Fun on the Beach

I think I became spoiled on this trip. I am the type of gal that likes to see what she is swimming with. Usually when I go to the beach, I stay in the sand or in the very shallow water. This is the first time I have been to a beach where the water is so clear that even when you can barely stand in the water with your face above the water you can see the fish nibbling at your feet! I don't mind the fish, when I can see them! The water was beautiful and I did not want to leave!

We saw dolphins several times (although I did not get any pictures of course) each day. They were not too far out either. Luckily, there were NO jellyfish on this visit!

Mady could not get enough of the sand or water. She is definitely my water baby! She did not even mind when the waves came up and splashed her and she rather enjoyed when they tried to wash her away! We had to keep a close eye on her. Andrew did great until Thursday night. When we went for our sunset walk on the beach and his older brothers started pointed out all of the hermits crabs and sand crabs, he started getting concerned about them. Especially since he heard Dad when we had been swimming in the ocean earlier, talking about the fish that were nibbling on his feet. We really had to coax him to get in after that! He still had a great time and did lots of playing though.

If we were not at the beach, much of our time was in the pool. Paul and I spent our time catching Andrew and Mady as they jumped off the side of the pool. Neither of them has any fear of the water, which is kinda scary for mom! They were both dunking themselves - completely under water. If we laid them on their back or stomach they would kick their feet like they knew exactly what they were doing. Several times Andrew was on the steps playing and I would turn around to check on other kids. When I turned back around he had tried to get a toy or forgot he couldn't reach the water and had stepped off the step. He was trying to tread water, but was under. Only once was it enough to really scare him, but it did not last for long.

The pool also had a slide that all of the kids enjoyed. Andrew would go down the slide whether there was someone there to catch him or not (and it was too deep for him to stand in).

Bryce is still not a fan of water. Well, he loves the water, just likes to be able to comfortably stand without feeling like he is going to go under. This happens every year. We get him to where he is getting comfortable with the water and then we leave the water and start all over again the next time. He will not even let us hold him and try to teach him.