Monday, July 5, 2010

life on the beach

Our family recently spent a few days on the Oregon coast for our family reunion. As always, we had a great time.

Kyle could not get his fill of beach time. He spent hours building in the sand, digging, and finding treasures.

Jeff and the boys got their kites going!
At one point Benjamin's kite got away from him. I have no idea how, but before I knew it, he took off down the sand, running as hard as he could. I held Jeff's kite, and he took off running after Ben. They ran and ran...I'd guess maybe 50 or 75 yards. I watched them with my heart in my throat, unable to tear my eyes away.

When I saw Ben lurch forward and land on his stomach, my heart sank. There was no doubt that he had lost his kite. Certainly his heart would be broken. Jeff caught up with our fleet-footed son as he began to rise, and he helped Ben as he slowly stood up. I fully expected to see him come back down the beach in tears.

Suddenly, though, I noticed something. The kite was not drifting away! To my amazement, I felt my eyes fill with tears. I was so glad for him, when I had been completely certain that his beloved snake kite was gone forever. After Ben and his dad trudged back, they told me that Benjamin jumped and landed on the kite handle. It seems like quite the gamble to me, but the boy reclaimed his kite.

Still, it was a while before my eyes were dry again. All over a boy and his kite. Motherhood is turning me into a sap.


My kids are such beach bums.

Look at my buried treasure!

Elise and her daddy got in some good father-daughter bonding time. She caught many a nap while being worn by him during our time away.

But the real reason we made this trip was to celebrate family. Here are Jeff's paternal grandma and grandpa. They have been grandparents to me also, and we cherish them. They've been an amazing example of faith and commitment, and they will leave a powerful legacy. Here is a photo of Bob and Yvonne with just some of their great-grandchildren.

All in all, a wonderful trip. But even wonderful trips can tucker a fella out!







5 comments:

Trish said...

We love seeing pictures of the kids! :)

Kristin said...

Looks like such a wonderful time. My kids love the beach, too. I an odd person in that I actually don't like it and hate the feel of sand on my body! BUT since we live so close (40 minutes), we make sure to visit several times a year. Jealous of the coat-wearing in those pictures. :-)

Sarah, Nathen, Aiden, and Evan said...

Looks like a great time, I absolutely loved the kite story, I can totally see myself tearing up over something like that too, so you are not a sap, just a mommy:)

Brigetta said...

It was a fun weekend, great pics of your beach bums. I think Owen gets the grand prize in that category :) We are still trying to recover in the sleep department!

Mama said...

What great pictures and great memories! So glad Ben didn't lose his kite and glad you all had a wonderful time. Thanks for sharing!