The Kite Runners

For my first official Mother's Day, Spencer surprised me with a lovely pair of genuine, hand-crafted WalMart kites. :0)  I was so excited!  Kite flying is something that has always held such wonderful appeal for me.  It  seems such a romantic pastime.  I believe that if there are still people in this world who spend windy afternoons flying kites, then all is well.  

Spencer has mentioned to me many a time (and quite nostalgically) his kite flying experiences as a child.  He describes himself lying on a blanket with his brother and dad, relaxing and watching their kite fly higher and higher into the blue.  So, I, of course, had already decided to get Spencer a nice kite for his birthday. And he, of course, beat me to it.  Spencer is the murderer of birthday surprises.  :0)  But, at least this way he got to pick the kites out and I didn't accidentally buy the cheap kind that doesn't work--which I am always apt to do.  

At any rate, we took our kites on their maiden voyage that very day and had a lovely time.  Grace, turns out, is an amazing kite-ist.          

First, Spencer taught her the ins and outs of being a chill kite flyer.  She listened and studied attentively.

Then came the legendary hand-off.

Grace got it down to a science.

And soon, she discovered that kites were not only good for flying, but for eating, as well.

She found the whole thing so easy, she decided to lay down for a bit and rest (notice the kite continues to fly with ease, as is evidenced by the string still held taut).

Spencer was pretty good, too (as seen with the more advanced, but slightly less restful, two-handed kite!).

And now, a shot of the happily soaring turtle kite.

All in all, the afternoon was a big success.  As was Mother's Day.

P.S.  This blog steals its title from the book, "The Kite Runner," which I highly recommend.  It got me interested in all things kite and Afghanistan.  For those who have read it, Spencer and I took turns being each other's "kite runner."  I loved it.