My "Summer Vacation" Day

Today I took both kids to the beach--all by myself. And, of course, I left the camera at home.
They loved it. Toby made a little friend and played with him for an hour. He got buried in the sand, helped make a sand castle and moat, and played his version of "chicken" with the waves. Norah ate a bit of sand (including two sand-coated fruit snacks) and didn't want to go into the water. I didn't either; it was freezing. I was worried about the kids being so close to the water and not knowing how to swim, but Toby did really well obeying me and staying close to the shore. There was only one or two times where I had to chase the kids down because they went in different directions. Norah ended up sitting by Toby and playing with water in a bucket. She'd pour in sand, mix it up, dump it all out and then point to the water and make the sign for water. I'd go back and fill up the bucket and she'd do it all over again.
All in all, it was two and a half hours well spent, and the 5 minute drive home was great! The trip today encouraged me to take them there more often, and I'll bring the camera next time.
You know, sometimes people say that something easy is like "a day at the beach" or like "a picnic in the park." Personally, I can't think of two more complicated or energy-draining activities to do (WITH KIDS) than going to the beach or corralling kids for a picnic in a park. Just a thought.