All Five Ms on Sunset Beach

I got a phone call yesterday morning from Cheryl, saying that they decided since it was a nice day that they would take all the kids to the beach, the twins included!

Oy vey, what an operation: getting 3 small children and two newborns all packed up and ready for the beach. Then there are all those potty stops, feedings, changings, etc.

It was a glorious day for the beach, of which there is one located conveniently across the street from my apartment building. We set up by some logs and watched kites flying from Kits Point, and sailboats in English Bay. The babies were fast asleep in their double stroller (they both fit in one seat at the moment, and Maddy sits in the front), and the kids got out their new beach toys to make -- under Allan's supervision -- large-scale cities out of sand.

I told Michael to build an empire, and he earnestly set about to do so.

Michael: "Look Attie Gail, my empire fell over!"
Cheryl, laughing: "Michael, empires don't fall over, they collapse!"

As you can see, the van is FULL. With five kids and five carseats, there is no room for any other passengers, so I had to crouch down on the floor while they dropped me off later downtown. There was a major cacophony in the back, with Michael yelling something and Maddy following, while Melissa covered her ears to shut out the sound. Meanwhile, the twins were fast asleep...