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'?!

Boat Beach Bash

Today we headed back to the boat beach, this time with a whole crew. We had aunts and uncles, great aunts and uncles, cousins, friends, dogs, and of course Pop-Pop shuttling us all.

Do you think the girls love it here, or what? I think Kate's favorite part of the day was playing around with all the other kids. As for Emily? I think for her, it was when there were just a few of us left, the last group to be shuttled home, and Uncle Richie had her cracking up with his diving for hermit crabs. There's not much else to do when you're stranded on a sinking island!

For The Dogs

Down here, dogs aren't allowed on the beach. At least not the ocean beach. The boat beach, on the other hand, is a dog free-for-all, and now that Aunt Erin and Uncle John are down with their dog Luke, well, it was a perfect day to spend the hot holiday day.

Both the girls and Luke apparently have matured a lot since their first visit, because Luke is much calmer which makes the girls a lot calmer around him too. In fact, I think I can say they actually like him now! At the very least they had fun swimming with him.

As much fun as it was playing with Luke, I have to say Kate took the cake today:

(Thanks, Aunt Lauren!)

Don't Eat Me!

Today Aunt Erin visited us which meant we finally got to meet her and Uncle John's new goldendoodle puppy, Luke. What a cutie he is!

Unfortunately, Emily has been afraid of dogs ever since her big scare two years ago, and while she's been starting to come around, she still freaks out easily, and it's rubbing off on Kate. Emily would run, Kate would run, Luke would run. Emily would shriek, Kate would shriek, Luke would bark. We had to keep reminding them not to run or scream, because it only made Luke think they wanted to play. (Although I didn't mind when Kate kept on telling Luke, "Don't eat me!" because it was just so darn cute.) Eventually the girls warmed up to their furry cousin and, wouldn't you know it, even had fun!

Later Emily wanted to take some pictures of her own of Luke...and her Crocs...and whatever else caught her eye.

It will be fun watching that cute little pup grow, and, who knows, maybe next time all three kiddos will be a little more mature. Thanks for the visit, Erin and Luke!