At the end of September, the kids and I went to the park. Hurricane Matthew had gone over Florida. Our area had been expecting lots of rain and damage from the hurricane but instead we were spared with nothing more than flickering power, broken limbs and a night time curfew.

The kids needed to get out of the house since we had spent the weekend waiting for a hurricane to hit and had not been able to go outside for two days.

While playing at the park, the kids discovered small shells. Instead of enjoying their escape from the house, my kids were running all over the park collecting shells in their hands and in empty paper cups.

I thought the shells were empty. I figured they had been washed on to the playground because of the rain or had tried to escape the water and dried up on the playground.

I was wrong.

When we left the playground, the kids brought the shells in the car. Lizzie and Evelyn put the cups in the cup holders and left them over night. Even though, I’m always saying, “Don’t leave trash in the car.” Or “Make sure you bring all you stuff in with you.”

The next morning we got in the car and there were snails on the windows and walls of the car. They had congregated on a cup that held melted ice water and filled the cup holders. The snails seemed to be everywhere.

I thought the kids had picked up four or five of the shells but it turned out they had about 50!
The girls moved as many as they could into the cup and I told them I would take care of them later since we were on our way to school. They were very excited about the prospect of these new pets and couldn’t wait until they got home to play with them.

I hated to tell them that these snails were not going to be around after school. Dad was not going to risk them hanging out on the front porch so they could infest our yard. I was worried they were going to be upset with this decision, but when I picked them up from school, they never asked about the snails. They had moved on.
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I’m not sure what was going on in my mind when I let them bring small ‘empty’ snail shells in my car, but the next time they ask to bring shells in the car they will be from the beach and I will make sure they are empty!

My kids are creatures of habit. They like to do things the same way every time. These routines take hold not just daily but on trips and special occasions. Even if we have only been someplace one time, one of the four will remember what we did there the last time.

One of these routines takes place when we go to ‘Bubbe’s Beach’. Our main activity is to spend the day at the ocean playing under the sun in the waves and sand. After everything is packed away in the car and the kids have changed out of bathing suits, we drive to see Mommy Zebra and Baby Zebra.

One time when the girls were very little our beach trip was cut short by rain. Bubbe and Papa Mike decided to take them for a drive to show them the animals at the mini golf course near the beach.

This particular mini golf course cannot be missed on the way to the beach. In fact, I have used it as a landmark for directions when telling others how to get there. When you drive near, you firs see the giant pink elephant sitting on top of a waterfall. Over the years, the elephant was given a giant pair of blue sunglasses.  Around the corner is a black gorilla and by the parking lot stands a Mommy ebra and Baby Zebra.

Some days we drive by quickly and say hello and other days we drive slow looking for other animals hidden on the course.

We have found a lion hiding under a cave, a giant turtle next to a set of stairs, a couple of snakes, an alligator on the corner, a bird, and if you look close enough from the road you can spot a black scorpion.

The corner has gone through a few changes over the years. There used to be a go-cart track with a small cheetah guarding it from out the fence. The older building and go-cart track were torn down to make way for a newer and bigger building selling beach clothes, souvenirs and necessities you may have forgotten to bring with you, but the mini-golf course still stands.

This past summer as were in the parking lot looking at the animals, I decided there needed to be a picture of the Zebras with the kids.

No one really wanted to get out of the car since they were hot, tired and hungry, but what mom wants, sometimes mom gets.

They stood there and smiled when asked. Then they realized that you could actually play golf. Now instead of saying “Hi!” to the animals, they ask “Will we EVER get to play golf?”

Maybe, one day when it is not 100 million degrees outside. But then again, this is Florida.

One of our favorite parks has a bike trail next to it. The kids have played on the playground and watched people ride their bikes into the woods only to come out about the time were are leaving or never come out again. They wanted to know where they were going and what was behind the woods.
Every time we saw this happen, they asked if we could buy bikes and ride on the trail. Every time I said “no” mainly to the buying new bikes part but also but I just didn’t want to walk the trail. One day, I said “yes”. Worst idea ever, at least I thought so.

Off we started walking. First we walked over a grassy area with some wooden planks. The kids played there for a moment then decided to keep walking. Being a person who never goes on bike trails, I though “How bad can this be?” I picked the trail I hoped was the easiest and shortest and we walked some more.

All was going well. The girls were chattering about their adventure, looking at plants and flowers and the boys were poking at dirt with sticks.

Then Evelyn ran into a spider web, Lizzie got mad because I said I was not going to leave the trail and immediately go to the store to buy her a bike, Casey tripped over a root and fell face first in the dirt, and Will was getting tired.

