It’s late and Max the lights aren’t off yet. Aunt Mary; Cousin Bridget; and Bridget’s husband, Daniel, were here and Max and Mama visited with them this evening, getting home just a few minutes ago.

Max was a little loud during reading time today at school and moved his worm to the yellow apple, which is between the green apple, which indicates good behavior, and the red apple, which indicates misbehavior after warnings. His attitude at home has been great.

After school today Max and Mama had a water gun fight, and he played Minecraft while I bowled on his Wii U.

Poor ol’ Grandpa tried hard to get the little fellow to spend the night with him tonight, but Max said he was going to spend the night with his mama. We love having our little buddy sleep with us.

But it’s far past time for us to be in bed. We’re looking forward to sleeping late in the morning.

Well, I reckon I can write today’s entry since Mama has had such a full day. She’s been involved with school stuff since about 7:15 this morning. Tonight was Ivy Creek’s Curriculum Night, which I attended as a parent for my first time. Mama’s done this nineteen times before as a teacher.

Max stayed on green all day today, and we’re very proud he exercised the self-control necessary to accomplish that. I told him he could buy some games for his iPad, and he tried to find some, but he soon was bored with searching and began playing Minecraft Pocket Edition, his current favorite game.

Grandpa and I did some work at Granny’s this afternoon. Grandpa put a new float valve in her toilet, trimmed shrubs, pulled up tomato cages in the garden, and fixed a switch in a fluorescent light fixture in her basement.

I picked up Max from school and took him to Mimi and Grandpa’s. I had to get ready for Curriculum Tonight and Mimi and Grandpa took the little fellow to Sonny’s for a grilled cheese. Granny kept Marlie all afternoon and I picked her up after Curriculum Night.

Mama said she saw Max’s class walking by in the hallway today at school. Max had already passed by, so he didn’t see her. Classmates at the end of the line spotted Mama, though, and informed her they knew her “brother.” That made Mama feel pretty good because it wasn’t long ago when someone asked if she was Max’s grandmother.

We need to turn out the lights here at Chez Max so our little buddy can have another great day at school.

Max and Mama went to a Lowe’s Build and Grow Kids Clinic this morning and built a Monsters vs Aliens trolley car. Then they went to Hobby Lobby, where the little fellow bought a wooden steam engine that he painted himself. It looks pretty good. They put eyes on the front and painted it black and red.

Max stayed with me this afternoon while Mama helped Mimi host a bridal shower for Julie Davis, daughter of our good friends and neighbors Jimmy and Sue.

Max played with his trains for a short while and then we played Wii U bowling and baseball for the rest of the time. He kept talking about going to Parents’ Night Out tonight and how much he loves going. Parents’ Night Out is an organized and physically oriented social activity for kids, and it hasn’t been held in about six weeks.

I was glad to see Grandpa show up on the golf cart to pick up the little fellow so I could have some quiet time. In about an hour he and Mama returned home and in a few minutes they left to take Max to Parents’ Night Out.

I picked up Max tonight and he’d had a great time. He got to play with his good friend Kayleigh, whom he invited to his birthday party. On our way home he asked me to tell him about every time I got into trouble in school from the time I was a baby until I graduated from college. I came up with a couple of instances that weren’t too bad to reveal to him, but I definitely didn’t want to tell him about my time in high school.

We’re about to turn in for the night.

Today was tougher than yesterday. Max didn’t want to get up this morning and was in a vile mood. Mama texted me to let me know that his attitude improved once they arrived at school.

Today was Max’s second day of kindergarten and he brought home a yellow face, which isn’t good. He could’ve brought home a green face, which is what he earned yesterday, or a red face, which means we can expect a phone call from his teacher. So it wasn’t too bad, but it’s not something we want to see.

Mama had me pick up Max at school so she could do some planning with her grade level. He and I went to Granny’s. The little fellow was obnoxious and earned a timeout and then dug even deeper. I put all of his toys in timeout for the rest of the day. He fell asleep in the van on our way home, so I’m sure he’s exhausted. He fell asleep for the night about twenty minutes ago.

Mama stayed upstairs in our bed with him until just now, but after I take Marlie out, we’re going to join Max and hope for a better day tomorrow.

Today began much like yesterday. Marlie got me up as Mama was leaving for school, and Max came downstairs about forty minutes later. He was tired and his eyelids hung low for a while, but he soon perked up and asked to watch Despicable Me. We watched the movie together in the living room, and when it was over I started The LEGO Movie. We planned to go bowling today, and I told Max we could go at any time. He said he wanted Mama to go with us, and even though I told him it wouldn’t work out for her to go with us today, I believe he was holding out for her.

