Our three at the sea

At last, the long-promised photos of Stinson Beach.  Sorry it has taken so long, but things have a tendency to get a bit crazy around here lately.  I don't imagine that will be changing anytime soon, so I won't try and promise to be better or anything like that.  (Though I will hopefully be better...)

We had a magical time at the beach house that Nan and Grandpa had rented.  Though the weather didn't bring the warm, sunny, swimsuit-worthy temperatures we'd been imagining, we still managed to enjoy every last second on the beach.  (And in that house!)

Now, we knew that no weather could deter Kathleen.  (Remember this?  The beach clearly is her natural habitat.)   We were right: bundled up in her sweatshirt, she couldn't have cared less about the windy cold.  She was too busy dragging around drift wood, collecting treasures, investigating the seaweed, chasing the seagulls, digging in the sand, and splashing in the water.

Maddie Beth, on the other hand, is our little snuggler.  She's the one who complains that it's cold when it's 80 degrees outside (and she's sitting in the sun).  We were afraid that she'd be too cold for fun.

We were wrong!  She happily played in the sand with her sister and ran on the beach with her cousin, but the thing she loved -- really, really loved -- was standing at the water's edge and waiting for the waves to wash over her feet.  She'd grab my hand and pull me down toward the water, pleading, "Mama, let the water touch my toes!"

This was John David's first real trip to the beach.  We weren't sure exactly what he'd think of it.  But it seems that loving the sand and the sea is in our genes.  Indy took to it in an instant.   He happily worked away with a shovel, but he was just as happy (maybe happier, even) without one...  (I mean, he's a boy!  It's messy!  Sign him up!)

I think Indy speaks for all our littles when he yells, "Mom and Dad, bring us back here!  SOON!"

Since Jim and I left Germany (five years ago this summer -- how did that happen?), we've wanted to return to Europe to live.  We loved our time there, traveling, absorbing history and culture, eating, drinking, and shopping.  (Okay, I was the only one who cared about the shopping.)  But when we think about it (and if we have a choice), we have to admit that our longings for Europe might be waning.  Hawaii might be a better destination for these three!  How could we keep them from such fun?