Normalcy!

I live on the East Coast and Hallelujah it's 85 degrees here!

A big part of keeping me sane, and keeping my family healthy, is playing outside. This past week or so we've been outside in the sunshine for hours upon hours. I love it. More importantly, my kids need it.

We live 1/2 mile from a lake and although I prefer the real beach (coastal people know what I mean), we spend a lot of time here too. Today was our first trip of the season.

In my last post I talked about normalcy and how I'd like to have just a few hours of it once in a while. Well, God must have been paying attention because today, I did!

There were several of Taz's friends there from preschool. They played in the water (which was freezing cold although they didn't seem to care), they chased each other, they splashed and laughed. It was so....well....normal. And Taz fit right in. He even chased the girls around with seaweed on a stick!

I didn't have to watch him like a hawk like I usually do. I could chat with the other moms and spend time with Chica (who, it turns out, does not like sand). It was wonderful.

We did have to leave a little early because I could sense a meltdown coming over a sand shovel. But that could be normal for any over-tired four year old.

Oh, by the way, the photo above...is not anything like what our beach looks like. It's more like the beach I picture in my dreams.