.Taking turns.

River time has always been a relaxing escape, but with this wild toddler, the only way to get rest is to take supervision turns.  Her impulsive curiosity wants to test all the physical boundaries possible with no thought of the consequences!  In her resilience she can quickly shake these things off, but the frequency of bumps, bruises, and other injuries still breaks my heart. 

And yes, my 38 week self joined Dylan in that inflatable pool to combat the heat, and I plan to spend much of the summer doing the same.  It is refreshing and serene, and isn't that the point of looking forward to this season all year?  Especially in south Alabama where the heat is stifling, although that does not seem to slow down the kids who surround our little spot on the water.  They are full of energy and crazy stories, and go long into the night playing hide-and-seek in the dark and jabbering over each other by the fire, and asking 100 questions, and becoming sticky eating key-lime flavored marshmallows (?!), until G and I look to each other and decide that our sleeping toddler isn't all that exhausting and head on to bed to start catching up on the sleep that will for sure be missed in the coming weeks with her arrival.

P.S. More stories from the river.