Beating The Heat

Yes, you are reading the temperature in the picture above correctly!  When I got to my car yesterday after a day at the beach, this is what my outside temp thermometer read...104 degrees!  What a way to start summer!

When I married a police officer and desired to have children, I promised myself three things.  First, I would never hold the demands of Marc's job against him, but would stand up to him if he took on too many voluntary things that negatively impacted the family.  Secondly, I would become self sufficient enough managing the household, children, and finances, so that in the event that his job took him from me, we could survive.  And lastly, I would never let his absence due to the demands of his work prevent the kids from experiencing the joys of life.  Each summer, I work very hard on the latter.  Yes, traveling alone with four children is hard...even harder when you have to deal with the issues that come along with my crew...but we seem to make it work!





School let out for my oldest three on Tuesday, so Wednesday we got down to business!  Between work and school, Marc was going to be unavailable to hang out with us all week, so it would just be me and the crew.  We were entering a heat wave and decided to go to a state park that I frequented as a child with my own family.  We picnicked on the beach, searched for unusual rocks, and swam to our hearts content.  The water was surprisingly warm and we all had a blast!



Then on Thursday, another scorcher, we decided to head to the beach!  So I doused everyone in sunscreen, loaded up the mini van again and off we went.  We had a picnic, Jacob built a sandcastle, Abby taught Hailey how to boogie board, and Zach and I hung out and played in the waves.  Surprisingly the ocean water did not feel horribly cold and I even braved it up to my waist.  By late afternoon, I was heading home with four exhausted but happy kids.



It's days like these that I it hits me the hardest about what Marc and my efforts have done for our four children.  I don't think about it often, but it feels good to take a step back once in a while and marvel in what they've become.  I watched a carefree Hailey prancing around on the beach in her little swimsuit singing, and thought about the scared little girl that was handed to me in filthy mismatched clothes by an orphanage worker.  I watched Jacob giggling as the waves sprayed him in the face and remembered the terrified little boy who clung to my shirt and cried every time we left our hotel room through our days in China.  I watched Zach walk in the surf on flat feet for the first time, giggling and spraying his siblings with water.  And marveled at my shy Abby, who did not talk until she was three, a smile from ear to ear, confidently holding her boogie board and catching each big wave with a slew of other preteens.  It's been a rocky road to say the least, but it's days like these that I can sit back and know that it was all worth it.

Happy summer everyone!