Birthdays...

August is a busy month.....we have birthdays and an anniversary to celebrate. 12 years ago I tried really hard to convince Marin to be born on Brett's birthday but she refused to cooperate. I think she already knew it was important for her Dad to keep his birthday all to himself! She thankfully chose to arrive exactly 2 weeks later!

Brett's birthday is a tough one. He will disagree with me but truly, it's hard. I have things I want to get him but I just can't justify it. There are things he would LOVE, but he just can't justify it. Then there are the gifts that just seem to work...

While traveling in Spain last year we had a moment of watching some people play Bocce on a sandy area of a park in Barcelona. We were on a pedestrian bridge looking down on their game and they were having so much fun! There were teams, intensity, camaraderie, belligerence and hilarity. Truly, those are all the components of a wonderful game! So this year my mom and I bought a Bocce set for Brett in memory of that delicious trip to Spain!! (if only the balls smelled like jamon....that would be perfect!)

The kids love a good game - especially a new one that involves throwing large objects. This was no exception! Interestingly enough Marin took to Bocce like a pro and managed moves that we didn't think were possible. She also cheered herself on a lot, gloated, and giggled....very disconcerting to those who were losing.

Marin also was the queen of measurements. Points are given based on how many balls are closest to the "pallina", the first ball thrown in the game. Much discussion goes into deciding which balls are the closest and how to measure - in Spain and in the US! Marin has multiple methods from using her hand-span to her arm length to her arm plus 2 or 3 fingers width. She is pretty ingenious if she would stick with one method while measuring one game.....ha! She goes from arm length plus 2 fingers to counting off 2 1/2 feet length. I'm not sure how she thinks those will compare but it made for some lively discussions.

I think Brett had a happy day. All he really wanted was time with his family. He probably got a really big dose of it - perhaps more than he wanted or expected. What can we say? We just love him!!

Happy Birthday, Brett!