Sand In the Nether-Regions

...and just for the record before I proceed - 10 more days. You would think I would be a little more prepared for the girls' start of school, but all they have so far is new shoes. I would have their other stuff too, but after the ghastly cost of shoes taking up my entire back-to-school budget, I will now be looking for extra change in the couch cushions to afford the page-long list of supplies the girls need to have by the first day of school (not that I'm complaining - those poor teachers spend way too much out of their pockets for my girls, so I am more than happy to provide our fair share).

Things are actually going quite swimmingly with the girls at home, especially since a good portion of the last two weeks have been spent at the beach or water parks with the lovely summer shine upon us turning my girls' skin ever-browner.

Here we are at the beach with my sister-in-law Marian and her kids - I love having them in town from New York.



We enjoyed a day at the water park with one of my other sisters-in-law, Gail a few days ago, but after getting the car jumped before we left due to one of the girls (who still has not fessed up to it) leaving the car door open all night, I completely forgot to pack my camera.

We also visited Liberty park last week where they have a fun section of park filled with water holes, wading areas, and waterfalls. A blissful day in the sun keeping my kids occupied.

Yesterday, we made our way back to the beach with our friends. Just try and keep track of your kids with this sea of neighborhood kids:

That's right, there were about 20 plus kids there from our group.

Here's a few of the girlies from the midst.
And of course, their lovely mothers -

I am blessed to have such fun and loving gal pals from my neighborhood to hang out with at the beach.

One more week with one more beach trip and then it will be back to the grind of school. I must admit, I have enjoyed our lazy, care-free mornings and late nights out in the summer sun. All good things must come to an end though.