Ocean City, Maryland 2014!
The Thurber family graciously offered us a fun filled family vacation once again at their beach condo. I guess we didn't sufficiently scare them off last year. We are so grateful to have this sweet family in our lives. They have become like family to our little crazy family.
If you have never heard of Ocean City, it is a little strip of land off the coast of Delaware/Maryland that is truly a beach town. Nearly every corner has a Sunsations Beach Store, Ice cream shop, and mini golf. It is surrounded by beaches on a long strip of land and full of tan, happy families digging their toes into the sand.
It was really cute to watch Luke and Grant interact. I love the story of Luke and how he came to be a part of Jessica & Matt's family. He is a beautiful baby full of intelligence, a cute sense of humor, and a future in surfing. He LOVES the water and I think his presence helped Grant slowly warm up to the idea of being in the pool and ocean. Our last day out at the beach Grant actually went and touched the water without screaming and sat and splashed in the little waves with Luke.
Darned white balance issues in mid day sun! I couldn't see my pictures with the brightness of the sun, but I caught a picture of Keith standing up on his surfboard!
He is getting really good at surfing and caught quite a few waves with Matt. Don't be fooled by his face, he was having a blast and managed to stay up on this wave a long time. Cowabunga dude. Cowabunga.
I LOVE this little girl, Alice. She is one of the brightest, sweetest girls I have ever met. She stays calm in every situation and is so aware of the needs of those around her. Often she would notice that Sawyer was feeling left out and make an extra effort to show him love and kindness. She is quick to quote her wise mama and is fiercely dedicated to her good daddy and runs to help her baby brother every time she sees a need.
One afternoon I took Lily to Sunsations to purchase her a new towel. We somehow walked out with this "Barbie fashion hat." I'm still wondering how she convinced me that it was perfectly reasonable to make a purchase so outlandish. She has a deep abiding love for fashion and stuffed animals.
This little guy took the ocean and swimming pool by storm! One afternoon we were at the pool and he turned to me and said, "Mommy? Can we take off my floatie?" I hesitated, but decided that we might as well see if he could swim a little. Turns out he's a little fish. After proving to me he could do there was no holding him back. Soon he was boogie boarding in the ocean, catching some awesome waves, and showing us that he has all kinds of mad skills. I loved watching him break through the smaller waves head first, and sit back to wait for the "perfect wave." He has been watching his Daddy and listening closely to his tales of surfing.
Favorite parts of the trip?
Grant: Sleeping with Mommy. Taking naps. Staying away from oceans. Spitting up on the floor with Luke. A lot. Spitting up. Mucho spitting up.
Sawyer: Carnival. Riding the carousel all by himself while everyone yelled his name as he rode by. Mini golfing with Matt. Swimming without a floatie.
Lily: Swimming pool. Playing with her BFF. Waterpark.
Cherie: Jet skis and running solo on the beach at night with the stars twinkle twinkling. I may have danced with abandon in the waves Sarah Morgan-Wheeler...strange things happen when nobodies around.
Keith: Jet skis and surfing.
Matt was so sweet with all the kiddos. One day Sawyer mentioned that he REALLY wanted to go mini golfing. I have a personal distaste for mini golfing, but Matt jumped up and said, "I would LOVE to take you buddy!" Sawyer was smiling from ear to ear and couldn't wait to have a special day with his pal Matt.
Sawyer knows how to treat the ladies right. Giving his girlfriend, Jessica, a nice massage.
There was a LOT of ice cream devoured on this trip!
Grant and Luke got their first spin on a carousel together. I can't guarantee they loved it, but we survived!
And well, I just laugh every time I see this picture!
