....The flower(?) in front of the smaller one in very poor focus is horribly distracting and the image is generally quite messy looking. ....The patch of sky we can see is quite washed out..
Yes, this is a flower but this isn't the sky, it's the bay. But thank you for your advice. I'll keep them in mind ;o)
The sun on the kids' eyes is making them squint and look upset. The flower(?) in front of the smaller one in very poor focus is horribly distracting and the image is generally quite messy looking. The patch of sky we can see is quite washed out. I think you could have persevered with the setting and subjects and gotten a far better overall image.