Croquet

My mom introduced Alyssa to croquet a couple of weeks ago.

Alyssa loves it. As in, she’s asking every single afternoon if one or more of us will play with her.

We usually do because the weather has been glorious and because it’s fun to watch her whack the ball around the yard.

She’s actually not very good. At all. But what she lacks in skill, she makes up for in enthusiasm.

And judge us if you want but we don’t let our kids win at games. If they win, they know they did it fair and square.

But for all the whacking and chasing, she’s come close to coming in second a couple of times (second when there are three or more of us playing.)

I love playing these games that remind me of my childhood with my kids. I love building memories with them and showing them that sometimes the simplest things are the best ones.

My girls know that life isn’t always sunshine and roses (though Olivia did step on a branch from a rose bush last night and ended up with a thorn in her foot. Damned roses.) but they know that we try to find the fun and joy in most things.

Evenings in the backyard, with the croquet set is one of those simple pleasures. Olivia prefers to run around, singing songs and demanding I dance to her music between turns but even that adds to the fun.

Croquet…one of those long lost pleasures I’m glad we’re rediscovering.