Beach Day

I wanted to spend some quality time with the boys.  So I took them to the beach.

Five

And I wonder why they are covered in sand when we leave...

Five 

Five and Four

Three

Three has decided that when he grows up he wants to be a male model.  I wish I were kidding.  I sure hope he comes up with a plan b.

Beautiful day at the beach.  We saw dolphins and lifeguard rescues.  The boys bogey boarded and buried each other in the sand.  These are the memories. 

Alien Adventures

One of Three's sisters gave him an Alien.  The alien is named Rubosishio.  That is ridiculously long.  And hard to say.  We don't speak alien very well.  So he told us we can call him R.

The first thing R decided to do when he arrived here at his new home was to make some new friends.

No, R!  Foxes are gross and they will eat anything.  Probably even aliens.  Try something else.

So R asked for a book.

I looked over the book shelves and finally suggested this deliciously yummy read that I recently enjoyed.

R loved it and gave it five stars.

How funny.  So did I.

After reading a whole book, R felt a little peckish.  

He asked for a treat.

So I gave him an In-N-Out milkshake.  

He drank it all up.  

Then he decided that if he had been hungry, Lucy the fish might be hungry too. 

So he fed the fish.

Not too much, R!

After everyone was fed, R wanted to play hide and seek.  

Can you see him?

When he got bored of hiding, R asked to listen to some rockin' tunes.  I put on some Indigo Swing for him.

He liked it and decided to go swing dancing.  I caught him in my closet trying to wear my sparkly shoes.  

Oh, R!

After dancing, he was very tired.  He took a nap. 

When he woke up, he asked about where he came from.  I gave him a space race pinball machine to explain his origins.  He played until his little balloon fingers started squeaking.  

Then he wanted to play space invaders.  I got him a space gun.

Ptchoo!  Ptchoo!

Oh no!*  Poor R.

*No aliens were actually harmed in the making of this story.  R just thought it would be good to end it with a bang.  He is alive and well.  Putting together a puzzle actually. 

And somewhere in the literary universe Mr. Bennet is smacking his head into a wall over and over again, moaning something about my irrational use of personal time.  Sorry, Mr. B.

Buried at the Beach

I took Three to the beach today for a family visit.  We ended up at the place where Husband and I first met Three two years ago.  It's been a crazy ride.  

We ate and went to the beach where Three had fun with his sibs and got buried in the sand.  

(I try to respect their privacy and not put pics of them on here.)

But Three had a lot of fun with them and enjoyed the beach.    

Goggles

I was trying to have a serious conversation with this character...while he sported green goggles and holding a sword in one hand and a bow in the other.  

You're killin' me kid.  

I could not keep a straight face.  

And he knew it.

Pool Day

Age Related Issues

I get it.  I look young.  Really, really young.

I don't think I look particularly young.  But, as I've said before, I've had the luxury of seeing myself age.

Others haven't.  And I come in contact with others often enough to realize that I must look quite young.  Because they mention it all the time.

I typically see it as an ice breaker.

You know, I might say, "Hey, nice skirt," to break the ice with a stranger.

Others break the ice with me by saying, "Hey, don't you need a parent to see this PG-13 movie?" (And yes, I have had my age questioned when going to a PG-13 movie by myself.  I was in college.  It was very...memorable.  I even had to show my college ID to go into the theater.  For a PG-13.)

Anyway, I usually brush off these encounters.  And it is normally easy to brush them off because people tend to stay in the 'ice breaker' territory.

Them: Are all these boys your little brothers?
(And I am always cast as the older sister or babysitter.  Never a nanny.  Nanny would indicate college age.)
Me: No.  They are all mine.
Them:  No!  What?  You mean?  No!  How old are you?
Me: Older than I look.

And they usually leave it at that.

However, occasionally I run into some that like to push the edge of 'ice breaking' boundaries.

Encounter Number One:

A short while ago, I took the boys to the doctor's office to get five's cast removed.  The doctor, who incidentally looks like he must get a lot of what I get for ice breaker topics, has a nurse.  And that nurse was very curious.  She asked the usual questions about my youthful look.  Let's pick up the conversation where I state:

Me: I'm older than I look.
Nurse: You can't be that much older.  How do you have all these boys?  How old are you?
Me: Old enough.
Nurse:  How many years do you have?

At this point I am giving her my "seriously" eyes - as in, you seriously just asked me twice how old I am? Point blank?  ...  All right.  You win.

Me: I'm thirty-three.
Nurse: No!  I don't believe it!

Well then...why did I bother telling you my age?!

Next time someone pushes that way, I just might tell them that I am sixteen.  And yes, all these boys are mine.  Just to see how they react.

Encounter Number Two:

At the pool the other day, we ran into a couple of other people.  Some moms, other kids, some old men.

