More Beach

While on vacation, Dan and I celebrated 1o years of marriage (8/29). We were able to go out on a date one of the evenings (thanks, fam). I had wanted to go parasailing, but after reading about it taking some strength to pull off, I decided maybe this year was not the best time to go. So, we didn't really have a plan for the date, but it turned out to be a very fun and memorable time. We decided to stay close by and try out a local restaurant rather than drive a ways off to go somewhere we knew was good. We ended up going to The Smokehouse. Wasn't the best eating (at least for me), but the company was excellent. After supper, we went to the souvenir shop and got Henna tattoos. I got a dolphin on my ankle and Dan got a shark on his arm. I also found the hermit crab cage and we ended up leaving NC with some new pets after my newfounded interest in them. After this, we went to an area of the beach by the pier and layed a blanket down and talked and star gazed...they were beautiful! We half way joked about walking back to the beach house and then ended up doing so. It was longer than we thought (3 miles), but it was a good time of just being together (and counting crabs). I quit counting around 80 something....we had to have seen more than 200. There were so many. Finally, we arrived back and tried (but failed miserably) to scare the rest of the family inside who were playing games.
This is Lydia in the same hat she wore in 2006 (see next picture). She's growing up too fast. Time to pass the hat on to Claire (who hates hats).
Lydia - Topsail Island 2006

"Mom, I'm having so much fun, but...
all this beach stuff is wearing me out!"
Jake and Jack get burried!

Dan bought glow sticks for all the kids and they had a blast with them! This picture is with flash (obviously), the second one is not, but still a cool picture.
Jill snapped a few close up's of the Jakester...this one made me smile as it is the infamous tongue picture. Whenever Jake concentrates on anything, even sand creations, that tongue comes out. Maybe I'll dedicate a post just to Jake and his tongue pictures over the past few years. Araceli and Noelani having fun together in the ocean.
Boogie boarding was one of the favorite things to do this year. We had some great waves!
Beach Bums!

We clean up pretty well though.This was the last time we were all together. We went out to eat at Max's Pizza so we wouldn't have to clean dinner dishes the same night we had to pack. (sniff-sniff)

Just a sweet photo of Jill, Lydia, and Dan! Next blog, I'm gonna show some of the WONDERFUL family photos that Jill took of our family!!!

Topsail Island Beach Vacation 2008

A few years back (2004), Dan and I went on our first family vacation. We looked online and found Topsail Island in North Carolina. It looked so nice and much less commercialized than Mrytle Beach. We made reservations (along with my parents and sister) and had a wonderful time that summer. So much so that we went again in 2006 (when I was pregnant with Claire). This summer, we headed over again and got to spend a week with Mom and Dad Ernst, The Indy Ernsts, and the Billingtons. We had such a WONDERFUL time! So many fun memories were made.
This was our beach house for the week...very nice! One of my favorite features of the house was the porch swing on the back deck. I was excited for that when we were looking online at the different properties.

One of the highlights of the week for the kids was just having fun playing with their cousins! These two were so pleased to be in each other's company for an entire week! (Jake and Jack)

As were these two precious little girls (Noelani and Lydia).As were these two! Joel and Claire were "caught" playing together many times.



Claire was pretty fond of Sam as well. Out of all her cousins, I think he might be her favorite!Here is a picture of the whole gang in the hole they helped to dig.Grandma and Grandpa Ernst brought all the grandkids a hat home from PNG. This was the best picture I got with all of them...quite a task, I might add.Had to add this one. The kids put their hats on backwards, sideways, and even inside-out.When we arrived, Claire was not too fond at all of the ocean. She clung to me like a little monkeyShe started warming up to the sights and sounds of the beach, but never really liked the water.She did like playing in the sand, but tired quickly and wanted mommy. Many times she climbed into my chair (or my lap) to let me know she was done for the time being.
While on vacation, we had some pretty cool sightings. The most impressive one, by far, was this...Sam spotted him (or her) from the house one evening. We followed him down the beach a while and Jill caught these way cool pictures of the shark (we were mere feet away)! We also saw dolphins many of the days we were there!!!

We only had one day of rain and it came later in the day. During this rainfall, Mark looked down the beach and saw this thing. Not a tornado...some rain tunnel or something to that affect.

There will be more to come on our wonderful time at the beach...so many fun pictures to share!

Green(e) play date

The first week of July (before G-ma & G-pa arrived), I ventured out to the Greene with the kids. Being only a mile from our house to the Stroop entrance is nice, as we often walk/ride bikes there as a family. However, there was no walking there that day as my energy levels were starting to drop at this point. We met Beth and her 3 boys and ended up having a marvelous time together, as always. There was a lady there face painting. After the kids enjoyed the fountains for a while, the older of the 6 kids had fun getting there faces done up.My LydiaWho knew a water drain was so exciting?Claire and Travis...good buddies!Jake & Lydia are invloved in the summer reading program at the library. Jake wanted to take a book along since he has been so excited about reaching 30 hours. He and Tine are taking a break and I thought this was a sweet photo. Jake and Tine...our firstborns! Jake getting his face painted!Lydia's turn (actually, she went first).The finished product...Jake as the Incredible Hulk!Flowery LydiaBest friends (even though Jake won't admit it). The Hulk, Tine the Tiger, and my Flower girl

When we got home, Jake decided he wanted to draw a picture of The Incredible Hulk (or The Hork as the wrote it).

Catch up time - June

Ok...I promised pictures, so here they come! I hope to stay more current with my blog, but here are a few memories caught on the camera over the summer. Thank you, God for this blessing of being able to capture a moment in time. Here are a couple of those moments.

Grandma and Grandpa Ernst arrived back in the States in early June. There was much excitement for their homecoming on the part of the grandkids and we were also looking forward to them meeting Claire for the first time. We drove to Indy to see them and to loan them our car until they found one of their own. While on the subject of Grandma and Grandpa, let me say what a blessing they have been to us. They came the first week of July to return our car and stayed the entire week to help us out and hang out with the kids. I was off my medicine at that point in time, so I really appreciated the rests I was able to get in while they were here. And Jake and Lydia were loving the attention! Claire took this week to get to know them better. Then, during my isolation period, they, along with the help of the Billingtons and the Ernsts, took care of J & L. What a HUGE blessing to know my kiddos were in good hands and being loved on!

The kids at Grandma and Grandpa's house. We got to spend the night there and this was right before bed...hence the reason for Claire in her jammies.

Playing at Uncle Rich and Aunt Araceli's house.

Jake was finishing out his T-ball season in June, so I signed up Lydia for swim classes without him. The first 4 classes, she was to have an adult in the water. I was not supposed to get in the water yet after my surgery and Dan was at Jake's game, so during these sessions, my sister willingly got in the pool with Lid. I kept Claire with me since Dan helped coach the games, so I had the fun task of entertaining her (she really wanted in, too). Amazing how far a drinking cup will go with a toddler (with water in it, of course).