Sometimes you need a bucket dumped on your head!

It's hot here. Really hot.

So, where do you go when it's hot?

For us, the answer is "To the water". So, today we visited one of the local splash parks.

I knew it would be a good day when we arrived because I found a place to park our stuff in the shade of a gigantic tree right next to the water action. The day got even better when I remembered I had the beach toys in the car ~ beach toys that included BUCKETS!

Every other time we've gone to a splash park, my kids are begging to dump out the bottled water so they have SOMETHING to collect the water. Today was different. I had buckets. Big, sandcastle buckets.

Today I was the cool hero mom.

And, how did they repay the hero?

By dumping bucket after bucket of water over my head.

They started tentatively, as if they wondered if this would really be as great as they imagined. My unbridled laughter and joy were all the motivation they needed. I have no idea how many buckets they poured over me. All I know is that somewhere after the third water dump, I felt the tension and stress from the last few days wash away.

And, all I saw on my kid's faces was sheer joy.

In this shot I caught our youngest mid shower from stretching his swim shirt over the spray of the toy structure.

I loved this day :)