We started back the way we came since I knew how far that was but I had no idea how far the end of the trail was. The girls began to whine and Will was crying because I was carrying Casey and not him.
I blocked out the rest of the walk but I am certain it included a lot of pleading and the words “Please, come on!”

When we reached the playground grass, the kids collapsed. After re-hydrating, they began talking about their grand adventure.

I guess it wasn’t the worst idea ever.

My kids love going to the playground. I used to call myself the ‘queen of parks.” I knew where every playground was within a 30 minute drive from my house. If we were going someplace new, I made sure I could find a playground nearby.

For a while, it seemed that we stopped going places to play. Maybe because we were watching TV or maybe with four kids, it was easier to stay home. Our scheduled became filled with school, after school activities, exercising or me just not wanting to go anywhere. When school started it worked out that one day became “Park Day”.  With something happening most nights, bedtimes being crazy, and our needs just growing, they needed time to play.

On Park Day before picking up the girls from school, I pack a cooler or bag with juice and snacks. The snacks usually are something horribly unhealthy and full of sugar. We have a large supply of candy and junk food hanging around the house from various holidays and we don’t let them eat it very often.

When we get to the park, the kids get the first installment of candy. Yes, sometimes they get a second installment. They are very excited about this and will hang around me instead of playing until I hand it out.

Once candy has had a chance to surge through their systems and they have played for a good hour or two, we go home, do homework eat dinner and go to bed. It makes for a great night.

Park day is a great way for my kids to be kids. Some days they play with each other, some days with me and some days with other kids are who are at the park.

This past week, we went to the “fish” park. Every park has a kid friendly name to help them remember which park is which. Usually this is because of an identifying piece of playground equipment or something we do at the park. There is the tractor park, the mushroom park, the leaf park, the wooden park or the park where we go see the fishes to name a few.

We pass the “fish” park often on our way to other parks, but never stop. It is a park that is built for bigger kids and is not friendly for babies that crawl. Now that Casey is in the bigger kid category, we tried the “fish” park. The kids had a great time. When climbing on the equipment that was shaped like a fish, they discovered it looked like the inside of a fish. The three story slide was transformed into a castle. The trip even included a walk to the small boat ramp where the kids played with water and sticks.

Park day. Their new favorite day of the week.

Little white wildflowers are growing all over our yard. Most people would call them weeds, and go to great lengths to eliminate them from their yard.

I love them in my yard and my heart is full when they are in bloom.

When Evelyn passed the stage of learning how to walk and entered into the “stop and look at everything while walking” stage, she began to pick me flowers.

Everywhere we went she found a flower. Some days it was beautiful, her chubby little toddler fingers presenting them to mom rewarded her with a “Thank you”, a kiss and a hug. Some days it was used as a stalling tactic. If she didn’t want to leave our current location, she would stop and pick a flower. Some days this habit seemed annoying when she would pick flowers I had asked her to leave alone. I tried to explain to her that flowers in other people’s yard were not for picking. Mr. L would tell her that if every kid picked a flower there would be no more flowers. Some days I told her we just didn’t have time. This was pointless and I began to add 5 minutes to our morning routine so we would have enough time for Evelyn to stop and pick flowers.

Lately, Evelyn has been busy with school, life and playing with her treasures in the yard and her flower picking happens less frequently.

Casey and Will have stepped up to fill the void.

Will was the first to start picking Mommy flowers. He was especially happy with the reward of hugs, kisses and he seemed to enjoy the smile it brought to my face. His sweet little hands and big blue eyes look at me, waiting to see my reaction. I would take them from his hand and off he would go to find more.

Casey, who does not like to be out done by his brother and will do anything he can to keep up, also began picking flowers. He watched what was happening and off he went to the white flowers, he too awaiting my reaction.

Evelyn, she spends time picking out just the right flower.
Will, he is careful to pick the whole flower and some stem.
Casey, his little finders grab the flower not caring about their condition when they get to me.
Lizzie, never caught on to this phenomenon and is usually annoyed no one is playing with her.

As for the flowers, I save none but the memories (and a picture or two).

