Hittin' the Beach

Elise requested that this year we have the BEST Spring Break ever.  I'm not really sure what that entails and frankly, that's a tall order.  But we tried our best.  I loaded the kids up one day on the spur of the moment and headed off to the beach.

 As you probably know, even a warm, beautiful day in April can be a little chilly.  So even though we went on an awesome day, there was hardly anyone else there.

Paige took right off and started playing.  The water was right next to frigid.  But refreshing. :)

All four kids got in the water first thing.  The nice part, though, was that they stayed close to the shore since it was so cold.  Much easier to watch them that way. :)

Paige played in the water like a pro.  She ran out and didn't look back.

Until a big wave got her and completely wiped her out.  Luckily, she had a big sister nearby who was willing to help her back to shore. :) (While her mom took pictures, of course.)

And then she could wrap up in a towel and warm up before tackling the waves again.

Elise and Ian started digging right away, with Merry Grace playing errand girl.  She didn't seem to mind a bit.

 Paige tried to strike a balance between playing and staying warm.  So she stayed wrapped up in her towel and stood in this nice puddle.  Love it!

The older three continued digging with their shovels and running back and forth to the ocean for more water, not seeming too feel the cool air at all.

 While Paige was definitely not crazy about the temperature and decided to bundle up in the beach chair for a while and stay warm. :)

Elise took a turn running to the water's edge for buckets of water...

While Ian took a turn with the shovel.  I think it was all the hard work they were doing that kept them warm.

Paige finally unwrapped herself from the towel and dumped sea shells out of the toy truck.  Fill it up, dump it out...over and over and over again.

Then she decided to play in the puddle again.

The kids had dug quite a hole and filled it with lots of water. They were so proud of all their hard work.

Merry Grace even "swam" across their little pond.

And back the across to the other side. :)

The next thing you know, their hard work got wiped out by a big wave.  They were stunned.

But they got right back to work again.

I love this picture of the the older three, with Paige playing in her own little puddle in the background.  Too cute.

And then Paige playing with the other three in the background.

This girl LOVED it.  Although she really would have liked it to be a little warmer.  (I'm kind of with her on that one.)

 Just cute.  What else can I say?

 Merry Grace finally took a break to eat some of our favorite kettle cooked chips.

And feed some to the birds.  This is her telling me the chips are all gone. :)

 After a while, the kids decided to jump waves.  That was so fun to watch from my comfy beach chair.  Is it any wonder we love the beach? :)

It was soooooo windy.  The older kids had fun playing with their beach towels in the wind.

Except for Paige, who had had quite enough of the beach for one day and who's lips were turning blue from the cold.  She was on her way to the car, come what may.  I literally had to chase her down and bring her back so I could pack up.  And even once we got started, she took off and Elise had to catch her several more times before she finally made it to the car.

It was such a fun, relaxing day and we can't WAIT for more trips this summer.  Hopefully a day at the beach helped make Spring Break extra fun this year. :)

This Little Kitten

Found her mittens.

And promptly put one pair on her hands and one pair on her feet.  But of course. :)

A Get Away

A couple of weekends ago, Cory and I were able to sneak away for a couple of days.  We had worked out this weekend trip a couple of months ago, and even though it fell just a couple of days after Grandma's funeral, Cory & I still decided to try it.  It was so refreshing and provided a much needed rest after the emotional and physical strain the last few weeks had brought.

And since we went without the kids, we came back without a single picture.  Somehow, its not as fun to take pictures of just ourselves.  But we had a fantastic time in Williamsburg.  Due to the weather (that was the tornado weekend) we didn't get to tour downtown.  But it was still a lot of fun.  We got coupons to The Salt Spa, which basically amounted to a 45 minute nap in a salt cave.  But that was something we would never do with our kids, so we went for it.  I have to say, it was super relaxing, and even though I am a terrible napper I was able to get a little shut eye.

We also found this cute little restaurant, The 2nd St. Bistro, which we ate at twice because it was so yummy.  Their teriyaki chicken lettuce wraps were to die for!!!  We had fun chatting, reminiscing, and just being together.  We also did some shopping, got pie at the Jamestown Pie Company, slept in, didn't cook, watched a movie, got ready at a leisurely pace, read and relaxed.

We came back refreshed and ready to tackle parenting and the daily routine.  We couldn't have done it without our awesome family--Melissa and Jacob and Neal and Amanda--who took care of our kids like they were their own while we were gone.  And taking four extra kids is no small feat.  We just love them! :)

It may be old, but its a picture of the two of us. :)

Park It.

To celebrate the beautiful spring day, and Spring Break, too, we met Cory at the park yesterday for lunch.  It was lots of fun for all of us.  

