The other day a storm was threatening our fun all morning and into the early afternoon.

It finally decided to show up…

It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, but the rain went on and on.   We were stuck inside for several of the afternoon hours.   What usually happens here, though, is the sun bursts back through the clouds after the rain.  The sun never really came back out that day, but we did end up outside for a late afternoon that was very exciting.

First, the kids discovered a skate and a bonnethead shark down on the beach; they had died and washed ashore.  They were small, but the kids thought this was very cool.

Cousin N. will touch or pick up pretty much any animal life that he’s allowed to…

Christian didn’t pick it up, but he was right there. I think he was cold.

Even Aunt Wendy took a turn with the shark!

Then to add to the excitement of the evening someone spotted fins in the water.  This usually means dolphins passing by, and they seemed closer in than usual.  The conditions were such that there was a drop off just past where the waves were breaking on the beach.

The kids tore off down the beach chasing the dolphins as they headed north.

I tried very hard to get some pictures of the dolphins jumping out of the water, because they were leaping and catching fish.  Here is one; I had to close in on it when editing so it’s not sharp, but you can see that there is a fish in its mouth.

Then it jumped way out with another fish in its mouth!

They were so amazing to watch, sleek and beautiful.

The kids were so excited and wanted to swim with them! Especially the girls…

Wendy was trying to tell them,”There it is!” You can see how close we were to them…

I love this picture; it tells such a great story.  Cousin C. is headed out with no hesitation, and Michaela is right behind her.  Cousin N. is on his way, but not quite as quickly.  And bringing up the rear is Christian, and really he’s stepping backwards.  They have such distinct personalities!

Cousin J. happily ran down the beach with everyone else, and loved watching all of the activity.

After a long chase up the beach we had to head back to get ready for dinner.  The boys discovered a crab on the beach and had to investigate the situation.

The girls just ran and ran all the way back to our condo.  Holding hands.

We eventually came to the conclusion that the lovely creatures who put on such a show for us were pilot whales.  It was such a fun experience to witness their lively pursuit of dinner (Sorry, little fish!), and their playing in the water.

A final shot, because we too were in pursuit of dinner, and we headed inside right after this.

Do you have a few minutes yourself?  This is how much fun we’ve been having…

The girls when we first arrived…they were so happy to see one another!

The boys the first morning…I know the light is terrible, but look at their faces. They were also so glad to be together.

A beautiful place to be…

There is fun indoors, too! They worked on this pyramid for a couple of days.

Eliana with Aunt Wendy in the pool…

In the water is where she wants to be.

Cousin N told me,”Take a picture with my head on the top of the water…”

Aunt Wendy is a great sport about getting her toes covered with sand.

This girl is right at home on the beach.

I love tan feet.

The kids stay so busy collecting shells, playing in the surf, digging…

She’s up to her elbows and enjoying every bit of it!

The fish aren’t just in the ocean…

Christian doing a handstand…

This is what happens when I say,”I want a picture of you with your goggles.”

Happiness…

Wendy and Bobby somehow ended up with all six kids in the pool. They came to the conclusion that three is a great number.

Like I said, we’re lovin’ every minute!

The night after Mike arrived we headed back to Orlando for dinner with his dad Lance and his wife Susie.  The kids threw themselves into the pool immediately after hugs.

They have a great pool with steps that lead to a very shallow end; Eliana loved walking around there, and leaping into Mike’s arms.  She is in love with the water!

They have several floats in the pool along with a kickboard that has a built-in squirter…it appears that Grandpa Lance got in the line of fire before he was able to change his clothes!

Alligators abound here in Florida, but this is as close as I hope we’ll get to one…

Eliana finally gave Mike a little break…

Christian had a great time chasing the other kids around and riding the floats.

Lance and Susie make a great team when they’re putting dinner together! There is always something good coming off the grill (chicken and ribs), and Susie’s green beans and her homemade coleslaw are sooo good.

Eliana wasn’t too interested in the chicken legs, but she dug into Ms. Susie’s pasta with cheese!

It was a lovely evening. We’re so glad we were able to see them and spend the time there. We also visited with Susie’s son (his family was not able to be there, but it was very nice to see him), and her daughter-in-law and two granddaughters (her husband was also not able to be there; she is a delight to be with and we had a good time chatting). All of the kids had a great time splashing and playing games together.

Here is Mike with his dad; I’m not sure the last time they had a picture taken together…it may have been our wedding! They look alike, don’t they?

Thank you, Dad and Susie, for a wonderful dinner, and a lot of fun!

This is what I’m up against whenever I’m trying to pack for a trip…

Just a little window into my world.

Also a little window into my mind, considering this has nothing to do with the real-time goings-on in our life.  I couldn’t get my pictures off of our camera until Mike brought the batteries and these were some that I discovered.  They made me chuckle.  Hope they bring a smile to your face as well.

My niece:  Aunt Christina!  You look pregnant!

Me:  I  know!  (it’s my cover-up; empire-waist and all…has nothing to do with my Coke-and-brownie-poochie-belly)

My niece:  (pause, and with very big eyes)  Are you?

Me:  NO!  I am not.

