Friday, May 30, 2008

I need a vacation...

Nevermind, I just had one! Our family went to Gulf Shores with our close friends this past week, and we had a ball. John Mark's parents came on Memorial Day to hang out with us, and it was - as always - a joy to see them with Jack. I can't tell you how much Jack loved the beach. As soon as he saw the water, he ran to stick his feet in it. I thought for sure the first time he tumbled in a wave (which isn't hard to do when you're 3 feet tall, even when you're standing at the very edge of the water), he'd never want to go near it again, but it didn't deter him in the least.

Lessons I learned about vacationing with a child:

~The 30 minute rule was made for a reason. If your child eats a half pound of strawberries for breakfast, then immediately jumps in the pool, chances are those strawberries will come right back out. Luckily, he was on the "boat" (a big raft), and I saw the expression on his face before the strawberries made an appearance, so Daddy was able to push the raft to the edge of the pool before the red goo spread throughout the water.

~Sunscreen actually works!

~Feeding your kid junk food on vacation is great until they expect it all the time at home. Jack now looks at his sippy cup and is like "whaa? Where's my shiny silver bag filled with bright blue koolaid and skinny yellow straw to suck it down?" And "Cheerios in a cup aren't a snack, Mom. Snacks come in cute individual bags and are filled with lots of sugar and salt." OK, it wasn't that bad. Like I said, he ate a lot of strawberries.

Anyway, the trip was great. It was sad for me in some ways...although it was very therapeutic to be in the sun and to be away from our home for a bit, I could definitely sense the absense of Bernadette. I often imagined what it would've been like to have her there with us. In my arms while we lay under the umbrella. Her feet in the sand, while her brother builds sandcastles beside her. It's hard to believe she'd be nearing toddlerhood at this point. This was the first vacation we've had since her death, and I imagine that every vacation will be a little bittersweet for me.

Anyway, hope you enjoy the video John Mark made. I apologize for the poor video quality on youtube.
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2 comments:

Mandy said...

Awwwwwe!!! That video of your vacation was so nice. It looks like everyone had so much fun. I love Gulf Shores!!!!

I'm glad that Jack had a great time on the beach. We are hoping to take Sadie Bug and Lulee soon. Last summer Lulee was scared of the water, I'm hoping that this year she will be less scared.

May 30, 2008 at 7:06 AM
Jennifer said...

I'm glad that you guys had such a great time!
Mark and I had our first exposure to a 2 year old over Memorial Day weekend. Mark's best man came down with his 2 year old son (and they're expecting their second). It was the coolest thing to see things through Eddie. I've also learned (on a small scale) how to deal with the crankies. :-)
I will most definitely take your advice to heart. We'll be heading to Gulf Shores with the same Family in July. It sounds like rules to live by.
Hope all of you guys are doing well!

Jen

June 3, 2008 at 10:20 AM

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