Panama City Beach

Enough of the gloomy stuff...let's talk about something fun. Our trip to Panama City Beach...I'm happy to report...was a complete success! At first I was nervous (a constant character trait of mine) at the responsibility of taking care of four littles on a sandy beach. I mean....waves grabbing children and taking them out to sea, the sun wreaking havoc on their fair skin....grains of sand getting stuck in eyes...my mind definitely was prepared for the worst. Despite these fears that were nagging in the back of my brain...I continued telling myself "it's worth it...you'll have fun....good memories are to be made."

And good memories are indeed what we came away with. First of all...the weather was lovely. It was pretty hot...but that just made the water refreshing.

Last year at the beach, Brady was terrified of the ocean and said that the noise bothered his ears (the waves crashing.) This year he was a little nervous, but we just gradually worked with him and took him in slowly...then he would start standing next to us holding our hands...then not holding our hands - before we knew it he was swimming back and forth by himself. By the second day...Zac said (I was with my grandparents on the second day so didn't see for myself) that brady would go into the ocean by himself with Zac still sitting on shore. Success.

Aren't they such a cute group of people....ahhh...the fruit of my womb (except Zac, Mama C gets all the glory in that department.)

The warm sand in our toes is so very therapeutic...no wonder they make foot scrubs and such. God is indeed the master of creativity and design.

Part of the time little Finnster had to sit in his car seat with mama's wrap over him to block the sun. Let's just say that he "slept like a baby" that night from such and overdose of vitamin d. He didn't get sunburned at all...I'm a little hypersensitive about "too much sun" ever since my little basal cell episode a couple years ago. No new skin cancers for now, if you please....

His first time at the ocean....he was pretty mesmerized by the water.

And little Trinity, my surfer girl. She didn't actually "surf" but she looks like she could have! I loved the way her blond curls would get tousled and blown by the breeze...

The next morning we went for a walk on the shore to collect shells. A friend of ours gave Trin this little dress from Ecuador...it had the perfect two little front pockets for storing her treasures in.

Tristan loved the ocean so much the day before that when we went for our walk we had to strap him on Zac's back so that he wouldn't run into the water and get his clothes all wet.

Psalm 8:1-8

O Lord, our Lord, your majestic name fills the earth!
Your glory is higher than the heavens.
2You have taught children and infants
to tell of your strength,b
silencing your enemies
and all who oppose you.
3When I look at the night sky and see the work of your fingers—
the moon and the stars you set in place—
4what are mere mortals that you should think about them,
human beings that you should care for them?c
5Yet you made them only a little lower than Godd
and crowned theme with glory and honor.
6You gave them charge of everything you made,
putting all things under their authority—
7the flocks and the herds
and all the wild animals,
8the birds in the sky, the fish in the sea,
and everything that swims the ocean currents.

Our tristan and his love for dirt...he was in heaven in the world's largest sandbox.