Summer days are slipping through our fingers, and I can’t do anything to hold them.  Much like the sand that flies out of Robbie’s hands at the beach.  This week has been especially hard in that regard because I started back at school for three half days of professional development.  And the reservoir where we swim closed today.

That’s right, the Res closed today.  At 4:00.  Actually, the water closed at 3:45 and then we were urged to hurry, hurry, hurry since the gates closed at 4:00.  Justin, Robbie, and I got there around 2:00, just enough time to get some sun and splash in the water.  And just short of too much time for throwing sand and rocks.  And hitting Justin in the head with a shovel.

Granted, it was a plastic shovel.  But I would still imagine that it hurt.  Justin took it like a man, though.  That and the dumping of sand over his head.  On his shirt.  Down his pants.  After all, this is the stuff summer memories are made of, and we need to shove all the memories we can into these last few days of summer.

We made sure to be hanging out in the water at 3:45 when the life guard yelled at everyone that the beach was closed (I’m not sure what I expected; maybe something a bit more celebratory – a toast, a flag-raising…).  It just seemed right.  Robbie practiced “umping” in the water (jumping).  He jumped up as high as he could, kicked his legs out in front of him, and landed on his butt.  Over.  And over.  And over.  So we relished it, knowing that by the time the beach opens next summer, he may not feel like umping in the water.

And then that part of our summer was done.  Over.  So we did the only thing you can do as summer starts to wind down.  We went for ice cream.  Robbie dressed in his Elmo shoes, a diaper, and a long-ish t-shirt.  Classy – our theme this summer.