To the beach

The boys and I our enjoying our first day at the beach after Papa agreed to bring us down here ahead of Rob. I’m not sure he quite realized he was signing up for six hours of nonstop road trip action – as the boys showed him their loudest, messiest and sometimes whiniest selves while never bothering to nap for a minute.

Today while Rob’s dad and sister slept in, I was filled with that perfect joy that comes from watching your kids romp on the beach, run from the waves, dig in the sand and look out on the vast ocean for the first time in almost a year. Every time I saw a dog pass, I got excited about bringing Harvey down to run on the sand. He’ll come down with Rob later in the week. After a hectic week of sorting out how to juggle two young kids and an untrained puppy who needs to relieve himself about once an hour, I was too tired to realize just how much I’d miss him when I wasn’t able to pet him once an hour.

Now my beach reading is “The Art of Raising a Puppy” by the Monks of New Skete – and the book begins by diving into the life of a new mother, a German shepherd, and following her closely as she brings five healthy pups (and one stillborn pup) into the world, and then cares for them in her first stages of life. I feel reconnected to my own first moments as a mother, and I think about just how tiny and helpless Harvey was just two months ago and how much he has grown already. With space to take a deep breath, I am so glad to be inviting a dog into our family. He is even forcing me to give more love to our sometimes neglected cat Frances , since every time I take Harvey out I also make a point of petting her in the hopes of easing some of her jealousy and anxiety.