From 1963 to 1984, there was a Wild West amusement park in Central Florida calls Six Gun Territory.
Mr. Lovelady and I have memories of the park when we were kids. One afternoon he told me stories of gunfights, train rides, the general store, gravel roads, dusty sidewalks and can-can dancers in the saloon.
My memories have been relegated to my parents digging out old pictures and saying “You were there.” I vaguely remember the train and being told to stand in front of it while someone took my picture.
Now a shopping center sits on the property and my children’s memories included getting their hair cut in the hair salon we frequent.
When Kirby Farm in Williston, FL held the Six Gun Territory Reunion. We bought tickets and took the kids. It was time to change these memories.
We were able to meet many of the legendary gunfighters, ride a train with a staged robbery and watch can-can dancers dance. There were a few relics from the park that included a couple of old sky ride cars and a stage coach. We watched a series of gunfights take place in front of a small replica of Six Gun Territory’s Palace Saloon.
It helped that we knew some of the players involved in the weekend. The kids got to see Mr. Jim, a Six Gun Legend Gun Fighter. A friend of mine, Miss Jamie, was not only a Can-can dancer but was there because her mom worked at the park as a dancer. Will was captivated and for days would mumble “Miss Jamie is a can-can dancer and can-can dancers can dance.”
Lizzie had a conversation with a cowboy named Snake which left her excited to tell her friends all about it at school on Monday.
My new favorite picture of Evelyn was taken this way and prompted Mr. L. to make her a Six Gun Territory wanted poster.
As with most things, when something old is brought back, it is never the same as the original. But for one afternoon we were able to relive our old memories and make news ones at the same time.

When Lizzie was a baby we had a park nearby with some pretty old playground equipment including a merry go round. On days when I had no idea what to do with my child, I would take her to the park. I would push her in the swing for what seemed like hours, then we would go to the merry go round.

It was pretty standard piece of equipment. It had metal bars over the bumpy metal surface painted blue, red and green. It was the kind of surface that if it got too hot, you would burn your legs on it in the hot Florida sun. Thankfully this one was in the shade most of the morning.

For days, Lizzie would sit and I would slowly turn her. Then she started crawling. She would get into everything. One day I took her to the park, set her on the merry go round and she started crawling. With no hesitation I started spinning her. I kept the pace only as fast as she could crawl. Her own personal treadmill. After about 15 minutes, she got tired and I took her home, fed her and put her to bed.

A few years later, the old equipment was replaced with an awesome new playground and now my four kids run and play when the Florida heat isn’t too oppressive. There are many nights especially in the fall that I take the kids to the park just so they can run off energy before bed. They will play and play and play, then we go home and get ready for bed.

Most playgrounds don’t have merry go rounds for various reasons, usually child safety. But when I come across one, I tell Lizzie the story of “when she was a baby…” She just gives me a funny look and asks me to “spin faster.”

The beach fixes everything. I’m serious about this. The salt water can cure any malady you may have. The sun only helps the process.

Today I did something that I have wanted to do since the moment I had kids. I took all for of my young’uns to the beach. By myself. And it was awesome.  I have always had to have help because my tiny humans needed more eyes and hands than I had available.

I didn’t go to the beach in 2014. Not a day. Between having a baby, a knee injury and subsequently knee surgery, I couldn’t go. And my heart was broken. I love the beach. It is my favorite place in the entire world. It doesn’t matter which beach, as long as there is sun, sand and water.

I watched 3 of my not-so-little kiddos dig in the sand and held the other in my arms. I whispered in Casey’s ear “this is Mommy’s favorite place in the entire earth.” But my heart was saying more than that. My heart was saying “this is Mommy’s favorite place because she is here with her 4 babies.” 

Today I dug in the sand, splashed in the water, and chased an itty bitty who decided walking on the beach is his new favorite past time. I was told 3 times, “you have your hands full”, asked four times, “where did the blonde hair come from?”, and I was even asked “Do you have four more at home.” The one that brought tears to my eyes was the lady who told me I was brave to go to the beach by myself with four kids as young as mine.  I smiled, said Thank you. My happily ever after was playing out before my eyes in the salt water, sand and sun.

Lizzie described her day in these words, “We played and played and played. We swam and swam and swam. We ate some snacks too but we were at the ocean.” Will would look at me, smile and say “We at the ocean mommy.”

Oh and my kids were angels. Complete angels. We came up with hand signals so that while they were in the water, I wouldn’t have to yell and yell and yell at them.  They ate yummy snacks covered in sand and also covered themselves in sand. My girls even went body surfing. My mom taught them that! They only fight they had was that somebody got to get out of the car before the other. The rest of the time they were angels. Oh, they even made sand angels!!

My car is covered in sand, my kids have sun kissed cheeks, and once again my heart is full. I hold on to these days when I am having a bad day for whatever reason and know that one day we will make it back to the beach.

In 2015, I’m going to the beach as much as possible. My kids will know the beach fixes everything. Especially if you wear sunscreen and take snacks!

 Casey was a little happy to be here!

Sand Angels

Playing in the sand