Just one day

Today, my girls & I went to Sandy Hill Cove beach with one of my BFF's, Viv. It was a perfect day to go. The temps were suppose to reach the 90's and most schools aren't out for the summer, so I wasn't expecting the beach to be packed. We packed a lunch, packed up the girls and off we went. It is about an hour drive from my house to South County, which is the southern part of RI. When we got there it was still a bit overcast. But we set up our blanket, umbrella & let the girls start playing. They started out building a sand castle. Auntie Viv as my girls call her, is quite good at building these. She knows that the sand has to be the right consistency of wet sand to stick together. After building our sand castle we went in the FREEZING water for a little while and then sat down to eat our lunch. After lunch, Rachel wanted to go back in the water, while Emily wanted to continue to work on the sand castle. Going in the water & jumping over the waves won out over the sand castle. We then talked the girls into walking down the beach to collect shells to decorate their castle with. It was during this time that this post was inspired. I'm not sure when it happened, but somewhere along the way I lost what was important. I LOVE THE WATER; I grew up on a lake & before that by the ocean. I don't remember much about the ocean other than we used to go crabbing. It was so absolutely beautiful today. I loved watching the innocence of my six year olds playing in the sand, jumping over waves and walking down the beach looking for shells and rocks. When we first went in the water if any splashed on their faces they would make pseudo spitting noises and say, "Blek, pthuhy." It was kind of comical. At one point when we were walking down the beach, Rachel found a shell covered in sand, but as she ran into the water to rinse it off she tripped and fell, getting her face wet, bringing about the obligatory, "Blek, pthuhy." She lost her shell & I think some of her pride. We found a lot of clams, several scallops and many of my favorites. I don't know their name and couldn't even find a picture of them. All I know is I've always called them 'banana boats.'
It truly was a beautiful day. It brought me back to the fact that although being at the ocean is sticky and sandy, I really love it. And most of all I loved watching the innocence of my children. Unfortunately, I didn't take a camera today to capture any of what I saw, so I can only rely on my memory. Words can't begin to describe the thoughts that were going through my head. Everything from, I miss my mom, to "Footprints in the Sand," to the innocence of children, my children, to the joy of spending time with one of my BFF's, who loves my girls like they are her own flesh and blood, and many others. I forgot to mention how we started out the day. The girls were asking me what kind of animals live in the ocean. I think they were afraid of something nibbling on their toes. I didn't have the heart to tell them about jelly fish. But I told them crabs and whales live in the ocean. Then we talked about who made the earth (God), who made the animals (God), who made Adam & Eve (God), and that God put Adam & Eve in charge of all the animals. Thank you God for your beautiful creation.

random thoughts

One year ago this past Saturday, March 29th, was the last time I saw my mom alive. My sis-in-law keeps telling me to stop dwelling in the past. I try not to, but I really miss talking to my mom. I miss asking her questions about the girls, like did I do this or that, or telling her what they are up to these days. My girls turned 3 this past Wednesday, on my 3rd b-day we were camping in Tenn. & my mom ended up in the hospital having gall bladder surgery. Can I just tell you, that when we were cleaning out her house, she still had her gall stones saved in a jar!?!
I use to(still do?)talk in my sleep, my daughters have started this, I'm not exactly sure how to deal with this, as I keep wondering if something is wrong with them; especially since they've been sick of late & are still a bit under the weather. Speaking of sick: the girls had their 3 year check ups on Friday. They were both running temps of 101 at that time. The good news? The dr. said it was just viral, they had to ride it out, give them ibuprofen for the fever. She doesn't have to live with them being fussy, whiny & clingy. As far as the check up went, they are doing well. Weight wise they are in the 75th percentile & height wise there is 1/2 inch separating them which puts them in the 45th & 25th percentile respectively. I absolutely love my pediatrician. She is a mom of triplets, so she understands the multiple thing & she is incredibly attentive when you are there, addressing all of your concerns/questions.
So a little over a week ago on my bff Renae's b-day, the 1st day of spring arrived. And while the sun seems to be shining a bit more these days, I know it is here because my friends' crocus' are blooming! :) And I've been seeing a lot more motorcycles out on the road. In fact the hubs is very anxious to get our bike back on the road. If anyone out there in blogger land is feeling incredibly generous & wants to donate an additional motorcycle to our cause, please feel free to leave a comment w/contact info. I don't enjoy riding by myself, but with only 1 bike that is all we can do for now. And I don't have any female friends to go riding with. Oh yeah, & the other reason I know spring is here? Baseball, pre-season has started. Yes, folks it is Red Sox time again. Sing it with me: "Take me out to the ball game, take me out to the crowd....." The husband actually taught the girls how to sing that song. It is too stinking cute to watch. Maybe I'll get a video of it & figure out how to post it.(don't hold your breath.)
I know I had other things I wanted to write about, but my mind is falling asleep.
G'night.