Wednesday morning was a very calm day at the beach. In all the years we've been coming, I don't think I've ever seen the water so calm- it was like lake water. And it was overcast all day.
We were so happy Papa Joe could join us at the beach. He admitted that beach vacations aren't his favorite, but he'll do anything for his grandkids.
Wednesday also felt like a nature day. We saw a crab, caught a hermit crab, and saw more jellyfish. It was our science lesson for the week.
We didn't spend a ton of time at the pool- it usually just served as a way to wash off the sand after the beach. I had to document that we actually did spend some time there though.
Then he took Katherine and Nathan out, and I watched mesmerized from shore that they kayaked right next to dolphins. They were so close to them. I was so excited for them to experience it.
They rowed back to shore, and Matt took me and Samuel back out. We rushed and prayed that the dolphins wouldn't have swum away by the time we made it back out. Thankfully, they were still there, and we experienced the most amazing time being surrounded by some of God's spectacular creation. We were so close to them. We could see their eyes, hear them breathing, and a pair of them even swam directly under our boat. It felt like a hug from God. That morning I had read in Corinthians about how God comforts us, and then that afternoon he allowed us to experience such a beautiful moment together. He's so good to us even in our suffering.
Matt said that it ruined all future dolphin cruises for him, ha! Thank you, Lord for such a special memory that we'll keep with us forever.
Tacos and the beach make for a very happy Nathan!
Thursday morning Matt was kind enough to drive back into Destin for even more donuts. He's the best!
Another new thing for us this trip is that all of our kids have outgrown naps. In the past after lunch, we'd all shower and spend the afternoons resting. Now we grab a quick lunch and run right back down to the beach. We experienced the coolest thing on Wednesday afternoon. Every year we rent a kayak, and Matt takes turns paddling with the kids.
Samuel and Elisabeth went with him first on that afternoon, while I relaxed on the shore and kept an eye on the other kids.
Since it was overcast all afternoon, we decided to go ahead and take our annual beach pictures that afternoon before dinner. The kids did awesome! That's another thing that has gotten much easier now that they're older. I was very pleased with the way everything turned out.
We celebrated with dinner at Burrito Del Sol and a trip to the grocery store for ice cream treats as a reward for great cooperation during pictures.
Donuts at the beach make for some very happy kids (and mom!)
We spent another beautiful morning at the beach on Thursday.
On Thursday, Elisabeth and Nathan decided to have a sand castle building competition- what is it with these kids and always competing???
Nathan had some sweet little helpers.
We didn't spend all morning on the sand. We spent some time in the water too.
Elisabeth spent some of her leftover birthday money to rent a paddle board, and she and Matt paddled along the waves for an hour.
Thursday after lunch, we took the kids to rent Jet Skis for the afternoon. They've outgrown the Pirate Cruise, and we weren't impressed with the dolphin cruise we did last summer, so we thought Jet Skis would be a fun beach activity. Spoiler alert, we were right!
We rented the skis for an hour and switched off kids a few times, so everyone got a chance to ride with Daredevil Daddy. He's not afraid to hit top speed on them. Papa Joe wasn't either.
It was a wonderful afternoon! The kids have already asked to rent them again next year.
Afterward, we stopped at a beach store to look for a Christmas ornament, and Papa Joe spoiled the kids with lollipops and stuffed animals.
Thursday evening after dinner, we spread some of my mom's ashes in the ocean. It was a tough time for all of us. We missed her greatly on our trip and remembered all the sweet times when she joined us at the beach. The beautiful sunset along the ocean reminded us all of God's faithfulness in being near to our family in our grief.
No comments:
Post a Comment