Beach... What!?

Jackson's been in this habit lately of saying "WHAT?!" after we tell him something exciting, like "tomorrow we have swimming lessons," or "aunt Savannah is leaving on her mission today." He says it as though he can't believe whatever you are telling him, but he has that sparkle of excitement lurking underneath a raised eyebrow and crooked smile. Most likely it perpetuates because we think it's hilarious.

I felt this surprised "what!?" feeling when a friend of mine told me about a beach that was only an hour from DC. The beach wasn't on the Atlantic ocean with crashing waves, or swarms of people, but it had sand, warm water, and it was 1 hour away--not 3, like every other beach we have visited.

We went on what is likely to be the last 78 degree, low humidity day until autumn, and I must say... it was so nice to be burning our feet on the sand.



The beach is along the Chesapeake bay, where there are apparently multiple sandy spots not owned by private households. This particular beach had bathrooms, and nets to keep the jelly fish out.

 

 And no giant waves to knock toddling water carriers down.

 And shallow enough water to be enjoyed by the resident 4 year old swimmer.

I feel like this treasure of knowledge is so precious I've been proselyting it to all friends who live in the area.

I love when their faces scrunch into their own version of "what!?"

Amazing Fathers

Jackson and Allie built this tower together this morning and immediately Jackson said, "MOM, mom! Take a picture of it and send it to DAD! He's going to love it!"

Mark's enthusiastic response, and his excitement at seeing his kids after work tonight are things that could change the course of a child's life. And they're normal at our house.

How grateful I am for the amazing Dad these kids have. Let's add dedicated husband and dish washer to his resume and I feel pretty lucky. Pretty lucky both of us had amazing Father's who helped direct our lives in positive ways and set a high precedent for Fatherhood. 

 

Here's to Father's. And a world where this is the norm for the majority of the world.

Pool Days

We ushered in the hot weather last week by breaking out the kiddie pool.

How can such a little water produce such pure joy and entertainment!?

Since it was such a success, we planned a pool party for our joy-school friends (who would be here this week).

The weather made a startling move from the high eighty's to cloudy and the high 60s.

This was no deterrent for the 4 year olds. They walked in exclaiming "We're having a pool party today!!" There was no going back.

I sprayed them all with mosquito repellant (since sunscreen would not be needed for the 30 min of cloud cover they would experience) and they had at it.

 I was ready to put on a sweater, but they had no idea. Oh water bliss.

Oh joyous hose and plastic. We shall meet again often this summer.