After The LEGO Movie the little fellow asked to watch Despicable Me again. I was surprised and let him have his way. After the movie we played Wii U baseball and then took Marlie to Granny’s so we could go bowling. Marlie still has separation anxiety, so we don’t want to leave her by herself.

Max and I had a good time bowling, but neither of us scored well. I believe my 120-something was the highest of the afternoon. Max got popcorn and it arrived unsalted. I didn’t use good judgment when I told him he could salt it himself. He brought back more salt to our table than he did popcorn. I emptied out almost all of it to find popcorn where there wasn’t so much salt, but Max had been thorough in his application. When we got out to the van, he said he felt sick from all of the salt. I hope he doesn’t have to learn all of his lessons the hard way.

Mama took Max to swimming lessons this evening and when they returned we went to IHOP for dinner. We put Marlie’s thunder shirt on her and let her stay home while we went out. I took her to the potty before we left and was thankful she eliminated both ways. If she hadn’t, I wouldn’t have left her. She was very, very happy to see us when we returned, and I was very thankful she didn’t make a mess in her crate.

They’re in bed as I write this. Max is already asleep and Mama is telling me to wrap this up.

Miss Marlie woke me around 7:00 this morning by licking my face and ears, so I got up and took her out. I was surprised to have thirty to forty minutes to myself before Max came downstairs.

He and I played Wii U baseball, boxing, and bowling, and he watched part of the movie Despicable Me. Then we stopped by Chick-fil-A on our way to Granny’s for lunch. Granny kept Max and Marlie while I went to pick up Mimi and Grandpa’s new bathroom countertop. Mama picked them up on her way home from school.

Today was Mama’s first day back at school for the 2014—15 school year. She enjoyed an inspirational kickoff pep talk with her colleagues at 12Stone Church.

Max and I bowled on his Wii U this evening and when things didn’t go his way, he uttered the word shit. Mama and I jumped on him at the same time and I suggested we wash his mouth out with soap. Mama got the soap and when the little fellow saw we were serious, he panicked and pleaded for a second chance. We gave him one, but he’s been smug and obstreperous all evening.

It’s time for bed now.

It’s been another busy day here.

This morning Mama went to school to drop off something and picked up Max from Mimi and Grandpa’s on her way home. We played Wii U baseball for about an hour. The little fellow and I had dental cleaning appointments shortly before noon.

Max was worried about getting something stuck in this throat, but our cleanings turned out well. Dana was our hygienist and Dr Kim checked us. Both Dana and Dr Kim went on and on about Max’s handsomeness. I didn’t hear one bloomin’ compliment about my handsomeness.

After Max and I returned home he and Mama went to Chick-fil-A and Granny’s, where Max got some big marshmallows to shoot in his new marshmallow air gun.

I ran an errand this afternoon as just as I was parking the Maxmobile, he and Mama were heading to Collins Hill Aquatic Center for some free-fun swimming before his swimming class. His swimming instructor was a lifeguard at the outdoor pool, and Max thought it was neat that she knew his name and spoke to him.

This evening Max and I played more Wii U baseball and then Mama joined us for a round of bowling.

Today marks the conclusion of Mama’s summer break. Tomorrow she returns to Ivy Creek to begin her twentieth year of teaching. Where the heck has time gone? I was only twenty-one when we married, and Becky was just nineteen.

Mama, Max, and Marlie, our seven-month old Shih Tzu, are in bed as I write this and I’m about to join them. George, our cat, is with me in the big chair in our bedroom.

Today was Max’s second day of Medals Camp at Gymnastix Training Center. He said he had a good time, but he can’t tell us much about what he did. Last night I reminded him to call me to pick him up if he was ready to come home early. He said, “Okay, but I’m not going to call because I’m going to have a good time.”

Mama picked him up around 4:00 pm, and they stopped by McDonald’s to get Max a late lunch.

I took the little fellow to swimming lessons this evening, and afterward he exclaimed, “I wish my class was forty hundred hours long!” It lasts just thirty minutes, so he’s eager for more time in the pool with kids his age.

Tonight Mama, Max, and I bowled on the Wii U. We enjoyed playing together and I won both rounds I played. Mama and Max played a round together because I had to take Marlie out.

While I got a shower this evening Mama and Max played hide-and-go-seek. Max was afraid to go into the dark areas of our upstairs, so he enlisted my help in finding Mama as soon as I toweled off.

We’re about to shut down Chez Max.