The Beach, Part II

So, apparently I should just put all the beach pictures on at once or it will never get documented. As you can see from these next few pictures, Eli & Maddie loved the ocean! We had to keep a close eye on them to make sure they didn't get in over their heads. :) Eli loved throwing the foxtail in and then diving in after it to "rescue" it from the waves. Maddie loved "jumping" over the waves and would squeal everytime one hit her.















It was so nice to be able to sit on the beach and watch all the kids having the time of their lives. We just had to keep counting heads to make sure they were all still there. ;-) I must say, as far as kid vacations go, this one was pretty relaxing.




This last picture is of ALL of us making kites. My dad cut out enough Tyvek for everyone in the family to make their own kite and then brought the rods and the tape and we all put them together. The older kids even decorated theirs. And the amazing thing was, when we took them down to the beach, they actually flew!! The kids were so excited and proud of themselves. Eli said flying kites was one of his favorite things about the beach.

Another favorite of Eli's from the beach was crabbing. He got to stay up late with his cousins and go down to the beach in the dark to look for crabs. They took a flashlight, shone it on the beach and, when they saw a crab darting across the sand, one person would go after it with a net and another one would bring over a bucket to put it in. After they caught several, they would dump them out and let them go free. :-)