Mother's Day

Mother's day is usually a mellow day at the Butler/Wertz compound - we don't really like to go out because there are SO MANY OTHER PEOPLE OUT! Plus, we've decided that the most relaxing way to celebrate is to make the guys cook for us at home, where they can also oversee the kids (who are not strapped into high chairs waiting for food), do the dishes, and we can lounge around drinking wine (or iced-tea this year!) and reading gardening magazines. Seriously, we couldn't ask for a better Mother's Day. However, this year we got an extra little testosterone boost on Mother's Day. Some of you may have seen my previous post about the cool zipline that my dad rigged up for the boys. The 3-6 year old crowd is seriously jealous, I'm telling you. But last Sunday, on the whim of a 6 year old, all the boys decided that they could do better. Like, for instance, they could rig up a NEW zipline that went from the TOP OF THE HOUSE, through the trees (yes, they did have to trim back quite a few branches), all the way to the clubhouse. Now, I'm pretty sure that this is not what normal families do at their family get-togethers. But after some figuring, and another rope, and a few more pulleys, this is what they came up with. (by the way, you can always click on a photo to get a bigger, super-sized version. That way you can see how completely nuts we are REALLY close up!)



I know.

It seems a little crazy to put your kid on the railing of a deck (hello, there's a reason for the railing!) and then push him off, but really you should have seen the sheer joy on his face.
Here's a few more...







All this time, Aidan was napping. So the real question for everyone was would he want to zip off the railing of the deck also? Or would this be just a little TOO big an adventure for him. (Personally, I KNEW he'd be all over it. The kid's a maniac!) Here's your answer....






Like I said, I realize this is not normal. But it is super fun. And the boys are pretty sure they have the coolest family in town. So that pretty much makes it worth it for us!