The End of the Beach Pics

So here's how pretty much every day goes for us at the beach...

6am:  Ellie wakes up.  (I have no idea why in the world she awoke so early.  At home, she sleeps til 8 or 8:30 on non-therapy days.)

Thankfully, she would usually doze and cuddle with her Cookie & Lovie until 7.  Then Cookie and Ellie took daily walks together.

8(ish)- Will & I awoke.

Big breakfast together & hit the beach sometime in the next few hours.

Some mornings, Ellie was wiped out by 8 & would take a little nap with her Cookie on the balcony.

Precious

Eventually after a big breakfast, we headed down to the beach.

We spent the mornings playing in the sand, jumping in the waves, diving for hermit crabs, swimming in the sea, 

& eating m & ms with Cookie

(making her cheesy "happy" face)

cuddles with my girl

Once Daddy showed up the real fun began.

The kids just begged for "daddy!" in the water - apparently he is more fun in the ocean

(Fast forward to the middle - she smiles underwater just like her big brother!)

I was pretty happy to have him for the weekend too.  I couldn't wait to show off the kids' newest swimming tricks and their love of the "sea".  Plus, we went out twice!  We had a great date to a fun restaurant with live music and yummy seafood with a table right by the water one night and then one day while the kids napped, we walked down the beach to a fun restaurant/bar and spent the afternoon laughing & just enjoying time in the middle of the day to be together and relax.  No medical decisions were made.  No therapies were discussed.  No doctors were mentioned.  

Just perfect dates being together.

I digress...

back to the beach:

After hours of playing on the beach and in the ocean, eating a picnic lunch on the beach (with some sand mixed in - yum) & then a quick refreshing swim /sand wash off in the pool, the kids would head to the condo for naps.  Cookie liked to babysit during nap time so we spent the afternoon reading and sleeping on the beach - perfect way to spend a day!

My mom (Lovie) cooked most nights - lots of yummy seafood!

Will could hardly wait to get the skeleton off this red snapper

Showing off his new fish skeleton

(he is so 4)

and sometimes we would head to the beach for sunset and appetizers and a little more playing.

Or a walk and an attempt to get great pics...

(somehow my camera was not behaving & I was having difficulties - not a stellar year for beach pics!)

I present - the blurry series:

precious siblings but the pose looks a little forced doesn't it?! :)

probably not going to be a year for a beach family pic on the Christmas card...

couldn't seem to catch everyone smiling at the same time!

 I think Ellie spotted a helicopter.  She was fascinated by them & clearly didn't care that I was hoping for best picture of the year...

(of course, my eyes are shut.)

 my little daring (daredevil) babe

 my sweet sweet Will

Thanks, Cookie & Lovie for letting us join you once again this summer at the beach.

We LOVE it there!

This boy running on the beach...

I never ever take it for granted.  

He can run.

This is my miracle.

And while I really, really (really) struggled this trip - perhaps the extra time for thinking?- that Ellie is not yet walking - is not anywhere close - & I so long to see her walk across this sand...

watching him gives me hope for her.  Someday, she will walk.

And I will be a sobbing mess when she does.  And I will praise God when she walks.  And I will praise him when she scoots.  And if she never takes an unassisted step, I will praise Him.  

I know He is calling me to that - to praise His faithfulness regardless of my kiddos' accomplishments.

My child missing feet - running -

one of the many miracles I am privileged to witness.

(& then we hit the ground running back in reality this week with therapies and preparing for a big CMN telethon this weekend!!)

(PS- I begged for an early birthday present this year- an Olympus TG-310 Tough 14.0 MP Digital Camera with 3.6x Wide Optical Zoom and 2.7-Inch LCD, (Blue).  I LOVE it!!!  It can handle sand and salt water & pool water- down to 10 feet!  Besides pics, it takes videos!!!  We had so much fun capturing memories with it - a huge upgrade from the usual disposable underwater cameras I used to take (and last year, when I sent it to be developed, water had leaked in and ruined all the pics :()  It is a pretty affordable camera for all it does & I highly recommend it if you are headed to the water this summer!)