Beach 2017 - Day 2

Sleep until 7 AM, I said. Everyone will be asleep, I said.

6:09 AM Shane was up.

We left.

No one else would have been able to sleep had Shane remained. Not even Stu.

Instead of waking up the house, Shane learned he can't climb palm trees.

It got more crowded as we neared our goal (not that anyone else was up).

Shane ran.

I asked him not to swim yet. The water was cold enough to make him pause.

Then he fell in. Or dived. Depends on who you ask.

Can't be mad at joy. It was hot enough he dried on the walk home.

We weren't the only excited ones. The house was alive by our return.

Ka, Stu, and crew are early risers (Stu and crew by nature - Ka by default). The trip was my first chance to meet Baby Tenley (born January). She was already holding her head up on her own and was clearly people focused. Evelyn was more social and comfortable than she was at Christmas (where I offered to pick her up and it made her cry).

Megan and B joined everyone for breakfast. B's big enough I can't call him Baby B anymore.

Nana packed snacks galore. The kids had more choices than I knew what to do with.

However, the kids were all still in copy mode. Once one kid knew what they wanted, everyone else wanted something similar (Thanks, Stu).

Personal space was in short supply (It's a good thing everyone got along!).

The kids were inseparable to start....sort of.

We all wanted to travel and play together.

But not everyone agreed on the method of travel. The boys were pretty easy as long as they were together. Evelyn demonstrated an independence streak (Stubborn, too).

Evelyn's not a fast walker. Stu used diplomacy.

We made it to the playground shortly thereafter. The kids were more fascinated by the beach just beyond the hill.

Naturally, Shane got in the water right before church.

The plan had been to stop at the playground on the way, pray, and then water play. Shane discovered that he didn't dry as quickly (or as comfortably) in air conditioning.

The service reminded me of the Methodist services I went to as a kid in Beaumont. The kids got to hear a story about a pair of owls chasing the moon and flying into a car with headlights. "Listen to your parents, kids!" Then they got to go to a side room for arts and crafts. Nana happily followed.

Nothing ever happens in isolation, though. Kathleen got sick and threw up right before the service. Stu took her home, but Nana and Pop drove another route. The beach house was locked and several phones were silenced. Pop eventually got the message and left to let them in while we got word Patrick was en route, as well!

It worked out in the end. The family regrouped and headed to the waterpark as a unit.

It started like this:

Followed by this:

The confidence of one and the caution of the other soon led to this:

I started off watching both older boys. Cole wanted to do everything Shane did and Shane wanted an audience. We toured the grounds, floated on the lazy river, and shot water guns at anyone and everyone.

Then Cole got his face wet.

It seemed impossible he hadn't managed that before. We were in a water park! I have photo proof he went up on the climbing structure with Shane.

One splash later, he hated everything. There was a bucket (of doom) that he dared not approach. For it filled with water until it poured it's devilish, liquid contents every 12 seconds. We counted. I got him to go close enough with me to count, so he'd know when to run through (like Mega Man!). Only Cole waffled. He stood and looked at it from too close (but not that close). Drops of water touched his glasses and it was game over. He wanted to eat and go home.

Meanwhile, I caught glimpses of Shane cavorting. He weaved in and out of the crowd and chortled with glee. Whenever the splash tower warning bell rang, he would slide down or spring out from somewhere to dance in the splash zone.

Cole and I caught up with Ka again and he got his wish to leave. Shane got to frolic until my skin declared our stay over.

B was his own entity this time. I can't tell you much of what he did, because I barely saw him.

Shane really, really really wanted to ride the large water slide. He was an inch or so shy of the 48" required. I didn't think they'd let that go, because the 'no fun police' refused to let me in the 3' lazy river to supervise Cole (who can't swim). They blew a whistle until I got my own inner tube (I wasn't allowed to share with Cole and Shane) and then they blew a whistle at Shane for putting his head in the water. I think they wanted to make it impossible to drown.

Shane and I walked home on our own. We detoured by the arcade for fun. Prices have gone up since I was a kid.

Some of the games are much cooler.

Yet some haven't changed at all.

Shane reunited with his cousins at the house. No hard feelings. Shane tried to show his Pokemon cards to Cole, but electronic options abounded. 

Which was fine, because Dennis and Cathy visited! The adults all wanted to catch up.

We all rotated through the table. Even Evelyn.

She rejoined the kids soon enough. She liked to follow and copy B in particular.

Which let everyone talk some more. It's been a while, so there was a lot to catch up on. No one got to drive Dennis' 400 hp mustang (The speed limit in the park was only 10 mph, so it would have been a waste anyway).

We gathered the kids for a group beach trip next.

I didn't take many pictures, because Shane threw caution into the waves. He would have tried to cross the Atlantic if I didn't stop him.

Ka and Tenley used my phone for some selfies, though!

She took some pics of everyone in action, as well.

Please note, I wore my shirt everywhere. Shane went shirtless. Nana's "little Italian."

We returned and the night passed (relatively) quietly. Shane was by far the easiest to put to bed. He was deep asleep  My left foot radiated pain from running everywhere in flip flops, but no one else was any worse for wear.

Patrick and Shelby arrived, too! For the first time in years, the whole family was under the same roof.