In Case You Forgot

For those of you who may have forgotten what we look like because of either distance or just too much going on, here's recent picture of all four of us together.  It's a rare thing for ALL of us to be in a photo at the same time, so we're going to overlook the fact that Austin has road rash* on his nose, that Brenna's gum is almost hanging out of her mouth, that I'm getting a chicken neck, and that Brent's sunglasses are on his head.  But, hey, we're all smiling, so it's a keeper.

*Road Rash - Austin took a dive getting off his Lightning McQueen scooter the weekend before we took this picture.  The nose was all that was injured... well, that and his pride.

Perpetual Summer

It looks like Fall is not going to grace us with its presence any time soon, so I'm going to blog like we just went to the beach yesterday... because we could have it's so hot here!  I know I live in Texas, but really can't I get a break from the heat just for I don't know 6 months or so?  Is that too much to ask?  Anyway... on with the post.

The week before school started Wendy, my neighbor, partner in crime, photographer extraordinaire and just a fun person to hang with, and I took the kids to Stuart Beach on Galveston Island.  Yes, lived 45 minutes from the beach for an ENTIRE YEAR before taking in the sand, the sea, the waves, the gulls, and all the fun the beach has to offer.  I really have to get out more.

 Brenna and Jordan hit the waves right away and struck a pose for posterity.

Like all girly girls, they managed to turn a day at the beach into a day at the spa.  They covered every inch of themselves in sand whether it was dry or wet. But even a day of beauty has its price... the prep work for the mud bath is grueling at times.  You have to find the right kind of sand, dig it up and haul it back to the spa area.  Next year I'm sure they'll request a Cabana boy to do all the heavy lifting.  Come to think of it, I want a Cabana boy to bring me drinks and carry all the stuff back and forth to the car.  In the end it was all worth it, their skin was as smooth as silk.

Not to be outdone by the girls and their spa day, Brady invented a game that rivals the latest and greatest Wii games on the market.  The mission - conquer all waves that come your way.  The tools - only your arms and legs.  And let me tell you folks, this kid is tenacious and a master at wave wrangling.  The first level of the game was pretty tame - just waves to jump.  On the second level he had to watch out for seaweed which could take away all your jumping powers.  The third level brought giant logs that could knock you down under the waves into a murky under the sea world of spiky fish and crabs with pinching claws. I'm pretty sure he reached level 4 and had about a bazillion lives banked before we dragged him out of the ocean to head home for the day.

Preparing to leap

Wave prepare to meet your maker

I'm really not sure I'm into this whole wave whacking thing

Sometimes you smile for the camera

Sometimes you don't

All in all it was a great day at the beach.  At the beginning of the day, I was all I should live at the beach.  I was born to just sit by the ocean, bask in the sunlight and be lulled by the sound of the waves.  When we had to pack everything up and haul it back to the car and deal with the vast amounts of sand attached to our feet, my idealistic thoughts were dashed.  So for now, I'll leave the beach to the sea gulls and just visit from time to time.