The old men were nice enough.  When five went to sit in the jacuzzi (and I went with him to keep an eye on him), the two men were friendly without being skeevy.  The older of the two was quite talkative.  And as an ice breaker topic he brought up how young I looked.

We went through the typical conversation: how young I look, how I couldn't possibly be old enough to be the mother of all those boys, how I could easily pass for a teenager, how he couldn't believe it, how I should do undercover work.

When it gets to this point in the script, I usually tell them that my sister is a cop, has the youthful looking features as well, and has, indeed, done undercover work, posing as a teen.  (I like to throw this out there to keep people aware that they should stay away from teens in that way, because you never know when it might be an undercover cop.  Just doing my part to keep shady men in line.)

Anyway, it all went well until:

Man: Well, I still just can't believe it.  (Looking at his friend) Can you believe it?
Friend: Nah, I can't believe it.
Man: I should take a picture of you to show to my wife.  She'll never believe it.

Okay.  I wasn't getting a shady vibe from these men at all.  But....I've never had anyone want to take a picture of me because they couldn't believe my age.  I didn't know what to say.  Not that time.  Not the next three times that he mentioned taking a picture of me.  Thank goodness he forgot his phone (camera) at home.

What would you say?  Just in case that happens again, I need a catchy comeback prepared.  I don't want to be caught flat-footed and find myself saying cheese while wondering how the heck that happened.

At some point, I would really like to look my age.  I would really like to be taken for an adult.  For Pete's sake!  I am practically middle-aged and I can't convince people that I am at least legal age.

Even the boys have learned the script by now.  While Five was listening to this exchange with the men in the jacuzzi, he piped up with, "Yeah, she gets that all the time.  But, she's my Mom."

Indeed, I am.  Whether I look old enough or not, I have actually lived through all these thirty-three years. And let's just hope that I start aging soon.  Or I will spend the next three decades insisting to others that I really am closer to fifty than twenty.

 

Beach Day - July

Technically some of the boys went to the beach already in July.  But, Husband took no pictures.  And Five and I couldn't go...so...

***

We had plans on Saturday but they were canceled so I decided to take the boys to the beach.  Then Husband decided to join us.  Happy day!

It was incredibly busy...people everywhere...parking scarce...I'd never seen it so full.

On the beach there were crazy strong currents, the strongest I can ever remember battling, and a couple of lifeguard rescues while we were there.

Three lasted the longest in the waves.  He was in the water most of the time we were there, fighting the currents, bogey boarding like a champ.

Four did really well too.  The two of them would get in the water up the beach, fight the current until they could get out far enough to catch a wave, and then ride the wave in down the beach.  Then they would get out of the water, run up the beach, and go again.

Five went in the water some but stayed mostly on land.  Here he has a clump of wet sand, ready to pitch back in the water. 

Four sometimes likes to ride the board in sideways.  Doesn't seem like it should work, but it does.

Five dug to the center of the earth.

Husband relaxed and read a book for most of the morning.  

I went out in the water to play around.

I literally had to walk sideways in the water so I could get out to a point straight from the land.  The currents were exhausting.  

Three and I rode in on several waves together.  It is so much more fun, now that they can bogey board with me. 

The water was so clear this time that Three and I saw giant fish swimming around our ankles. 

We did not plan this next shot.  Husband just happened to catch Three and I laughing at each other while we boarded into shore.  

Four saw us coming and attempted to skim board out to us.  Um...holy toledo!  We collided but lived to tell the tale. 

Five decided to relax near Daddy.

He wanted his head in the shade and his body in the warm sun.  Mission accomplished.

Later on, Five pulled a Karate Kid maneuver.  

Can you see it now?

Husband went for a run up and down the beach and then decided to take in some waves.  I am an okay swimmer.  He is a very strong swimmer.  And even he ended up a quarter mile down the beach by the time he fought his way out to the waves and bogey boarded in.  

The currents were crazy strong and so after fighting them myself I was impressed to see the lifeguard be able to get out to the three people stranded past the wave break.  Lifeguard ran up the beach, hopped in the water, swam through the current, and ended up just a little ways down from us for the show.  

Even the lifeguard boat showed up for that one because the trio had been pulled so far out.  I don't think they were very grateful for the rescue though.  As soon as they were back on land they immediately packed up and left.  They had hours left on their parking meter (they arrived when we did) and they didn't acknowledge the lifeguard that had just pulled them as they walked away.

Oh well.  After seeing the lifeguard in action I was very happy that we always sit so close to the tower.  You never know...

Otherwise, great day at the beach.  By the time we left, all the parking on the island was full and we had several people trying to get our spot.  It was that kind of beach day.  Warm air but not hot.  Cool water but not cold.  Crazy currents but good boarding.

And so far we have gone to beach at least once a month in 2013.  We are halfway there!