Busy at the Beach

Whew! The kids have been so busy since our arrival in Washington. We went to my parents' beach house in Long Beach, Washington. While there, I don't think Dylan stopped moving for more than one nap all weekend (an hour on Saturday) and at night to sleep, at which time he snored loudly to help me not miss Ryan so much! Just kidding. Here are the activities that Dylan did at the beach: fishing in the canal with Granpa and Uncle Kai, taking the paddle boat out, flying kites on the beach, swimming in the ocean, flying model airplanes, playing croquet, playing baseball, building a campfire in the backyard, making smores, letting off our own fireworks, and playing with anyone around! Emma took part some of those too, but was also busy playing dollies with her younger cousin Kaili. They are pooped! They had so much fun! Dylan will remember these times forever. The time he spends with Grandpa and his Uncle Kai are so precious to him. He LOVES these times!

The Washington coastline is such a beautiful place. The mix of Evergreen trees with the ocean really is unparallel to any other kind of beauty. The weather is much cooler at the beachhouse, ranging from 60 to 70 degrees when we were there. So comfortable and refreshing! A simple life, no internet, limited cell phone service, and no crazy hustle-bustle. Fireworks going off on the beach for as far as the eye can see. It is so good to be reminded of how easy and simple life can and should be. It was a wonderful Fourth of July and a wonderful weekend with our family.

A different kind of peace

So, the peaceful feeling that I was experiencing last night, changed a little around 3:30 am. Emma called out for me. She was sharing a bed with Dylan. So of course, she woke up Dylan. I had them both come lay in my bed with me, because I was in a queen sized bed and they were in a double. I had them both, each one snuggled up on one side of me. Ahh~a different kind of peace. The kind of peace knowing that only a mom can make it all better in the middle of the night. The kind of peace that both kids could not have possibly snuggled any closer to me. So wonderful! Well, for a while. At 5:12 am when they were both still awake snuggling and whispering next to me, that peaceful, easy feeling was, well...gone. I had to do a little threatening. They did fall back asleep and when we woke up at 7:12 my original sense of peace had been restored.
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On a side note, a funny from our plane ride up here yesterday. The plane was a smaller one, with two seats on either side of the aisle. Emma and I on one side, Dylan in the aisle seat across from me. In the seat next to him, he had a 79 year old lady who had never flown before. She was scared to fly. She was very sweet to Dylan though, and he is an expert flier these days. Anyway, I took out our bag of snacks. I always take cold pizza cut up into small cubes for lunch/dinner on the plane. My kids LOVE it! And it isn't messy when it is cold. I also had packed some grapes. This nice lady saw my bag with the green grapes and said, " I'll take some grapes too please." So of course, I obliged. A little blown away, but I didn't know what else to say but, "okay." Kind of funny!

Peace

I just need a little peace sometimes. I am sure you can all relate. I have not blogged in three weeks. I have not cleaned my house during those same three weeks--gasp! I. AM. TIRED. Tired all the time. Seriously tired. However, today I was able to just enjoy an overwhelming sense of peace. I didn't have to look at the dirty mirror or window I've been meaning to clean. I didn't have to think about what I would be making (or ordering) for dinner. Imagine that. So dreamy. Yes, my friends, I am on vacation. I. LOVE. VACATION. Tropical? No. Cruise? No. Island getaway? No. Theme park related? No. My favorite vacation spot in the world~my parents' house. The kids LOVE it! I relax. Grandpa and Grandma play with them the whole time. This is better than Disneyland for them! Love it. My mom plans out every meal. Love it. As long as I have this I will never need a tropical vacation of any type. The only thing missing? My husband. Work calls. He loves his job. We are thankful he has a job. But alas, we miss him so.

Praying tonight for my friend whose brother has had cancer return to his body. Praying that God can help to provide peace, strength, courage, and hope for him and his family. Praying for my friend. She has been through so much in her life. Praying for her strength and hope too.

Lastly, thankful for my family. My husband and kids, my ADORABLE little niece Kaili :-), my sister, parents, extended family, in-laws, and friends who are family. We are SO blessed by those that are in our lives. We are so fortunate to have support all around us. We have FABULOUS friends and EXTRAORDINARY family. We love you all!