I love the beach (for my kids)!

I've decided that there are three types of beach goers: the kind that don't like it at all and just sit in a chair and try to keep sand out of everything; the kind that love it, swim in the ocean, build sand castles, and don't mind the sand in everything, including their swimsuit; and those that fall somewhere in between who like to go mostly for their children's sake. I fall into the last category--I don't LOVE going to the ocean, but I love seeing my kids have fun there. I like swimming and bobbing in the waves, but I don't love the jellyfish or stepping on crabs or shells. I like the relaxing feeling of sitting on the beach and knowing my kids are having fun with little entertainment from me. I love food at the beach, even though it gets a little sandy. It's fun to pop pretzels and grapes into my kids' mouths because their hands are too sandy to touch them. I like forgetting about the usual routines of meals and naps because we are having too much fun to leave the beach and return to that humdrum existence.

This vacation was a real break for me. I decided before I left that I would just take it easy, and make it a really fun vacation that the kids would remember. No stress, no yelling, and suspension of all but the most basic rules of good behavior. No time crunch, just let things come as they may. It turned out to be the most fun I've had in a long time. The only thing I missed was John and Denise, but to tell the truth (sorry my dear) I don't think it would have been so relaxing with John, or with Denise. We would have ended up arguing about somewhere to eat, or where to stop for gas, or I would have been more stressed about keeping things clean or that I wasn't doing enough with the kids, or upset that John was taking long naps while I "did all the work." Or upset that Denise was spoiling the kids or they were sassing her, or she didn't do things the way I normally would.

As it was, we had a great time. The kids played nicely with their cousins that were there (only two girls aged 10 and 14). The highlight for me was our bike ride. We thought it would be a good way to keep the kids busy for the morning, a challenging but not impossible ride to the ice cream store. We thought it might be about 2 miles but we clocked it later at 3.7 miles. As you can imagine, it was very hot and humid. Hannah has only been about a mile at a time on her little bike, so it was a real marathon to her. The ice cream store was closed when we got there, and Garrett instantly dissolved into frustrated tears that mixed with his perspiration. Luckily, a lady at the gift shop suggested the gas station and we went (walked!) there and let everyone pick out an ice cream bar or popsicle. It was a long ride home, but we made it. Hannah was so exhausted by the end (7.4 miles!!) that she forgot to use her brakes when she came down the steep driveway and ran right into the woods, scaring me (and herself) half to death. She wasn't hurt at all, not even a scratch. I had told all the kids that whoever didn't complain on the ride home would get a popsicle. And whoever said nice things about the ride would get their popsicle BEFORE LUNCH! I totally cracked up when they were trying to find good things to say: "That shade on the other side of the street looks nice." "I love these bumps in the path, they make it more fun." "This is a good day to go to the beach and swim in the water." I was really proud of all the kids (though Kevin just rode in the trailer) but especially Hannah pedalling 10 times what we all were on our big bikes. She is a strong little girl! I thought they would all be exhausted when we got back, but within 20 minutes in the air conditioning, they were jumping around just as hyper as ever. Kevin is the only one who was tired enought that when he sat down for a few minutes, he dropped off to sleep! And he didn't even have to pedal!

The kids were amazingly good in the van on the way down, and believe it or not, they were even better on the way home and I drove the WHOLE WAY IN ONE DAY! Yes, 16 hours of driving and caring for my 3 children all accomplished with patience and skill by yours truly. I was so, SO happy to get home and see John and see the remodeled family room. We don't have any pictures of that though, because our camera totally freaked out the last day at the beach and it is getting repaired. Thank goodness we got the 4 year warranty. Here are some beach and bike ride pictures, then I'll give you an update about our moms:








John's Mom is now able to put slight pressure on her foot, so now she doesn't have to hop with a walker, she can walk a little bit. She still can't drive of course, and her car is totalled, so she is still dependant on others to take her where she needs to go.

My mom has regained a little of her fine motor skills, and can read and comprehend a little better now. She has always been a quick healer and doctors are always amazed at how she bounces back after everything. She had planned on taking my Dad on a cruise in October, but she definitely would not be able to take Dad. She still wants to go, though. I am leaving on Thursday to stay with her until the following Saturday. I'm excited to go and spend time with her. My sister says I'll have to give her insulin shots because she can't do it herself. That is making me a little nauseous to think of, but I guess I gotta do what I gotta do. My Dad is getting a little better about staying at the home, now that he has his routines. But he is still really lost and doesn't understand what's going on. I'm just hoping he will still recognize me as his daughter, because I can't bear the thought of completely losing him mentally. He usually remembers Allyson is his daughter, but every day says "It's nice to see you! It's been a long time!" and he never remembers her name, even though she's been there two weeks.

Please continue to pray for us. I really feel the prayers helping me. Did someone pray that my kids would be good and that I would stay sane on the long road trip by myself? It worked!