The beach! Oh how we loved the beach! I certainly over packed us all, since we spent our beach week in not much more than bathing suits & jammies. And shoes...who needs shoes? The first day we wore flip flops down to the shore, but after that initial time, we just started leaving them up at the house. Ahhh, the joys of simple pleasures! We all had a wonderful time swimming, playing and being together. Uncle Warren was able to join us for several days, and Nana and Papa even came out for a night.
First time we have all been together in quite a while...
My loves...
Let's go already!
The first of many treasures the kids found...
All of the kids loved the ocean. They loved to jump over the waves and run from them, boogie board, and "go out deep" with Daddy, Uncle Jon or Grandpa. They also loved the sand...digging, sculpting, burying, and discovering. Seriously, is there any place better for children than a beach?
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| I love this one....checking out the sand stuck to her foot. |
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| If Kris were missing his front teeth, I'd say they could be twins. |
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| Making sand cookies. |
Shane spent a lot of time "water-skating". I am not sure where he got that term from (I am guessing he made it up!), but he would stand at the edge of the water, put his arms out (for balance of course) and wait for the waves to come in. Water Skating. Of course.
One afternoon, we watched from the porch as a fisherman worked hard to reel in a catch (it took about an hour or so)....Grandpa and Caleb went down to see what it was...and it was a huge stingray!
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| Oops. |
We took lots of nice walks along the beach, and made lots of fun discoveries. The kids collected sea shells, and learned to steer clear of the jellyfish that washed up on shore. We all loved to watch the ghost crabs scurry across the sand into their holes.
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| Gross. |
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| Sea turtle nest...there were lots of these along the beach. |
Some "around the house" pictures...
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| Hide-and-Seek...the kids couldn't find her for a crazy long time! |
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| N loved this little butler statue...she would hug him, and point out his eyes, ears, etc... |
Since we aren't often together to celebrate birthdays, etc., we had cake to celebrate everything at once. :)
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Uncle Tombo & Stan came by one afternoon for lunch.
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| Kir & Dad going for a morning run. |
Our views...
Storms coming in...
Here comes the sun (doo-doo-doo-doo)...
Almost every day, we could see dolphins swimming not too far from the shore. One day, we even saw one jump into the air & spin, several times in a row! Amazing.
The house also had a pool...more fun!
So hard to leave after a laid back week where most of the kids' baths consisted of being hosed down in the outside shower and most of life took place on a huge covered porch. And of course, it's always hard to say good-bye to family, not knowing when we will see them again.
Thanks, Mom and Dad, for the amazing trip. We all had such a wonderful time!