(Maybe that cover-up isn’t so cute after all.)

Growing up I never had a sister;
The only sibling in my life a mister.
I always thought it would be neat,
But my parents didn’t see fit
To have another baby!

When I married then I got a sister.
At first we didn’t spend much time together.
We lived far apart,
She was mature and smart,
And I was still just a baby.

Then we started having kids.
We talked of onesies and of bibs,
About diapers, and poopy
And breasts until loopy
While always nursing a baby.

We spend time at the beach every summer,
The end of the visit a bummer.
We figure out ways
To get through the days
And now there is no baby!

There are meals to prepare and messes to clean.
All day we wash clothes and apply the sunscreen.
We’re cleaning up messes, washing up kids,
Passing out drinks-lids or no lids?!
Goodness, we’re glad there’s no baby!

This trip my sister-in-law has been busy,
Because of my youngest we’re all in a tizzy.
Her patterns for sleeping are just not the best,
And much of my time is spent getting her to rest,
Even though she is no longer a baby.

My sister-in-law takes over, with three kids of her own;
She’s made dinner and bathed the five kids while alone.
Pajamas, and toothbrushes, and books she has found
Stepping over toys, climbing laundry mounds,
Did I say we’re so glad there’s no baby?

She’s picked up my slack on this trip once or twice
And I’d just like to say that I think it’s real nice
Really much more than that,
Because at the drop of a hat
She takes care of me like I’m a baby.

I’d normally say we work well as a team,
But on this vacation my life’s been a dream.
She’s done so much work
I feel like a jerk
Since my excuse is not,”There’s the baby!”

She’s not only my in-law, but also my friend.
And in her honor I’d like to extend
This token of gratitude
For her affect on my daily mood
Excuse me while I cry like a baby.

Even though we stay up way too late
And tempt each other with chocolate cake
Waking up is easier to do
When you face the day with someone who
Understands your non-sleeping baby.

I’m so glad I can be
At the beach with Wendy.
I have quirks, more than one,
And she puts up with a ton,
Including how I whine like a baby.

We’ve seen many changes through all of these years,
We’ve laughed lots of laughs and cried many tears.
And one change I’m grateful for
Is that she’s an in-law no more.
I think of her as my sister!

(Did that last line throw you?)

We’ve spent hours outside since our arrival in Florida…it has been beautiful!  The kids love heading out into the ocean each morning (although most days it’s close to lunchtime before we get out…), they love jumping into the pool after playing on the beach for hours, and they’re hungry all the time from all of their calorie-burning activity.  Here are just a few images of Eliana’s fun in the sun so far…mainly for my mom.

Bathing booty…

“Dirt!”  (It comes out “duht”.)

Now off to sunscreen!

“Ask-yully, I’ll take an Oreo…”

-cousin J. (age 3) negotiating a snack mid-morning, with his mom.  She had already no-ed a Twizzler, Fig Newmans, a Z-bar, and a croissant.  Sure she’d go for the Oreo!

Today we celebrated cousin C.’s birthday!  She and Michaela are six months apart, and seeing them grow up together (as far apart as we have been) has been such a joyful (most of the time!) experience.   They are often the best of friends, and of course have their moments when they are more like sisters who irritate one another.  They love to play with their babies, dress alike, and when we’re at the beach, jump waves together.

C. woke up to some fun balloons on her chair at the kitchen table and the celebration went from there.  We were busy all day (and by we I mean Wendy, her mom) getting ready for a family party this evening.  Grandma and Mr. Bob came over from Orlando and got a good dose of madness while they were here.  It wasn’t all craziness; there were moments of reading and card-playing, too.  There was a lot of cooking and baking.  Also decorating.  Mostly, though, there was a lot of fun.

Here are some images that I captured using a video recorder.  The picture quality isn’t that great, but hopefully will show some of our good times well enough.

Brother of the birthday girl…

High School Musical puzzle with one of the big cousins, as they are called…

The cake…

The balloons, they enchant…

A happy birthday girl…

And needless to say, Eliana enjoyed her cake…

What a fun day…it’s so good to be with family!  You know, I’m here ahead of Mike, and I am an in-law, but they always make me feel like just one of the bunch.  I’m really grateful for that.  We’re looking forward to Mike’s arrival!

He’s bringing my battery charger and razor.

Just kidding; it will be so good to be together, as Christian has said,”The five Walkers again.”

Here are some of the mental pictures I’ve taken since we’ve been here…

The kids running to the ocean and diving right into the waves

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Eliana squatting beside a little bucket with a blue shovel in her hand, happily moving the sand around

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Christian with his neon green goggles on, long straps flapping out on the sides

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The girls silhouetted against the glass, in the dimly lit living room at dusk, in matching robes, doing hand clapping rhymes

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Grandma playing Skip-Bo with the kids

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Mr. Bob and Michaela sitting on the porch reading their books as a storm passed through

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Cousin C.’s excitement because today is her 8th birthday

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Cousin C. carrying Eliana out with a huge smile on her face having managed to get a ponytail in Eliana’s hair

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Wendy making the birthday cake

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You get the picture…