I'm taking too many pictures. There're a horde more than I've posted here. I'm going to have to use a "Click to see more" to fit more than one post per page.
The back of our beach house opens out to water and boats.
All of the kids are early risers. The rule is "Don't go upstairs until 7 AM," but it wasn't followed. Shane woke up before 6 AM. I made him stay in the room and semi-pretend to sleep until we heard enough footsteps we ventured out. I realized last night that the one thing I forgot to pack was a clock. There are no windows in our room/cave and no clock, so Shane started asking, "Dad? What time is it?"
Aiden is working on pureed foods for his breakfast. He's 8 months old now and highly social.
Shane is happy that Nana packed Pop Tarts.
By 7:30 AM everyone is out and about.
I followed Shane around some as he (re)explored the house.
Which included throwing some rocks.
It was a peaceful first morning.
Shane actually spent some time reading one of the new books. I was thrilled.
Cole jumped in.
Jama and Ed were the last ones to wake up.
Followed shortly by B.
The boys all run around in a pack.
They get along really well.
There's some squabbling, but it's normally resolved quickly and amicably enough.
They're a social bunch.
We went to a small, local church for service. It was a minor miracle we managed to get everyone ready and almost on time for the 11 AM service.
Then we found out the service time had changed to 10:30 AM.
We would have been late even if we'd been on time. Shane, Cole, and B went up for the children's pull-out service.
Aiden takes multiple naps during the day, but he's in the mix whenever he comes out.
Indy is far less noticeable than she was at the last beach house. Sometimes I forget she's around. She quietly patrols and stays on the fringe.
The boys tear around the house horseplaying until someone grabs a device.
It's good that they're social with them, because there's not enough for everyone to have one.
None of the boys need much personal space. They pack in together wherever there's anything of common interest.
Stu and I are the most anti-electronics of the group. Today, it's vacation and a survival tactic. No one person can keep up with all the energy these kids exude!
I find myself going back and forth between groups to keep tabs on what's happening.
Matt and Renee like to take Aiden on walks in their baby bjorn. He seems to like it, too.
Jama and Ed hang out and watch all the festivities. Ed was funny on the phone when he was talking to one of his kids. He couldn't keep all of the names straight, "It's not like they all wear nametags!"
There are a lot of us and no one sits still for long!
There is a gated pool in the front yard.
All of the kids save Shane, need to sunblock and sunshirt up before going out for too long.
I made Shane put on sunscreen the first day so he could sympathize. I don't want him to burn to kick off the trip (like that would actually happen!).
Shane is the most eager to get in the water of any of the kids.
B is happy to jump in, but doesn't want to get his face wet. Ka and Stu's kids are all far more hesitant.
Everyone rinsed off the chlorine in the outdoor showers.
Pop put on World Cup with the sound on mute in the afternoon. We watched Brazil and Switzerland tie.
Nap time hit midday. Cole, Evelyn, and Tenley slept in their rooms. B and Nana took a nap downstairs. Aiden's naps don't always align with everyone elses, but he's not likely to wake anyone up either.
We're just a happy and social bunch.
We all sang "Happy Birthday" and celebrated B's birthday.
B's birthday is not actually this week, but he likes to celebrate when there are so many people around!
Cupcakes for everyone!
The adults hopped in on the action, too.
Shane wanted to show off the bunk bed to his cousins.
He's real proud of sleeping up on it each night. The bed squeaks, so I hear how active he is even when he sleeps!
We all suited up for the beach after the peek sun hours.
I put a little too much sunscreen on Shane. I'm not used to putting it on him!
Everyone packed in the car. We were out of seats, so I popped in the way back.
It's about a mile to the beach, so we use the van as a shuttle. Nana dropped us off.
People were ready.
Shane rushed headlong towards the water.
That water was cold!
He hopped in farther and deeper as I tried to adjust gradually.
Shane loves to the waves, and spends most of his time in the water. However, he's up for digging in the sand, too.
I enjoy the break from playing lifeguard.
Everyone gets excited and pitches in.
We stayed at the beach for an hour. We told the kids to rinse the sand off and started to pack up.
What did they do next?
They're an impulsive bunch.
There was more running around and more video games to finish the night. Matt and Renee cooked a panang curry for dinner (not that the kids ate it). When the kids all went to bed, Matt taught me how to play Smallworld. I had a terrific start and actually won on my first try.....which I'm sure means Matt's going to try and punish me the next time we play. We're a friendly-competitive, but we play hard!
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