When my kids were a little younger, I used to dread having days off from school and summer break. I knew I would have to entertain and it was much easier to have at least one of them gone at school and out of the mix. My friend who is a mom of mostly teenagers told me a few years ago that she can't wait until the kids have a day off school and she relishes every moment because life was so busy. I didn't understand that at the time, but I do now.
Life is too busy and 2 of my kids are away from me more than they are with me. I now cherish each vacation and moment that I can spend time with them and having fun. I have also thought of their childhood compared to mine. I was not so scheduled and busy. I also didn't have so much homework. Another big difference is that I was still free to go to the park or school and play baseball without an adult with me. I could roam the neighborhood and ride my bike around without being constantly watched. Creighton would play in the woods everyday after school to wander and explore. I feel like our kids don't get to do that living in suburban America. Our world is much more evil now, and we can hardly let our kids play in the front yard without watching their every move.
Since we had a day off school and it has been unusually warm, I decided we would spend the day at the beach. My friends Andrea and Annie came with me with their kids. When we left our house that day it was overcast and about 65 degrees. We were losing hope about our great day at the beach. If it is cold at our house, it is almost always colder at the beach. When we got there it was 78 degrees and no wind at all. The ocean was so calm. It almost looked like a lake, which we rarely see. The waves were very small, but perfect for the kids to boogie board on. After a few hours, it was completely clear and hot and felt like the perfect summer day. It is January, so those of you in the snow would especially appreciate this.
The kids were able to explore, run, play, get dirty and wet without a care in the world. There was almost no crying or whining and when the kids are happy, the moms are happy.
Meggie met me there when my friends left and we climbed on the rocks, play volleyball and got dinner. The last picture is the sunset as we left.
We love the beach and it was the perfect day.
Boogie Boarding
Taking a break
Ben
Luke digging for sand crabs
Isa
Isaac
Isaac digging intently
Exporing the rocks while Isaac wishes he could follow them, but isn't quite big enough
The boys climbing all over the rocks
Isa in one of the caves
Where do you think you are going?
The other side of the cave
More caves
Me and the kids
The sunset and the perfect ending to our perfect day.
5 comments:
It was a perfect day. Amen to our childhood vs. theirs. I'm so glad we took advatage of our suroundings and the kids day off with you guys. It will be a day that will not be forgotten. I love the photos. Especially the sunset. Beautiful!
Okay I think you are sneaking these posts in when I'm not looking. I never seem to see them until a few days after you've posted them....
Anyways, your not really selling CA to me. I kind of think my kids have a lot more freedom here in CO. We live on a quite culdesac and we know all our neighbors. Not that we trust them all :) But most of the moms watch out for each others kids. We love it here. So when we get back to scary So Cal you better plan lots of these beach trips and take me with you.
You made me think of when I was a kid. We lived in the neighborhood on the corner of Haven and Baseline. My Mom let me walk to the bus stop on Baseline alone. Crazy!
Those are great pictures. I love the first one it's worthy of a frame.
Great post with a great message. I miss those days when all of my kids were little and we would go off on great advenutres. We still have great advenutures just not as often. Ken and I used to pack the kids up right after a day of school and drive to the beach. Our friends had a big van and we would all pile in together. The guys would surf and the kids would play in the waves and the sand. We would feed them then get them back home in time for bed. It was always so spontaneous but such a great time. It was also made possible by weekly homework packets so we were able to skip a day of homework.
Keep making those memories with your kids. Just like the song you turn around and they are gone!
I agree and dido everything you said. This weekend is going to be nice and I told Jase we should visit the beach. After reading this it made me want to do it even more. Thanks for the invite!! JK, I am glad you guys had a good time and the pictures are great. We love you guys!!
I like your holiday better than mine. We went ice skating, which was fun, don't get me wrong. I just took a major fall trying to be all fancy.(there was this little four year old there who made everything look so easy) luckily it happened at the end, but I have a big bruised hip as a keepsake for my holiday. You have those gorgeous pics.
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