Beach Highlights

So what did we do on our vacation? Sigh:

• Captain Stoney piloted us around Biscayne Bay aboard the Triple Play and I in my foolish hurry forgot to bring a bathing suit, forcing me to don the two-piece swimsuit of my twelve-year-old cousin. Pad was supposed to nap... so Pie drifted off within minutes of, um, lift off? and stayed asleep until I picked her up and carried her off the boat over two hours later, thereby averting her normal naptime, enabling her to fall asleep an hour and a half early that night, and starting the 4 a.m. wake up call. Pad, bless her little heart, stayed determinedly awake, completely skipping her nap.
  
  
• T. Rex inspired my son--my toilet-fearing son--to use the potty! Ever since Doodles got a glimpse of T. Rex's monkey underwear, he's had true motivation to do the potty deed. My fervent hope is that it progresses without the constant presence of T. Rex and his undies.
  
  
• Doodles wanted to go bowling like we did last trip. So we headed to the alley with Rachel and gang. Rachel, her husband, and T. Rex played against me, Adam, and Doodles. Pad and Pie scooted around, with the nonwalking Pad mostly just tentatively heading out and then returning to munch on fries while Pie took full advantage of parental desire to do something other than bodily corral her and tried to wreak as much havoc as possible including a run down the lane that had me chasing her upon an oiled surface, causing me to fall, skid down the lane, topple her, in what could very well have been a Simpsonsesque slide into the pins (but wasn't).
  
  
• Cafe con leches. Cafe con leches. Cafe con leches. Can you say, "WIRED!"
  
  
• Doodles joined the polar bear club and he dragged me, kicking and screaming, with him. What is it with those under the age of four that they don't seem to notice that while they are being carried, with toes barely dipping into the frigid water, that the adults doing that carrying are turning blue.
  
  
• I did a twenty-mile long run. Hung over. And now the taste of Gatorade makes me slightly nauseous. And I lost a toe nail.
  

There's more to tell, of course--there's always more to tell--but I like the idea of ending on my toe nail, so there you have it.