Nowhere else to be but IN

My best friend, De, and I hatch some last-minute fun from time to time. A few weeks ago we finally found a few hours to catch up (we live 2.5 hours apart, so it's not such an easy feat), and we met halfway between our homes on a 95-degree day at a small water park. It was an excellent idea, because there was nowhere else to be on that sweltering day than IN the water.

So, we didn't get a whole lot of time to talk. Our conversations were something like, "I see you on the slide, wow! What's going on at work these days? Joey, come back here! Did I tell you who I saw the other day? Have you seen your brother? Cute suit!" And so on.

Motherhood, as I've learned, means that until your kids are teenagers (or grown-up pre-teens), you're stuck in a cycle where you never complete a thought or sentence, nor are you able to peel your eyes from your children lest they drown, walk in front of a bus, put their finger in a light socket, and... you get the picture.

But we persevered, and three hours flew by as our bodies baked in the sunshine (and I later endured my first painful sunburn in ages).

I love that our kids look like friends here. They hardly know each other since we don't get to hang out often, but this picture makes me smile.

Deanna's kids are growing up too fast! L-R: Raya (2), Joey (5), & Parker (4).

Well hi, Noah!

Little miss Raya in her—what else?—tutu swim suit.