Making Memories

So yesterday the girls and I went to Wantagh Park and swam in the pool there and enjoyed some fun in the sun. We got to enjoy the day with Karyn and her daughters. The day was beautiful, the temperature amazing and the amount of people was few. We got to enjoy the water slide with the older girls and play with the squirt guns with the littles. Everyone participated in a few rounds of sharks and minnows and the smiles and giggles were endless! After finishing our swimming Karyn was telling me about the crabs that you can find down on the shoreline of the beach.
We decided to take the girls on an adventure. What I didn't know was that I would be the one with the sense of adventure that day. As we approached the shoreline Karyn lifted the first rock and out ran little tiny crabs. As we walked down the beach more rocks were turned and even more treasures were found. Along the beach were a variety of creatures, horseshoe crabs, ocean centipedes, mussels, clams and seaweed. As we walked down the beach the adventure turned into a hunt and we became more and more excited about the treasures we were finding.The girls excitment elevated as we travelled further down the beach. I found myself just as excited as them as more discoveries were made. Lanie was ahead looking around as Kara took more of a slower pace stopping to throw a few pebbles into the water and occassionally saw a few forms of wildlife along the way. I got to hold a tiny crab and got to share the experience with my children, one that I would not have been able to had I not been encouraged to try something new.
As we left the beach, Lanie and Kayla picked up their treasures that came in the form of horseshoe crabs (dead of course!) and the hopes of sharing their new discoveries with their families and maybe even a show and tell in their new classrooms in the Fall.
As I was thinking about the wonderful time that we had yesterday it reminded me of the importance of stopping and pausing in my everyday life to make a memory. I am sure that the time that we had at the beach will someday be a part of a story or in a memory in the future. Those memories will not only be in my childrens' minds but also in mine.
As a wise woman once said.... "take the time and bake the cookies"