It's true - Guys just like to blow things up!

Testosterone is an interesting hormone.  It reduces inhibitions, makes guys more muscular, more agressive and more hairy, among other things.  One thing I have noticed over time is that the Waffle is different when he's around a group of guys than he is when he is with me.  This may sound silly to some (or, rather, OBVIOUS), but you have to remember that I didn't grow up with a brother in the house full time.  So, I wasn't exposed to testosterone in it's magnitude on a full time basis.  

To my surprise, the Waffle is pretty good at keeping a lid on it most of the time.  There is this thing about blowing stuff up, though.  Firearms, explosives, water bombs, you name it, guys love it.  One of the Waffle's favorite shows is "Mythbusters."  If you haven't had the pleasure of seeing it, or even hearing about it, know this one thing:  they blow something up on almost every single episode.  

Imagine my surprise, when last Saturday morning, I opened the freezer to find this:

And, then, this . . .

(In case you can't tell, that's a Mt. Dew can!)

In all honesty, it wasn't as much about blowing things up as it was about being forgetful!  Yes, my version of the Waffle is starting to forget things more often than either of us would like to admit!

Snakes and Penguins and Butterflies. Oh MY!

Yesterday I was a chaperone for Mallory's class trip to the Indianapolis Zoo. I went last year with Hayden's class (and, as it would turn out, his class went again this year!) Anyway, we had a very good time, though it was quite hot. Not that I'm complaining. I really do love summer. My "group" was Mallory and Onna. Yep! That's it. There were so many parent chaperones that our groups only had 2 or 3 children each, which was really nice. The girls got along great, went through the zoo at an enjoyable pace and didn't give me any problems at all! I took lots of pictures, but most of them are of animals, so I won't upload them here. Just a few of Mallory and Onna enjoying the animals. Our time at the zoo was very limited (2 and 1/2 hours!). So, we didn't actually get to see the lions, and the tigers must have been sleeping in the shade because we didn't see them, either. We did see some bears, but I thought my title was cuter! The heat wore Mallory out and she slept on my lap all the way home on the bus. My baby is so sweet!

Mallory and Onna ready to start their day!

Goofy girls . . .

A sssssssssssssssssssilly pose . . .

They were looking at the "sea floor" and telling me that this was Patrick, and this was Squidward, but there was no Sponge Bob! Hilarious!!

The girls were able to tell me what type of penguin this was. (I, of course, do not remember, but I'm glad they learned something from Mrs. Cahill's unit on penguins!)

No winners, No losers, ALL Girls!

Tonight we enjoyed Mallory's first softball game. I was half right about the team colors - the shirts are purple. The game was true entertainment. Our girls aren't too bad! About half of them can hit a moving ball most of the time (rather than having to use the tee). The fielding is quite amusing, though. Whenever the ball is hit, all the girls go running for it, and then there's nobody to throw it to! Of course, Mallory had a good time tonight. I think we have a future politician in the making - she loves to talk and have her picture taken . . .

Here she is before the game, talking . . .

And here she is on 1st base, talking . . .

And on 2nd base, talking . . .

I think I see a pattern! 

Here are the rest of the pictures in a slideshow.

Jedi Knights

Apparently the kids are more "in"to Star wars than I previously realized, as proven by this action photo from the backyard. Yes, those are light sabers they have in their hands.

There are so many times I wish I had an older brother, especially when I see how much fun the two of them are having together while growing up . . .

They sure clean up nice!

The Waffle took this photo of the kids in their Easter outifts.  I just never posted it.  Never too late!

The Rookie? The Natural? Field of Dreams?

The season is in full swing and we're having a ball. Eating a lot of quick meals and burning a lot of gas driving around town, but we're having fun. Brett and I have both noticed a distinct change in Hayden's attitude towards baseball, which has made it a lot more fun for all of us. For the past few years, he's been a little moody, didn't seem to care much whether the team won or lost, always wanted to play infield. I'm proud to say that so far this season, he has been the ideal team player. He's playing well. He has his head in the game. His attitude is top notch - no complaining about positions or anything else. His team hasn't won any of their games yet, which is kind of a bummer for him because he's really having a pretty good season! His first game, he caught a fly ball to make an out and got a base hit. His second game he made some good stops at 2nd base and had another base hit. And his third game he got another base hit and played an excellent center fielder! (No complaining!) Needless to say, we are proud of him! Here are some photos to enjoy . . .

He has great form - don't you think?

That was a foul tip, not a strike!

He's down and ready - I love the sports glasses!

From Wolf to Bear

This past weekend, the Waffle took Hayden to his "Cross Over Campout" for Cub Scouts. It's held at the end of every school year after the boys have worked toward earning their next badge in scouting. Hayden crossed over from Wolf Scout to Bear Scout. He started Cub Scouts in 1st grade and has really enjoyed it a lot. Our Pack has grown significantly and is getting more organized, so it's really turning out to be a great program. Here are a handful of photos from this weekend's events.

Whittling Chip class gives Scouts the privilege of carrying a pocket knife.

These happy campers earned $1 each for finding lucky 4 leaf clovers.

Hayden at the BB gun range shooting his Daisy rifle from Grandpa Ed.

This is the ampitheater where the Cross Over Ceremony took place.

Little Sis arrives to share the fun.

The Waffle looks just as good when all done as when he first begun!

The boys came home Saturday night after the ceremony.  Hayden was very proud of his earning his Whittling Chip Badge.  The next day he wanted to carve another bar of soap (that's how you learn - with a bar of soap).  So, the Waffle let him take his new pocket knife out back with the bar of soap . . . . 

AND LOOK WHAT HAPPENED!

Hayden earned his first "Badge of Honor."  There was really more blood than I care to talk about, but he's fine now.  This evening, little more than 24 hours later, he was playing baseball, shooting a bow and arrow and also shooting a BB gun again.  I think he likes this guy stuff!