Time well spent

Yesterday, I took advantage of a rainy day and abused it. I let Jeffrey watch Dora The Explorer most of the day while I made some strides in getting the Joe Cool bedroom repainted. His English is great, and with luck, he's learning some Spanish, too. I'll know when he starts talking to me in the foreign tongue.

So I couldn't make the same mistake today and with temperatures hovering near 70, I decided I'd go to the beach, Jeffrey and Joey in tow. An exploratory adventure that even Dora can't match and I figured sea gulls would be just as appealing to their little eyes as Swiper, Backpack, and Dora herself.

The warm air and less than calm waves beckoned the surfers, lots of them. People like us enveloped the beautiful day, walking their dogs, letting the dogs run free, all appreciating the gift the day was, for by this time of year we are usually donning winter coats, mittens, hats and I am bipping the thermostat up a degree or two to take off the chill 68 degrees will leave in our house.

So the boys ran around. We collected stones for the garden and walls. I took pictures of them. The boys, that is. I could have collected many more stones than I did, except Joey got hungry and with his hunger comes his ugly mood and it was my signal that it was time for us to go. I appeased him and his brother with Happy Meals on the way home before we stopped to visit my cousin and her baby girl, both of whom I hadn't seen in 3 months. We are a mere 25 minutes from each other, and yet finding time to get together seems so challenging when it seems it really shouldn't be. Everybody is growing older and it seems, away from each other and I feel the struggle to maintain contact with family and friends as my own immediate family's needs consume my life. I don't want to become a distant friend or a distant cousin or distant at all. I am determined to keep all strings attached, even if it means double knotting those that have been cut so many times.

So Kel, I meant it when I said I would come over to help make your house your home. I have gotten very good and patient with painting.

Speaking of which, I can probably get another wall done before it's time to get the boys settled down for the night. I can truly say it was a great day, even with the challenges the boys throw at me day after day. But I see the light; grammy and grandpa Lou are coming to visit! My next great challenge won't be how to get through a day without anybody having a meltdown, but to be creative enough to persuade them to take one or two home with them. And if that doesn't work, I'll go myself. So there. Honky Tonk Badonkadonk.