Friday: The Last Full Day at the Beach

The last day at the beach was like many of the others.  I wish I remembered all the details of every day but, alas, my poor brain! :)

The only pictures I took that day were of some of my siblings and relatives in the pool:

Lydia normally doesn't like big bodies of water (she doesn't like getting splashed and she likes to have someone hold her) but the floats in the pool helped her be less demanding. :)

Weedels swimming around...

Justus trying out a float.

My cousins, Cadence and Justus, loved having me watch them jump into the pool with just their floaties.  It was cute to watch them go under water and come up smiling. :)

Yep, Hannah's a baby magnet. :)

Na-naw teaching Lydia to swim (which she wasn't too thrilled about! :).

Later that night everyone, but our family, went out to eat.  My family and I stayed home, got dressed up, and went down to the beach for our annual pictures!  I would show them all to you right here, but I've posted them here, so I won't. 

Well, here's just one picture of all of our footprints.

We took our pictures under the nearby pier...Daddy was a big help in setting up the tripod for me (so I could be in some of the photos :) and doing whatever I asked. 

After pictures were over we ate dinner together around the huge table (Mama had dinner cooking in the oven during picture-time..she always thinks ahead! :).  After dinner, everyone else came back from their dinners and we spent our last day at the beautiful beach!

The next morning (Saturday) everybody packed up and left...our family was the last to leave.  :)  We were used to 6 full days at the beach (instead of the 4 we had this year) so we couldn't bring ourselves to leave before 10 A.M. that morning.  So we packed up the car and went back down to the beach for another hour or two.  

Eventually we did have to leave, so we piled in and drove on home.  We did stop in Williamsburg for a rare and yummy meal at Olive Garden!  I think most of us wouldn't mind eating their breadsticks and salad every day!

When we got home, the electricity was on (woo-hoo! :) so we didn't sweat to death and have to lug in water from outside for the toilets.  (Ah, things we take for granted!)

I have to say a thank you to Mr. Jon who watched over the house for us, while we were gone.  He fed and cared for all our various animals, alternated plugging fridges/freezers to the generator, and slept here where there was no A.C.  Thanks Dowy! :)

So, the beach posts come to an end.  I loved posting the pictures, but, quite frankly, I'm glad I'm done with these posts.  Now I can post about everyday things (and post on my forlorn photo blog more often...)!

Til next time,

Kimber :)

Thursday at the Beach

I hope you're prepared for lots of pictures of us at the beach!  On Thursday I actually took my camera down to the beach so I could grab a few pictures of our "typical" morning by the sea. :)

Our morning started off with a lovely breakfast of french toast:

All I did was add some powdered sugar and voila! it was amazing! :)

Eden getting something to eat.

Thanks to Caleb for this picture!

Justus waiting for his breakfast.

After bathing suits were donned and sun tan lotion applied, off to the beach we went!

 This is what the beach in front of our house looked like during the dredging.  You can see the dredging pipes across this picture...part of them are covered in sand.  The workers were kind enough to make sand ramps for the vacationers over the pipes, so we could still get to the ocean.   We thought we were extra special when we got the biggest ramp of them all...until we found out that "our" ramp was the one the huge tractors were going to use to get from one side of the pipes, to the other. :)  So, every once in a while, we had to move when a big tractor was coming.  Otherwise, "our" big ramp was a very convenient location for all the adults to sit and watch the kids play! :)

I should have titled this post "Seaweed Day."  There were CRAZY amounts of seaweed washing up on shore (technically it wasn't seaweed...it was reeds from the soundside when the hurricane washed over the island, but seaweed sounds better).

Here's proof:

Daddy dug a nice big hole for the little ones to play in and every time a wave washed over the walls, it was filled with seaweed.

Some of the younger ones playing in the hole.

 Claire, Eden, and Gracie...they're best buds!  :)
(Yes, it was a little windy that day! :)

The ocean was still absolutely beautiful, despite the seaweed!  :)

Justus trying out the water.

The water was a little chilly at first, so our solution was to run full-speed into the ocean and dive deep below a wave.  When we came up we were freezing but soon the water seemed very warm! :)

Just a tad cold! :)

Hannah and Uncle Kevin in the ocean. 

Hannah's body position and face tell you how much she loved all that seaweed!

It was a very weird feeling having the reeds wash up against your legs/body.  Normally when something rubs up against you in the ocean, it's not a good thing, (SHARK!) so getting used to the thousands of reeds brushing up against you took a little work! :)

Have I mentioned there were lots of reeds?  :)

Collin getting ready to get engulfed by a wave! :)

Weedels playing in the "hole".

 Cousin Mason strolling along.

Josiah playing in the sand with his toy tractor.

Hannah taking a break from the twiggy ocean. :)

Judah loved playing in the ocean.  He would try and sit in it if he could. :) 

Walking with Mama.

'Siah and Mason burying their feet.

Judah wasn't very fond of the sand (note that he's sitting in a chair), but he still managed to play in it a little bit! :)

We buried my cousin Cadence and Lydia in the sand (Lydia wasn't fond of the experience, as you can see)...

...Lexi built an elaborate sand-village...

 ...and Hannah and Uncle Kev had a sand fight. :)  

(Note:  Hannah and Uncle Kev have a unique relationship with each other.  Uncle Kev playfully picks on Hannah and she playfully picks back.  All is done in jest and no feelings are hurt...it's a lot of fun to witness. :)

After I went and put my camera up so I could get in the ocean, we spent some more time at the beach.  I think this was the day everyone (well, those my age ;) went up to the pool but I, not having gotten my fill of the surf, asked Uncle Kev to go ride some more waves with me.  It was so much fun! :)

When I got my fill, we went in and I swam in the pool and hot tub for a little bit before going to eat lunch.  After lunch, I went down to the beach with my Bible and read a few chapters.  It was a beautiful day...sunny, cloudless and the perfect temperature! :)

While this picture makes it look like the beach was absolutely deserted, that was far from the case.  To the right of me there were lots and lots of people.  The tractors were really busy then too, so it seemed like every 5-10 minutes someone/thing involved with dredging went by us.

When Collin asked to be buried in the sand, his cousins gladly obliged! :)

The team who covered Collin in sand! :)

Not wanting to be undone, Lexi got Allie to bury her next:

Our really fun day in the sun also happened to be my cousin, Asher's, 1st birthday!  So that night we celebrated!

Asher loved the "Happy Birthday" balloon attached to his high chair. :)

For dinner we had Mama's yummy Mexican dishes...everything was very good (the taco meat about burned my tongue off, though...).

After dinner Asher opened his presents:

What a cutie Asher is! :)

He was a little unsure of what to do with his cake...

When all else fails, the solution should always be to taste it! :)

Mae-Mae was going to let Asher eat his own birthday cake.  But first she put him in the high chair and then took his outfit off before he got icing on it! :)

Aunt Steph loving on her daughter, Erika...and I'm not sure what Allie's doing.... ;)

There you have Thursday night at the beach!  Later that night (when the young ones were in bed) I think we played Golf with Na-naw, Paw-Paw, Mae-Mae, and Uncle Kev.  It was lots of fun...we laughed non-stop while enjoying each others' company and the nearby candy bowls. :)

Next post will be of our last day at the beach... :-(

Kimber :)