That make it all worthwhile.
On the beach about a quarter to five, all five of us paddling in the shallows, running from the long waves. Tom running up and down in his dream world. Eddie getting more confident and letting go of my hand and squealing as the water runs over his feet and his toes sink into the wet sand. William digging holes between waves with D only to watch the next wave fill it in more quickly than they can dig. Sun setting behind us. Magic.
After dinner, left the dishes on the table and the counter cluttered from preparation and went to the fire pit. Tom helping D prepare the kindling, W holding the torch, E in my lap engrossed. T screwing up the paper and poking it between the kindling teepee. W's torch wandering to the trees in search of possums or kookaburras. The fire takes. We all sit around gazing into the flames. Teaching T the perfect marshmallow cooking technique. E getting marshmallow everywhere, W prefers them uncooked. Adding more logs, singing twinkle twinkle as we look skyward. Perfect end to the day. Magic.