad final chord.

Still, he enjoyed attempting the breakneck speed so much that he wanted me to put it on the blog for family and friends to see. He laughed a lot, and hasn't let it discourage him. He plans to try again when his fingers stop smoking.

I promise to post a video of this piece when he has it up to speed and catastrophe-free.

Our First Meet of the Summer

This week we attended our first swim meet of the summer. It was just like any other meet, really, with two notable exceptions:

1) We were racing to beat the impending severe storm. The day was miserable: hot, humid, dew point in the 80's, and a heat index of 110. There was no shade to be found at the pool, and we parents were so thankful to see clouds on the horizon. But then the clouds turned dark and ugly, and we knew we were in trouble.

We made it almost all the way through the meet. Brogan was on the blocks to swim the 100 IM when thunder rumbled overhead. They swam the heat anyway (I know!) but ended after the kids got out.

Brogan won that event. Probably because he was worried he'd get hit by lightning if he didn't get out of the pool ASAP. Thunderstorms= great motivation!

( Brogan - the lower "above water" swimmer- swimming the breaststroke in the 100 IM)

2) The second noteworthy aspect of this meet involved Colson. After 5 years of watching his brothers swim, this summer he finally got his chance to join the team. This was his very first meet ev-ah. He was excited to finally be participating. And he knew that every time he got would be a "best time."

Colson was only able to swim one event before we got rained out. Here he is "taking his mark" for the "8 and under" 25 freestyle.


He actually dove off the starting block! I wasn't able to get a picture, because the starter was in the way. Colson taught himself to dive by watching his brothers. It never occurred to him that it might be hard or a little intimidating to dive off the high starting blocks. Everyone else does it, so he thought he should too.


I was holding my breath as he got to the deep end of the pool. He was swimming so slowly that I was worried he might just stall and go under. But he kept moving forward and finished with a "best time" of 44 seconds. (Dad, you will have nothing to worry about when you're racing Colson. Hee! Hee!)

Here's his finish of the race.



After he got out of the pool, I asked him how he felt.

His one-word answer: "Awesome!!!!"

Summer Fun

We've been busy this summer!

Brogan and Colson tried their hands at rappelling. Both got several feet off the ground, but making it up into the treetops was a long, hard climb for small people.


The boys learned how to use knotted ropes to inch their way upward.


There were lots of rest breaks. Little arms get tired!



We also spent time swimming at a lake with family.








And finally, for Braden. Look who we spotted in the parade today!

Happy Fourth of July!

Wedding Weekend Photopalooza!

Well, we're back!

We've been off visiting family for the past week, as M.'s youngest brother got married last weekend.

Brother D. found himself a wonderful girl. We're all very happy for them!

I was able to spend a lot of time helping set things up for the wedding. One of my favorite moments was when the groom had his mother pin his boutonniere onto his jacket.....


... and then all four groomsmen lined up behind them so she could also pin theirs.


The bride was beautiful, and so calm and composed all day. No "Bridezilla" moments were witnessed by anyone.


They planned a low-key, simple wedding by the river. It was hot out, but thankfully the groom's side had a shade tree! Woo-hoo!


Between the ceremony and the party, we had time for a family picture. Look at how tall the boys are getting!


The following picture could have been taken at pretty much any point in the afternoon or evening. Colson spent a LOT of time around the bride, essentially following her around the facility. It was handy, in that whenever we lost him we just had to find the bride and Colson was sure to be nearby. He gave her lots of hugs and when I told him to give her some space he said, "But Mom, she's just so beauuuuuuutiful!"


During the ceremony his constant presence worked in his favor. Just before the wedding party was to begin their walk down the aisle, the decorator discovered a small basket of flower petals that hadn't been sprinkled along the aisle. She handed it to Colson and told him to scatter them as he walked up front. He sort of walked and tossed them in front of him, but was proud to be the spontaneous "flower boy" for the wedding.

Our family loves the dances at receptions. Colson, especially, loves to dance. Brogan will do the "Chicken Dance," and I can usually coax him out onto the floor for a slower number. Braden's getting much more comfortable dancing, even attempting a polka once or twice!


I think Braden danced more than I did, actually.


It was almost Colson's night. He came this close to catching the garter. Colson is in the front of the group of gentlemen, and is wearing a white shirt and khaki pants below. You can see that both hands are reaching up to catch the white garter that is clearly an inch or two from his tiny hands.

But, alas, it was not to be.

The tall gentleman directly behind him swooped in and snatched it away at the last microsecond.

That's OK, though. I'm not quite ready for Colson to get married. And hopefully that tall gentleman's girlfriend will be able to use his victory to her advantage.