Nothing like the view. Three sweet children, healthy and happy. At the edge of my peace on this earth. What a gift it was to be away for the week with my beautiful little family. The time was precious, the memories made will last a lifetime. There is no way to capture all of the love we shared in a BLOG post, but I will do my best.
My the difference a year can make. We took this same picture last year and little Miss LJ did not have near enough hair to put in a pony tail! I love watching Landon, Connor and Lindsay Jane watch the ocean, dig their hands into the sand and snicker sibling secrets.
I painted Lindsay Jane's finger and toe nails to kick off our beach week!
Nanny came to help us unpack and to enjoy our first day on the beach. LJ was very thrilled to have her Nanny along. :)
See? Lindsay Jane will often ask for Kay when Stan and I have upset her. It is really sweet. I love this picture for so many reasons. I love that Lindsay Jane is wearing the bathing suit Kay got her over a year ago because she just could not resist buying it for her girl! I love that I remembered that! I love that Landon's beloved Washington Nationals hat is safely perched on Nanny's knee...lest it be contaminated by sand or sea! I love that Lindsay Jane in that hat. I love these two.
Here is a better view of that cute suit...
And the boys...out in the surf immediately!
Connor would stay in the water forever if I let him. I have to say, I sure am glad we went early this season. I am not so sure I would have been able to let Connor swim as much as he did at this point with all the shark attacks. What in the world?!!!
Yep, this is where Connor would have had to be too...
Landon did get in the first day and rode a bunch of waves. I was so glad to see this winning smile on my boy.
Is there anything better for a little boy and his daddy?
Connor frolicking in the water with his boogie board firmly attached!
My little fisherman. Landon was delighted to be able to stand int he shallow water and catch minnows. It was so great to watch him. It was also pretty amazing how awesome his hand/eye coordination was. He was slaying those minnows left and right. The fisherman next to us asked Landon if he could use his minnows for bait. You think Landon was delighted? Um, yes. He was happy to oblige.
Connor tried his best but got frustrated because he just couldn't catch those little boogers.
Landon in action...
Jumping waves again!
Sweet Katie and Tori came down to see us on Sunday afternoon. They brought cupcakes from the Sweet Shop down the way, lots of love and Katie took some amazing pictures of our family that evening. These two are just the best and I do not know what I would do without them! From keeping me sane at work (Tori) to caring for my kids when I have to be at work (Katie) to just loving on my kids because they want to! It is amazing how much love two people's hearts can hold. These two are precious gifts from God in my life and my kids' lives.
Good Morning from LJ and the Potato Head Family!
Monday morning the kids were all smiles to get out to the beach! Makes this mama so so happy.
Lindsay Jane decided to try her little hand at catching minnows as well. :) Is she not adorable?
My crazy crazy crew. Fishing nets. Ball caps. Siblings. Love.
Oh yeah. My main squeeze. Stan was a trooper putting our tent up every day. It was amazing to have that shade. I could not believe how hot it was in the 2nd week of June!
Grabbed up these little loves for a picture with dear old mom.
I believe Connor photobombed in this one...
Oh, how I love these shots. You can see Landon with his fishing net in the background. :) Writing this even now, I am homesick for the beach. It was such a treasure of a time. I want to go back.
Heehee. When we came in from the beach, these little ones ran in from the porch nakeeee and were trying to stay warm in the air conditioning. SOOOOO cute.
You think we would get to Tuesday before a baseball was thrown? Nope. This little fella is all in.
There was also a lot of laying around snuggling. We came in every day around noon and stayed inside from about 12-3:30. It was a great break from the sun, LJ got a nap, often Stan and I did too and the boys got to chill out of the sun. Landon was in heaven having no homework to do!
Many times at home or at the beach, you can find sweet Connor in his own little deep thoughts. He is so precious in his little ways. He is a thinker. He is happy to be by himself and just be. He is a content little fella. I often wonder what he is thinking. Sometimes he will share. Often, if he does share, he has let his awesome imagination run wild and tells me some amazing story. Other times, he will say something insanely sweet, like, "Mommy, I love you way more than all the water in the ocean." He is such a sweet gift to me.
