Summer begins....

Today was the "First Meteorological Day of Summer" (sounds so festive, doesn't it? those weather gurus really are a wild and crazy bunch...), so let's review how it went. The boys, whom we often have to cajole from their beds at a quarter to eight during the school year, popped out of bed at: 7:45. Which part of "you can sleep in--it's summertime and you have nowhere to be" did they NOT get? Clearly this needs some work.

The school year "No TV on weekdays" rule has been lifted, and even the "daily 2-hour time-limit" has been chucked out the window due to the World Cup Mania currently gripping our household. So by 8:40 this morning, Derek and Riley had parked themselves in front of a match, and were raucously cheering on the players,  trash-talking the refs, and rating the best and worst commercials, while I drank my coffee. (Oh, don't worry that I wasn't fully involved in the excitement--after each and every one of Portugal's SEVEN goals, I was treated to a high-volume Sports Center-worthy blow-by-blow recap of precisely what had happened, including who scored, who assisted, who was near the play, who was adjusting their shorts at the time, etc.) After the game, they were so charged up that they felt inspired to play their own version of an International Soccer Contest...which ended abruptly about 5 minutes in, after Riley stubbed his toe and accused Derek of cheating (as a matter of fact, it was a darn good imitation of some of the more dramatic fake-injury moments I've seen professional players pull off when they want to draw a "foul call"!)

In the afternoon, Derek and I attempted to play tennis for the first time this season. I thought it went pretty well, but the 10-year old seemed to believe he should step on the court after not picking up a racket for a year and instantly channel his inner Roger Federer.  So there was a little more ego-placating and less baseline-rallying than I had hoped. And did I mention it was H-O-T on that asphalt today?!

Which leads us to the ideal end for Day 1 of Summer: the pool! Ah, the sunscreen...the chlorine...the whole lounge chair scene...But wait just a minute--I remembered something very important that we missed! How could we have forgotten ice cream? Oh well, we'll have to do better tomorrow (you know, Day 2 of Summer... : )