Well, we ended up with an absolutely lovely Memorial Day. I hope you did too! It threatened to be rainy/stormy this morning, but then cleared up nicely. Humid bugger out there, but that's OK, that's what the pool is for, and we opened with a big swim. In fact, we opened with late morning swimming with Dan and Ethan Hatzung from across the street. Ethan, age 3, so adorable in the pool, the little kicks are the sweetest. Then Stace, Coop, Dad, Susanna, and their dog Jake (check out his amazing leaps into the pool, below) arrived and Coop changed into his birthday-present (from us!) rash guard and shark trunks, ready for action. He LOVES swimming, and just like Nathan - and Jake! - once he was in he wasn't much for getting out. But eventually everyone had to climb out...for food.

Oh, hey, I just realized we forgot to make s'mores! Ah, well, we had plenty of other treats. I'm sorry, but nothing beats tortilla chips with guacamole and a cold beer on a hot, sunny day. Damn, friends, that is good stuff. The rest is all just background noise as far as I'm concerned. Tasty background noise, granted. Shrimp tacos with grilled tomatoes, onions, and peppers + guacamole + crumbled feta + chopped cabbage + spicy salsa-mayo alongside spicy roasted potatoes + sour cream = I'll admit, tasty background noise. Black coffee, coconut macaroons (from Byerly's, deadly little mothers), chocolate rugelach (from Crossroads Deli, ditto the deadly little mothers' rave), and fresh strawberries made for a nice ending. To the eating...

After lunch it was time for a digestif game of croquet. Who won? Let's just say her (my) name starts with an S and ends with an E...hmmm... Then back in the pool for Nathan and Cooper, and finally, an end to all the fun, darn. You get tired pretty quickly when you're 1 (or 40), and as the sun sets, it's time to mosey on home for a warm bath, clean jammies, and a good, long dark nap.

Have a good night!