The Other Side of Town

I was wrong when I said that dogs aren't allowed on the beach down here, because Aunt Erin learned that Stone Harbor allows dogs on the beach in the evening. I felt a little like a traitor letting the girls climb aboard the lifeguard boat there, but we so rarely go to the beach in the late afternoon, which is the only time anyone other than lifeguards are allowed on the stands. Besides, with the gorgeous lighting, how could I resist?

Luke certainly had fun splashing around in the ocean, and let's just say Emily and Kate didn't stay nearly as dry as I had hoped.

I think we'll have to do this again, and soon. I forgot how much I love this time of day at the beach.

Sand and Sweat

We know we're supposed to be helping Mimi get the house organized, but with two young kids and a puppy, well, there's only so much waiting around the house Aunt Erin and I can handle. We took a break with a walk to the playground, and with the heat, we were thankful the girls settled on playing in the shady sandbox.

Later in the afternoon, we took another break to let the girls cool off in their little pools, and Luke was not one to be excluded from that fun. How cute does he look just maxin' and relaxin'?!

Long Time No See

It feels like it's been ages, but today we finally got to meet up with our friends Fran and Jolene and their kids Trey and Jaden. (They have another baby boy due in just over three months, how crazy is that?!) Their family is dealing with the same issues with their beach house construction that ours did two years ago, right down to wondering when they'd ever get into the house. Fortunately, the end is in sight for them, which means that we should have a lot more opportunities for beach playdates!

Our day at the beach ended with a rainbow cloud which had me feeling like the double rainbow guy, but if you had seen it in person, well, you'd probably think it was pretty cool too!

After the Storm

We had a stormy night last night and a dreary day today, but by the late afternoon the day had actually turned into a pretty nice one.

You might even say it was perfect for a sunset cruise. The girls were certainly impressed.

Captain Kate even got to take her first shot at helping Pop-Pop steer the boat and apparently learned to drive from television, what with the constant turning of the wheel.

I think she's going to need a lot more practice. Good thing Pop-Pop is always up for a boat ride!

Sidelined

Poor Kate was stuck on the sidelines at soccer camp until next year, but I think she still made the most of it. Thanks to Mimi for the suggestion to buy her a soccer ball of her own!

"When's it my turn, huh, Mama?"

Bring It

As I hoped, the rest of the week at soccer camp went smoothly, without any more tears. On Tuesday, she seemed to play a lot with the girls...

...while on Thursday they played "robbers" and some more "sharks and minnows," this time with Emily finally understanding the rules of what a shark is supposed to do.

Today was their last day, and it happened to be a drizzly one. Emily wasn't too thrilled about the idea of playing outside in the rain, but I assured her that playing soccer in the rain is actually the most fun way to play.

She eventually saw it my way, and especially liked the makeshift tent Kate and I had set up on the sidelines. Unfortunately, perhaps because of the rain, the ice cream truck didn't show up at the park as promised, but fortunately, I had picked up some ice cream sandwiches yesterday, and those, combined with the excitement of going to the shore later tonight, helped make the perfect end to a fun week.