Myrtle Beach: Monday

The lovely condominium has three bedrooms, with balconies off of each one, leading to an 11-story plunge to one's death. Since children are notorious for leaving doors open, Mama burned a lot of calories this week leaping up from her seat to keep the one- and four-year-olds alive. (You know, because my kids don't constantly push chairs up to barriers in order to climb anything capable of being climbed or anything.)

Mary was awake first thing to watch the sun rise over the water.

Mary watching the sunrise

Sunrise

Chris took four children swimming in the indoor pool while I went for a two-and-a-quarter mile neighborhood walk with the baby.

Our condominium

View from our balcony

View from our balony

Given that we still have one big competition coming up in May, we brought along our electric keyboard to continue practicing. So, we got through piano practice, lunch, naps for littles and CCE memory work for bigs (for testing day on Friday) before we went down to the beach.

No other adult was available at the time, so I took all five children down to the beach by myself. Myself! I am phobic of pool water--and lake water is worse, but ocean water is the worst. Not only does it have live creatures in it, some of which cause death, but it has an undertow and waves, which also can cause death. It's basically a giant Maw of Death . . . although soothing to watch and hear. So, it's a Maw of Death that hypnotizes a person into complacency.

Still, I got the kids down there, kept them alive, and even kept my fear somewhat to myself.

Brow furrowed with anxiety

Once Thomas got his toes in the surf, he was skeptical and nervous and hung out on my hip for quite a while.

Mary was fearless, wading in up to her chest, and having the kids wear day clothes did not keep them out of the water as hoped.

That night, some of the bad weather spinning off from hurricanes in Texas reached us, just enough to produce a spectacular lightening storm over the ocean. The next day would dawn beautifully.