They were on either side of it, the snake was coiled, tongue out and trying to leap back at them as they batted at it. It was about the width of my pinky and about 14 inches long.
So brave old me (snakes give me the willies) picks up a pair of barbque tongs, pushes the girls away, picks up the snake, pushes the girls away again (and again and again), opens the door and deposits it outside. Actually it was far more traumatic as that - the door wouldn't unlock and I dropped the snake about 4 times trying to maneuver it out the door. It sat on the patio for a couple of hours and slithered away. I took pictures once outside but the camera broke last night and I can't retrieve them.
I didn't recognize the snake and hope it wasn't poisonous. I do live on a lake so guess I'll have to expect snakes from time to time around here. I shook for an hour afterwards and the kids looked for the snake for the next 2 hours.