The beach!!!

We have just gotten back from a wonderful beach vacation in Sandestin. It was a "working vacation" for Wes as he was there for an engineering conference. But luckily he was out of meetings most days by early afternoon and could spend the later parts of the day with us. Karin also came with us, and we loved having her with us the first few days (I also loved having an extra set of hands to help with the herding of Owen). Sadly, she had to leave on Monday evening and Owen spent most of Tuesday morning calling out "I need Miss Karin!" He claimed her as his own for our adventures of the first few days. This was my first time staying in the actual resort of Sandestin and it was a real treat. It really is it's own little world. We were beachside (a brief walk to the sand) and our condos had a really great saltwater pool. The boys loved both the pool and the beach. It was Owen's first time to see the ocean and Will enjoyed the sandy beach far better this year than last. We have some really great pics of their first day on the beach, but they are on Karin's camera and I'll have to post them when I get them.

Our really big story of the week is that Will, after a seriously traumatic (as in yelling, screaming, scared to death) two weeks of swimming lessons leading up to the trip, learned to swim! Not at swimming lessons, although by the last day or two he was slightly less traumatized. But once we got down to the beach it all just clicked and he was swimming and going under the water, jumping off the side and having a grand time. He really loves swimming now, and I'm SO glad. It took a good snorkeling mask so that he didn't swim with one hand holding his nose and the other paddling, but he's a fish now.

Some cute moments in the trip...when Will was first getting ready to wade into the surf at the beach, our Mr. Prepared did just that...got really prepared. He headed into that surf with goggles, a swim ring and a sand shovel. And only waded in up to his ankles. But, man, he was ready for anything.

Another really cute thing that happened plays off of a story from last year's trip to the beach. Last summer, Wes and I just took Will down to Gulf Shores for a long weekend while we spent exactly one hour the whole trip on the beach. But in that time, Will dug up a little green army man and felt sure that it was his own personal buried treasure. Well, this year, after our day at the beach I was out on the balcony shaking the sand out of our stuff and what fell out of the very bottom of the bag? Why yes...the same little soldier from last year. He's been buried all this time. Well, for whatever reason I left him out on the balcony. The next morning, Will walked out to the balcony and screamed "Mom, look what I found...it's ANOTHER army man! Why do I always find army men at the beach?" Then he added," I bet God leaves them for me for being such a good boy." What do you say to that? So sweet. But tragedy struck later that day and as we were walking, Will accidentally dropped the army man into the bushes and we couldn't find him. Will was quite sad for awhile, but the very next morning he went rushing out to the balcony to "see what God left for me today." As I was trying to figure out how to handle the lack of army men on the balcony I heard him say "Mom, God didn't leave an army man today...he left me a shell!" Guess I'll be toting some army men to the beach for the next few years...his excitement in finding the "little things" was a good reminder to me.

And lastly, sweet (wild!) Owen loved the beach. I knew he loved sand...and he had an appropriate love and fear of the ocean water. He wanted to be out in the surf like Will so badly, but would start grabbing at you to pick him up as soon as it got to his ankles. But he loved watching the water and the boats and preferred the beach to the pool. He loved hunting for shells and discovering all there is to see at the ocean.

Another fun side note...we ran into a couple from church that we knew (he was in the same conference as Wes) and they have a little girl that is in Will's Sunday School class. We had a really great time getting to play with them...it was definitely a big "bonus" to end up knowing some people down there. The very last night, we met the Altmans for dinner at Baytowne Village and walked around seeing the sights. The kids saw the candymaking store, the zipline, and then we stumbled on a stage where any kid could get up and dance. And who barreled right up on stage? Yes...Owen, of course. He boogied in front of a big crowd of people, dancing around all these older kids he didn't know, until we pulled him off the stage. He begged to dance again on the way out. There is a blurry pic below for your viewing entertainment. My friend leaned over and said "where does he get that little personality from?" I'm assuming she meant the "completely wide open and unafraid to do anything" personality. Wes and I looked at each other with confused expressions...we still haven't figure it out. Maybe he gets it from my sister. :-)

Anyway, below are some pics and I'll post more when I get them from Karin. She's traveling to be with her family right now, her sister is very sick, so remember them in your prayers.

Wes and Owen watching the waves come in

Will LOVING the beach...what beautiful weather!

Throwing "mudballs" at the waves

Owen watching Daddy build a sandcastle (so he could knock it down, of course)

Sweet brothers on the boardwalk to Pirate Jolee's Island

Owen wanted Wes' hat

Notice Owen digging two-handed. He meant business.

The beginnings of a castle

Wes giving Owen his own little mound of sand to kick down

I know it's blurry, it was off my cell phone, but that's Owen in the orange shirt...dancing the night away in front of quite a crowd! Not that he cared.

Will and his friend from church, Caroline. Will doesn't look happy, but he was. Owen got a big kick out of walking on top of them both.