They are gone. My kids. Away in Florida in the heat, which I probably couldn't handle. They are having a great time. I have been able to go hours without talking to them. I only check in once or twice a day.

Hope got in trouble on Saturday. It seems that the crayons I sent caused a problem when she used them on the kitchen floor. "Grandpa was mad," she said. She also told Charlie that she "was naughty." I'm pretty sure she learned her lesson, at least at Grandma's house.

They went to the ocean Saturday afternoon to swim. Hope in her Elmo bathing suit and Elmo water socks. Ethan with his boogie board, able to swim without the life jacket. They searched for shells, swam and played in the sprinklers at the beach to get off the salt.

Hope told me Sunday morning that they wouldn't be going back to the beach because they had already been there. She called me later to tell me that she was back at the ocean and running with Grandma.

There was an interesting development. There is at least one rule now at Grandma's house. A one taste/try rule. Ethan informed me that he tried salsa, blueberries and cucumbers, which according to him taste just like watermelon. Hmmmmm..... Not so much.

We here, the ones left in Ohio, are taking it easy. Finishing up VBS stuff, watching movies together and talking in quiet. Charlie will be at Promise Keepers on Friday and Saturday. Maybe I will have the gumption to get a garage sale ready. Then again, maybe not.