Florida--Day 4

Woo hoo! We actually got to play in the water on Monday!

I love New Smyrna Beach because the water is warm, the sand is soft and the waves are just right.

Lance was a fish the whole time and kept going out deeper and deeper until just his head was peaking out over the waves. It didn't help that the current on Monday was pretty strong and kept washing him up the beach. My brothers, Amy and I all took turns fetching him when he got too far away.

Even when we were walking back against the current, Lance insisted on swimming.

The water is usually much clearer, but several storms had moved through and the water was full of bits of jelly fish and sand.

This is basically what I did most of the time--took pictures while trying to play. Thanks for the help, Aunt Linda!

Cole just got knocked over by a wave and was not too pleased.

There was a little dip in the beach where the water collected and Jude thought it was a great place to try and "surf".

He plopped himself down on the board and just let the little waves rock him back and forth. It was perfect for him.

Cole never really did decide if he liked the beach or not. Most of the time he was great, but he got tired of the water quickly.

Hanging out with Gi Gi in the shade.

I love that my kids will have memories of my grandma playing with them at the beach.

This is me and Chad in 1983 with Grandma and Grandpa at the beach. I was about Cole's age. 29 years ago. Crazy.

And here's Chad now:

Chad is currently in classes for his Orthodontic program down in Miami but took a couple days off to come play with us. It was so nice to have him there!

Lance was so content in the water that he almost never came out. I feel like I didn't get to see him very much while we were playing because he was always out trying to catch waves.

Lance thought he could surf, too.

Thanks, Amy! She was always coming to his rescue.

Sandy baby. Love it!

These boys are so lucky to have such good Aunts and Uncles around. Stephen was great with Lance and Jude, as was Chad and Jason.

While the little boys napped that afternoon, Lance and I went to the pool with Chad, Amy, Jason, Stephen and Bethany. It was fun to play with Lance without having to worry about keeping an eye on Jude and Cole.

That evening, we had Family Home Evening at Grandma's house. She read to us from her journal about how she and Grandpa met, married and started a family.

I had heard many of the stories but it was neat to be able to paint a picture of their early life together.

Listening... it was pretty late for the kids.

Uncle Tubby and Jake.