Landon also learned how to skip rocks this year. It was really cool watching him practice and practice and see the delight that came over his face as he finally got them to skip. Mission. Accomplished.
Lindsay Jane picked out a prize. Mermaids, of course.
A rare genuine smile for the camera!
A little friendly game of Bocce' ball...NOT. The pictures are deceiving. Dear old mom was trying to read a book while this game was going on and no one was doing what the other person wanted them to be doing. I think it was mainly little Lindsay. Oh, how she wants to be big like her brothers...and oh, how she tries to fit in. Landon was not having it. At. All. Mama had to end this game.
Beach baby...
Forgive me if that was too much. They are only this little once and oh how I enjoyed that photo shoot. Dare I say, I think she had as much fun as I did. We were just giggling and giggling! I love love that sound and seeing these pictures brings me right back there. Connor is always asking me why I take so many pictures. I told him it was to help us remember. He said, "I remember in my mind." Good point little fella. I do agree with him and try not to take too many pictures, but I also really love looking back at them and hearing the laughter, tasting the salt, hearing the crashing waves...makes those moments last a little longer for me.
Back at it. He is just getting too big. Where is my little buddy? For some reason, he just looks so grown in this one.
More snuggle time for LJ and Connorbug.
Big Beach Ball time! Landon and I went on a walk to the pier on Tuesday and spotted some folks playing with a big beach ball. I happened to see one when we were out to I bought it. It was so much fun. It was a true bonding moment for me and my boy. So much fun!
Connor wanted to play too!
This beach ball was the best. I bet we played for a solid hour. It was so much fun seeing how high we could get it to go, seeing the difference of its bounce if it was wet or not, seeing if it was better to kick, hit or even head the ball. It was a blast.
Then Connor and I went out and jumped waves. He likes to make up games while we are out jumping waves, mostly having to do with beating whatever dangerous creature the wave it.
Then, he left the wave battles and went for the boogie board. Such a carefree wonderful place to be.
Sweet daughter of mine frolicking in the sea. These are the days. Indeed.
She just rolled and rolled and rolled in the water, loving every minute.
This was one of our nightly scenes. Stan and I finally had a chance to sit down while the kids came and got snacks as we put off dinner until as late as we could push it back in favor of enjoying the beach for as long as possible. Heaven, I tell you.
This was Stan and I's view...
Then, the boys challenged mama to a race...
I ran my fastest to beat Landon Cole...
And, more fishing!!!
Lindsay Jane and Connor decided to put theirs in baggies. Poor little fish, I thought at first. But, both LJ and Connor released the fish very soon after this picture back into the water with a little game they made up with the bags. Sweethearts, indeed.
I just adore my little girl. Thank you Lord for the blessings of my sweet little ones. This is a picture I will treasure.
We only had one night where it stormed and it happened to be the night that Nanny came back. It was great! She brought Go Fish and kept the kids entertained while Stan and I kicked back.
What a pretty pretty lady. I love this picture of Kay. She was so sweet to come and help us when we first arrived, getting us settled in and then she came back later in the week and let Stan and I go on a date. So sweet, so thoughtful and so much fun. The kids were delighted to have their Nanny at the beach. :)
The next day brought much nicer weather, lots of good talks and lots of great beach time.
Nanny and her little grandchildren who adore her so very much.
Lindsay Jane and I sharing snacks in our pink hats. LJ always wanted us to match. It is amazing how I can see her modeling herself after me as she really starts to identify gender.
Sweet Lindsay Jane.
Sweet brothers.
Sweet daddy/daughter time.
Sweet babies enjoying the beach for our last night...
And then...enjoying a cupcake treat!
The beautiful ocean...
Sweet Lindsay Jane not wanting to give up the beach...
Until next year, Surf City,,,
I do have to show off this one picture Stan took. He did have a chance to get out with his camera some. This was an amazing shot that he got during the lightning storm we had. Oh, the beauty of God's creation.
And, that's a wrap. Here is my very favorite picture of the week, taken by sweet Katie. I sure love this sweet little crew and love that we got to share such a great week together as a family. It was much needed after a long school year. Happy Happy summer my friends and family!! Hope you enjoyed our pictures!
No comments:
Post a Comment