Me & my girls...

Tired of being cooped up in the house both myself and the girls were starting to go stir crazy. What could we do I pondered. Money is tight and I'm not suppose to be driving too far because of my foot. That is when I decided I would google it. Yes, google it. What on earth did we do before the Internet and google? I guess we learned of fun things to do via word of mouth or did they get in the car and just drive hoping to find something fun to do? Maybe we stayed home.

Anyway, I googled "ways to cool off in...(insert our new town here)". The funny thing is that there actually was a top 10 list for ways to cool off in our new town. What a coincidence! Number three or four was a local state park that not only has beach access with bathrooms, showers, and free parking, but also said it had a nearby lake with water park for the kids. I was sold and off we went for a fun filled day of adventure yesterday, just me and my girls!

First the beach! The girls loved the ocean this year. We all agreed the beach isn't the same without Daddy and not just because he is strong and can help us carry everything. Well, to be completely honest, that is when we discovered we missed him, but the theme continued throughout the day! I discovered that the beach would be perfect if the sand would stay put and not get on everything including me. It is important to apply sunscreen lotion before you go down to the beach because it really hurts when you apply sun screen lotion on sandy skin.


After the beach we headed to the water park to cool off and get all the sand off of us. It was completely different from what I imagined, but great anyway! It was more of a splash park like you find at Sea World with all of the sprinklers and fountains shooting water everywhere. There was a height limit and fortunately Taylor still has a couple inches before she is too tall to play. There was only one other boy playing so the girls had the entire place to themselves. I enjoyed sitting on a bench that had water coming down on it. It felt so refreshing and I was right it was the perfect place to end the day and wash all the sand away!


Taylor was more adventurous than ever and loved taking her miniature boogie board out to ride what little waves they had. She looked so tall compared to that tiny board. She really is growing up fast and I enjoy spending time with her. Her mind is growing and I love it as she tries hard to comprehend the who, what, wheres, whys and hows of her future. I hope she will always feel comfortable to ask me a million and one questions like she does now. She tries so hard to play with her little sister, but you can see the age difference. Her patience wears thin and sometimes she'd prefer to be by herself than pretending with Kaitlyn, which is okay too!


Kaitlyn loved the beach! You can see that I wasn't too secure with her being in the water, hence the life jacket. She's learned how to swim this summer and does very well in the pool, but the ocean doesn't have stairs you can swim to or walls you can hang on to. Despite having to wear her life jacket she still loved the water, that is, until she got it in her eyes. If she made one trip out of the water to dry off her face she must have made at least twenty. Always turning to head right back into the ocean to have some more fun. Her laughter was in the air today, all day! I love to hear her laugh. Usually it is at something silly her big sister has done. The entire ride home all I heard was laughter in the back and it made my heart smile.


My girls are as different as night and day, but they sure do love one another. Kaitlyn has entered the phase of "Taylor can do no wrong". She is constantly in her shadow, one step behind, waiting to see what comes next, always putting her own spin on it and I love that about my girls. Even though they are different, they too are so much alike!


One a bit reserved, but full of life when she thinks no one is watching...


The other still looking for reassurance, but watch out because it is only a matter of time before she has the world to conquer...


The irony in this little adventure is that the first and possibly last time I go to the beach by myself this summer is the time I discovered that all I really need to tote down to the sea shore is my chair, one towel (so Kaitlyn can dry her eyes), sunscreen in my beach bag with snacks, a few water bottles and the girls basket of beach toys. Everything else and the kitchen sink can stay in the car, heck, it can stay at home for all I care. I've got it to a science in just one trip. We don't need all of the extras for me and my girls to have fun!