Summer Vacation

It may be that I'm lazy or, perhaps, burnt-out. It may be that I was too busy doing nothing to pull out my camera, or that I was enjoying life too much to document it.

Whatever the case, I took only a handful of snapshots to show we spent five days with our Owen family on the Island.   Dude, Mom O. and Sarah hosted a family barbeque with Dave, April, Anna, and Alex, investing hours of preparation-- cooking, baking, grilling, cleaning-- only so we could gobble the food and muss up the house.  They treated the older four and I with a trip to the water park, where we screeched and zoomed and zipped through tubes and tunnels until we didn't know which way was up, and we didn't care.  They cheerfully ushered us into the small pool in their immaculate backyard and brought a crateful of balls, bats, and frisbees from the basement, knowing full well that we'd fill the pool with grass, despite our best efforts, and spread the yard with toys.  Mom O. sent us home with bags brimful of gifts, Dude sent us home with flowers to transplant from his gorgeous beds, and Sarah sent us home with the Best Cookie Bars My Belly Has Known in Quite Some Time (oh!  those cookie bars!). 

We love these gracious, giving folks, and we had a wonderful time.

Snapshots, ho!

#1.  Mom O. has the patience that I lack and also the bravery to spread thousands of beads on a table for little hands to sift through and string.



 

#2.  Toys from the basement!

 

#3.  Zeke drinks from a princess cup!  (The first time of many in his future, I'm sure.)

 

#4.  Oh!  Here's the real reason behind the baffling lack of snapshots.

Sarah now has her own fancy camera, and she actually uses it!  I plan to ride along on her coat-tails and swipe all her pictures at a later date.

I did take a few pictures at the beach, but only because Sarah wasn't there to shoulder my workload.  The morning was gray, the water was frigid, and the girls still had loads of fun.  John and I mostly sat and read, but right before we packed up to leave, he told us to line up so we could have a family footrace on the beach.  I sprinted for about 30 seconds before huffing to a halt, John stopped to help Lu, who had tumbled to the ground, and the others shot off like rockets until they were specks.  Then, the skies opened their vaults, and rain began to pour.  It was the most exhilarating end to a beach day we've ever had. 

Without further ado, here's a pile of dull beach pictures of dazzling beach girls.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To top it off, I snatched a picture of Us in the wind, too.  I took one of us smiling, but I accidentally framed out all of my face except my nose (because it's large), half my mouth (that, too), and part of one eye.  I need stretchier arms, but until I grow some, this'll do.