Our Beach Vacation

I've already posted our first day at the beach photos, so I only have a few more left - about 732 to be exact.  I also have about 90 hours of video, but I'll spare you those five-minute long videos of Lena putting sand in a yogurt container and of Sam running back and forth with buckets of ocean water.  Those are things only our family could enjoy, and even then we'll probably get sick of them.

So I'm attempting to filter here, but there were so many precious moments, so many things I want to remember, so many smiles and laughs and sand-in-the-buttcrack kind of fun that was had.  My family's first beach vacation is chock full of memories that I absolutely have to capture here.  So sit back and scroll until your heart's content. 


5:00 am on the way to Virginia Beach.  Our plan of leaving at 4:00 am so the kids would sleep for 3 or 4 hours on the way backfired. 

They were both so jacked up, neither slept until much later that afternoon. 

At a scenic overlook.

Sam's first step onto beach sand. 

Lena and Sam's beachy feet.

Lena's first step onto beach sand.

My favorite southern grocery store - Harris Teeter.  There was one just a minute from our hotel, so I made Rich take me there to stock up, twice.  Love that place.

Our first morning began very early - 5:30 am.  At least we caught a beautiful sunrise.

Some sandy, beach fun.

  

King Neptune.

Under the dock hunting for seashells.

Sam's footprints.

Jungle Golf.

Precious napping baby girl.  "She's an angel straight from heaven!"

Lena was a bit unsure of the turtles at the aquarium.

We're a pretty dorky family...

 

Watch out Sammy, there's a shark behind you!

On our way home, exhausted from a great vacation!

First Day at the Beach

We're resting a bit before we go out to the beach, waiting for the sun to warm things up a bit.  Plus, we've been up since 5:30 this morning (and saw a gorgeous sunrise), so a rest time at 9:30 doesn't seem so bad.  While I have a couple of minutes, I thought I would post some photos of the kids' first day at the beach yesterday. 

It was chilly when we first went out in the morning, but eventually the sun showed up and we stripped off our sweatshirts and had some sandy, wet fun.  And when Rich and the kids dug the obligatory giant sand hole, we found a ton of sand crabs and tiny clams.  The kids agreed, it was AWESOME.

Lena loved the water and Sam loved digging in the sand.  All in all, a perfect first beach day.  Praying for more of the same today!

Stranger Danger at the Library

This morning Lena and I were at the library, as we are most Thursday mornings when Sam is in school.  Lena was at a computer playing a game and I was about 10 feet away in the picture book shelves. 

I looked over and saw she was in the chair.  I bent down to find the two titles I was searching for and when I stood back up, literally less than a minute later, Lena was gone. 

Lena is a wanderer (for further evidence, please revisit this post recalling a near miss at the zoo last year), so I tried to remain calm.  I looked up a couple of rows when another mother said she had seen a woman, who she thought worked there, take Lena toward the doors. 

What?!@#?

Panicked and instantly sweat drenched, I jogged toward the doors ready to go ninja on somebody when, thank God, I saw Lena hand-in-hand with a library employee walking toward the front desk.  I hollered Lena's name, and she turned around, all smiles.  I picked her up, hugged her for dear life, and asked the woman where she had found her, thinking she must have wandered off in the minute I had my eyes off her. 

But no, the woman replied that Lena was just sitting in the chair at the computer looking around for me.  I told her that I was only a few feet away and didn't hear her cry or even same my name.  And the woman said, "No, she didn't seem upset.  She was just looking for you". 

I was furious at her for taking a perfectly calm young child away from her location so quickly instead of staying with her for a few minutes to see if a parent showed up.  And I was furious at myself for taking my eyes off Lena for even that quick minute.  But all I said to that employee was,  "Okay", and we checked out our books and left. 

Lena got an earful in the parking lot - that she should never go with someone she doesn't know, that she should yell "NO" and "MOMMY" if someone ever tries to take her again.  But honestly, I doubt she understood.  She's two.  And she trusts everyone.  And she's friendly.  And she's a wanderer.  She's the perfect storm.     

After I put Lena down for her nap (which took forever since I held her and sang her about 1000 songs, because I can't shake the thought that she could have been taken), I sat Sam down and talked to him about it.  

His school went over stranger danger a few weeks ago, but I don't know how much he absorbed.  So I told him a short version of what happened and reiterated the fact that he and Lena can never go with anyone they don't know, yadda, yadda - you know the spiel. 

