Life Would Be So Much Easier If We Were All Newts

Look at my boy enjoying the beach! And lest you be confused, that is a Manly Sun Hat he's wearing , not a bonnet as Uncle Bradley suggested. Take heart - my camera battery died while I was there, sparing you all at least 75 photos.

I have decided that taking an almost-2-year-old to the beach is much easier than taking an almost-1-year-old. Last year he wasn't walking yet and rubbed his baby knees raw on the sand in a desperate attempt to crawl to the bottom of the sea. This time he thoroughly enjoyed exploring all sand-covered areas, masterfully avoiding sharp shell patches. And though he'd let the water lap at his ankles and almost burst with joy when Uncle Bradley and Cousin Brent pulled him through the waves by his arms (picture a kind of backwards skiing), he had a much healthier respect for the ocean depths. Whew. He also let me bury him up to his arm pits - bonus fun for me.

I still can't convince Andrew to wear his awesome Batman sunglasses while he's outside playing, but he performed quite a show with them at Chili's. What a ham.

He made sure his Ashton was close at hand most of the time. How he loves this girl! One of his very favorite things to do was to sit on her hip in this indoor water park area and watch a huge barrel dramatically dump it's watery innards on the kids stupid enough to play under it. They'd all hoot and holler while he sat wide-eyed in his perch, then he'd whisper "again."

Bradley took Mom out in his kayak one afternoon. Aren't they adorable? They were having a wonderful time 'til this skinny lifeguard Bradley could have eaten for breakfast whistled them in. Killjoy.


It was all so fun and relaxing, and I'm already missing my dear Aunties and cousins. I think Melvina had the most exciting time, however. She met someone. A mere summer fling? A long-term romance? Stay tuned to find out ....