beach bums

we just returned from a wonderful beach vacation with some of our closest friends. we had a great time and are looking forward to making it a yearly trip. mary adelyn loved the beach, especially the sand, and somewhat tolerated the ocean. she wasn't the biggest fan of the waves, but neither is her momma.

it was definitely interesting trying to set up our spot on the first day. just imagine scenes from any national lampoon vacation. danna thought it would be a good idea for the babies to have a kiddie pool under the tent. chris thought there was no way the pool would make it back to the tent with water. brian volunteered to help out with the quest.



there is some major stra-tea-gery going on in this next picture...



keep in mind, we are all watching this play out from the tent. and wondering how in the world they are going to be able to carry that thing back fifty yards without it breaking.



now comes the true test.



success!



thank you d for your persistence. the kiddie pool is now a must for any beach trip. 3 trips to the ocean without any breakage. pretty impressive. although, my knuckles are still sore from carrying that thing.

here are a few snapshots of our kiddos at the beach...



check out that belly. girlie loves to eat food, but she's not afraid to try a purple walrus every now and then.



carson giving mary adelyn that all important advice--don't eat the sand, yuck!



notice, hand in mouth again. we're thinking maybe next year she'll get it.



mary adelyn sporting her favorite suit.



here's walker, doing what he pretty much did all vacation. eat.



carson and his mom-ee {pronounced in carson language}, lori.



a good time was had by all.



we learned multiple things from our first beach vacation:

1. there's no need to pack any books or magazines--it's just wishful thinking
2. the sand will keep showing up no matter how much you wash and rinse
3. it {sand} bothers us way more than it bothers the kids anyhow
   
4. the kids will never all be on the same schedule, or even have a schedule for that matter
5. it's always a good idea to reinforce the stakes in the tent (yes, we were those people on the beach who let their tent blow over w/ the wind. luckily, byron and mary adelyn were present to hold down the fort...literally)
   
6. we are much older than we used to be
   

and finally, i'll leave you with this--the man-kini.



appropriately named by brian. can you tell byron is married to a fair-skinned nurse?