Sam looked like he was really listening and told me that he should come with us next time we go to the library so he can "keep an eye on Wena" and "tell dem NO and yell MOMMY if dey trwy to take my sister again".  "Or you", I reminded him.  "Yeah, dey can't take me eidher", he said.  I think it was a good teaching moment.  And it made me proud that he listened and wants to protect Lena. 

I don't want to scare my kids to death, but I kind of do, you know?  A healthy fear is a hard balance to strike in 4 and 2 year olds.  So which way to you trend until they're old enough to learn that balance?  I don't know.

What I do know is that: I wrote an email to the library, not complaining per se, but just explaining what happened and that maybe they need to review their protocol; Lena will be at my side in public from now on - no more 10 foot radius, even at the library; that it really sucks that I have to worry about some sick %$*&# trying to hurt my kids; that Lena is friendly and trusting; that Sam is protective and kind; that I'm probably going to have intermittent tears flowing today at the thought of what could have been; that we'll be reviewing stranger danger a lot more often at home; that while I was panicked and sweat drenched, I also felt like the Hulk about to bust out and smash some shit up trying to find my kid, which was kind of nice to know I had in me; and that I eventually need to let this go, thank God that everything turned out okay, and pray that He always protects my kids like he did today.

Three Beautiful Things

I used to write Three Beautiful Things posts every now and then when I started this blog as a way to show gratitude for the little things around me that I so often don't take time to appreciate. I haven't done that in a while. So here are today's Three Beautiful Things.

1. This time every year, as I sit at my desk at work peering out of my boss's floor-to-ceiling windows that overlook the park, I admire the beautiful trees full of brand new spring leaves glowing bright green in the sunshine. Which, yes, means I'm not doing a lot of work today, but sometimes that's just how I roll.


2. I got great feedback about Sam at preschool and at speech yesterday, which was so wonderful to hear and makes me so proud of him. He's working so hard. And all day Lena was singing songs and smiling and hugging and tell me how "pwetty" she looked in her new $2 headband and glittery jelly shoes from Old Navy...she is so sweet and so easy to please.


3. Yesterday when I dropped Sam off at preschool, we walked past rows and rows of lilies of the valley that were just beginning to bloom. They always remind me of Mom and our old house in Delaware. So we all stopped to smell the perfect, tiny little white bells on our way out that afternoon and Sam said that maybe fairies use them as cups...I loved that.

Lazy Days

A couple of weeks ago it rained nearly every day, so we were stuck inside, which can be trying for everyone. But the kids played together so well (most of the time), as evidenced by these cute photos.

Sam (and Miles and Woody and Lena's baby) all taking a little floor nap one afternoon.

I was in the kitchen making lunch and heard the kids giggling in the living room. I found them both in the little nook behind the couch, laying on pillows, covered up with blankets and Lena was "reading" Sam a story. I love when they do stuff like that together all on their own.


This was a couch cushion castle that Sam and I built. Princess Lena was locked in the castle and Miles was a dragon on the roof trying to get her. Luckily, Prince Sammie saved the day (though I didn't catch that part on film).

Side note: the pacifier you see in Lena's mouth in these last two shots is 100% gone now!

Hallelujah! Amen!

Last weekend we told her the Easter bunny had to give all her googoos (our word for pacifiers) to new little babies and, after a 20 minute marathon tantrum, she's done remarkably well. Remarkably. Her mood has even improved...I think those googoos were bringing her down. It made me a little sad because it means she's not a baby anymore. But I'm so proud of how she's handled it. She's such a tough little girl!

Happy Easter!

What a lovely Easter weekend!

Since Dad just had his knee replaced (and is doing GREAT!), we stayed home for Easter this year to give him and Mom some down time to recover. It felt strange not being together with them and they were missed, but it was necessary this year...so that next Easter, Dad can run the bases while playing baseball with the kids! Yeah for new knees!

Church on Easter Sunday was packed for every service and was exciting and worshipful and beautiful. Easter runs a very close second to Christmas as my favorite holiday. But it is definitely my favorite church celebration. It's just so full of hope and joy and color and life and meaning and humility.

After church Lori, Matt and the boys came over to our house and we grilled our rolled roast and had an egg hunt, as per family tradition. The kids and, let's be real, us adults all got nice and sugared up and, after a wonderful visit with the Wingers, we all crashed and took naps. I guess that was Rich and my gift from the Easter bunny.