"You never truly understand human nature, unless you know why a child waves at her mother - each time around the merry-go-round - and the mother waves back every, single, time." Happy Mother's Day 2016, Mama.

Saturday Morning Scrimmage - Bennett's team split the double header, clinching the first game and the second slipped away.  I discovered that I am going to need to practice my baseball lingo, and learn how to crack sunflower seeds.  We will be spending a lot of time at the ball field in the coming weeks.  It's intense.

Saturday Afternoon River - Finally a visit to Pine City.  We got the boat in, and enjoyed the spring gardens and all the Papa giggles one could handle.

"Hey, Tommy.  I bet you can't do this!!!"

Hey, Harps.  I bet I can."

Are you ready to Battle???  Bennett Prose certainly is.

 He has been preparing for weeks - as soon as he received the invitation to participate, the reading began.  There were 13 books in this year's battle, and to participate, one needed to read eight.  Most teams of three divided up the text - making sure there was one contestant who had knowledge of each book.  Bennett read all thirteen.

His team, The Mustached Maniacs, took the trophy last year, and they indented to repeat.  They did not disappoint - and their reading paid off - as the Maniacs were champions, yet again.

 Each taking home a $7 gift certificate to Barnes & Nobel.

Ever have those moments?  The kind of moment where you get stuck.  It seems to last longer than you know it should, and it's perfect.  In this blink, an incredible sense of happiness washes over you.  Like a second of nirvana - pure and utter bliss.  And then it passes, and the sadness comes.  Sadness because you know you will never have that moment back. Ever. And it was simply perfect.  It's there, and then it's gone.

This morning, I watched my kids play.  The sun was shining through the trees, and I got stuck.  For just a moment.

These kids, under this tree, on that bench.

As I entered Kidstop on Monday afternoon, H ran down the hall and grabbed my hand.  "It's me!!  It's me!!  This time, look it's me!!!"  Two kids - both demonstrating such good character.

Makes their Mama and Daddy awfully proud (and I keep telling AP it's a direct reflection of  their parents, of course.).