 Wow.  My kids are cute! :)

The kids also like to play this hilarious game called bumper cars, on the slide.  The first person slides down and stops at the bottom.  The next kids slide down one at a time, creating a pile-up at the bottom, eventually bumping the first person completely off the slide.  They love it and it is hilariously funny to watch. :)

Personally, I do not get the appeal, but I love watching them play together! :)

Another crash.  They each take turns being first and last so everyone gets a fair turn.  I always cringe a little when each one hits the one at the bottom, but they just giggle. :)

 My sweet, silly girl. 

 Miss Sassy Frassy herself. :)

 Love this girl who is such a good help to me and a good big sister to her siblings.  And still manages to make life fun.  She's awesome. :)

 Double the fun...

 Three's company...or is it a crowd...:)

 The Fantastic Four.  They are the BEST!!!

 Topsy turvy

 This girl is so much fun!  She keeps us laughing all the time. :)

Once they finished playing on the slide, they moved on to the monkey bars...

 ...and the sandbox, where Merry Grace built a castle.

 And they finished up the day with one more round of bumper cars. :)  What fun! :)

Until We Meet Again

My sweet Grandma passed away last Friday morning, surrounded by family.  We held her hands, stroked her face and told her we loved her.  And while we are sad, heartbroken even, we are at peace.  Grandma was one of the dearest people to ever live and I feel such gratitude to have had her as my Grandmother.  I have so many things I want to express, but for now, I'm just going to post what I shared at her funeral.  12 of her 13 grandchildren shared memories of her at her funeral.  It was a beautiful tribute to a beautiful life.  Here are my thoughts.

As I have thought about Grandma these last few days, I’ve been reminded of a quote I heard once.  It says, “Grandma always made you feel she had been waiting to see just you all day and now that you were here,  the day was complete.”  I think that is how Grandma made each one of us feel, and why we each remember her so fondly.  

I have so many good memories of Grandma Delia.  I remember as a little girl sitting in her bedroom at her vanity, trying on her make-up.  I don’t remember her using eyeshadow or mascara, but she always had powder, blush and lipstick there.  Now, as a mom, I know what it means to let little children play with make-up and I know what it looks like after they get finished.  But it never ever bothered her that I would try on her make-up.  And she always told me I looked beautiful, with my lips coated in Revlon’s “love that pink.”  But what I knew was that it was important that you try and look your best.  Grandma was a firm believer that it didn’t matter if you were going to the airport, to the doctor or out to dinner, you made sure you fixed your hair and put your make-up on first.  :)  Even the last few days of her life, when the doctors came to get her for a test, she made sure she someone put her lipstick on before she went.  My Grandma has always been a beautiful woman.  I’ve heard the saying that beauty is only skin deep, but fortunately for Grandma, that wasn’t the case. Because as pretty as she was on the outside, she was even more beautiful on the inside.   

Whenever I came over to Grandma’s house, whether I was 6 or 26, she wanted me to feel at home.  She would fix me a bowl of snacks and a cup of caffeine free diet coke.  Grandma was a great cook and she loved being able to feed you.  It was more than just nutrition to her, it was a way of showing love.  One of my favorite Grandma quotes came one time when I had come over to visit.  I had just eaten dinner at my house, but Grandma had some good food she wanted to share.  When I told her I wasn’t  hungry, she said, “Well, you don’t have to be hungry to eat.”  She also always had a cookie jar filled with goodies that were free for the taking, as soon as you walked through her door.  She loved making you feel at home and being able to take care of you.

Another thing that made Grandma so wonderful, was that she always thought of others’ comfort before her own.  When I was growing up, I spent the night at her house almost every Friday night.  When it was time for bed, she’d always turn the heat down to save money, and it would get chilly pretty quickly.  I’d climb into bed with her and snuggle under the covers, but still my feet would be ice cold.  She’d always tell me to put my feet on her legs to warm them up so I would be comfortable.   She also was wonderful to take care of us when we got sick.  She would whip up some potato soup and bring over a bowl of soup and a cup of crushed ice for me when I felt bad.  I still get a little homesick when I get sick for the tender loving care Grandma always provided.

I’ve always thought that Grandma was my biggest fan.   Whether it was getting good grades at school or having good handwriting or being a good mother, Grandma thought I was wonderful.  Nothing was too small for Grandma to brag on.  I could always count on her to think I was amazing.  She made a big deal out of everything I did and made even the simplest thing seem terribly impressive.

There was nothing in the world like a kiss and a hug from Grandma and every time I left her house, I felt like I carried a little ray of sunshine with me on my way.

Whenever we talked on the phone, as we were getting ready to hang up, Grandma would always tell me how much she loved me and tell me that I was her ideal.  The day before she passed away, the Lord blessed us with a little more time to share with her, as she was able to talk and visit with us that afternoon.   That day in the hospital, I told her that I wanted her to know that she was my ideal and hoped I could grow up to be the kind of woman she has been.  And even though her voice was weak, she responded, “That makes me so happy.”

I will be forever grateful to Grandma for the love she gave me, for the example of faith that set and for the memories I have of her that I will always cherish.   

How grateful I am for the knowledge I have that I will see Grandma again.