The $12 Nap

Lola and Locke decided that they were through with napping about 6 months ago. The problem with that decision is that they still NEED naps. So a couple times a week, when tempers began to flare or it became clear they desperately needed sleep, I would them out "to run errands" because I knew that it wouldn't take 15 minutes of driving before they'd both be asleep.

Sometimes, when the weather was nice and cool, I could stop the car, roll down the windows and read. Then, when it got too hot to do that, I'd just drive around, exploring new neighborhoods or checking out shop windows. I called it the "rolling nap."

Now that gas prices have skyrocketed, I call it the $12 nap.

Sweetness Overheard

Lola and Locke were hiding in a closet together. I was standing nearby, listening to their conversation. It went like this:

LOCKE: Lola, I'm your big brother.

LOLA: And I'm your sister.

LOCKE: And together, we're best friends.

Ultimate Sandbox

There's nothing like seeing a child's face when they first see the ocean. They don't notice the tranquility of the waves as they roll into the shore. They don't see the other families setting up camp with their umbrellas and blankets. They don't even care there are thousands of beautiful shells scattered along the beach. All they see is one gigantic sand box.

Woo hoo! Shovels and margarita buckets in hand, they storm the beach and start digging. Thanks to a bit of help from Mimi, Locke and Lola built several sand castles that rivaled the Sagrada Familia in Barcelona. Beautiful, temporary works of art.

We collected shells, swam, ate fresh fish and homemade ice cream. I can hardly wait for our next beach adventure.

Sweet Carolina

We just returned from a wonderful trip to North Carolina. Kelly and I both have family there, and neither of us had seen our relatives in too many years to admit. Most had never seen Lola and Locke in person. So, it was a chance to get away, catch up, relax, and enjoy the people we're lucky enough to have as family.

We also spent several days on the beach. The kids had never seen the ocean so it was such fun living this new experience through their eyes.

Lola and Locke had a blast on every part of the trip. Swinging on the porch with Aunt Jean, building sandcastles with Mimi, splashing around the pool with cousin Andy, listening to the ocean in seashells, feeding seagulls crackers on the ferry (check out the just-snatched cracker in the seagull's beak) — they loved every minute.