I've been up since 4:45 this morning, probably because SG and the kids were all telling me to sleep in for Mother's Day, really, really late, so they'd have time to make me breakfast.  You can't get out of bed before ELEVEN, I was told.  SG is amazing in the kitchen, but the kids seem to grow extra limbs that flap around and get in their way the moment their feet hit the (crappy) linoleum.   Stuff in the kitchen?  It goes flying a lot when they're in there.  Plus, the kids are supposed to get the kitchen and living room cleaned up this morning, and that could take a good long while. 

I did try and get back to sleep, but by 5 I was up, folding the towels in the dryer from yesterday's beach trip and putting a bunch of sandy pants in the washer along with the last scoop of laundry soap.  I put the dishes in the sink into the dishwasher, cleaned out the French press, put on the kettle.  Then I went out to the trash to toss the laundry soap box, and there just above the hills was this beautiful shiny silver coin of a full moon.  It was so quiet out (if you don't count the chirping birds) and the sky was getting lighter. It sounds dumb to admit that I was surprised to see the moon in the sky, but last night on our drive home from the beach we saw it, too, all golden just through the trees.  I came back in to the house, Alex sleeping on the couch because I couldn't catch the big bug that was flying around his room.  He sleeps on the top bunk and the bug was liking the ceiling, so I don't blame him. 

Yesterday I went in the water, just for a little while, while SG got the grill going for our supper.  I was warmer in the water than I had been on shore (my wetsuit is super kickass), and looking down the beach it seemed like I was the only one in the water.  I can't surf yet, but I love taking SG's boogie board out so I can do my Wave 101 training.  Yesterday the best waves to ride always came close on the back of another one.  They didn't come in very often, but I knew that when I could see two swells right together that the back one would be fun.  On the beach in front of me there was a guy with a stunt kite and a cigarette in his mouth.  It took two hands to work the kite.  There was a woman, too, in long pants and long sleeves, sitting with her legs crossed and her eyes closed.  I assume she was meditating, soaking up all the ways that the ocean is beautiful that have nothing to do with how pretty it looks.

I could have stayed in the water for hours, but there were four sandy kids and one incredibly patient man waiting for me up on shore.  Just as I decided to go in, I saw something move near me in the water.  I thought it was a swimmer for a second, and it was, but it was a harbor seal, not a person.  Actually, now that I'm thinking about it, it may have been an otter.   Either way, suddenly there was this smiling whiskery wet brown slick face looking back at me and pausing for a moment before swimming away.

Earlier in the afternoon, SG and the boys went boogie boarding, Alex for the first time.

I forgot my camera (and the ketchup and mustard, warm clothes for Nathan, and the girls' beach toys) but I had my phone with me so I got a couple of pictures of them.  They seem to love it as much as I do, even though Nate got tossed around and hit his head on a stone in the sand. 

Just now I went to get more coffee, and there was Alex, cleaning up already, telling me that I couldn't come in, that I needed to go back to bed.  I offered to help him get things cleaned up, but he shooed me away and kept working.  I think, maybe, that I'll climb back into bed and see if I can sleep a little bit.  After all, I wouldn't want to disappoint the kids if they are actually willing to clean up for me.

Happy Mother's Day.