Friday afternoon

Well, I am sitting here procrastinating when I should be packing. I meant to post a little every day, but time has flown by.

We have had a great week. We spent lots of time at the beach building with our toys, catching critters (a big jellyfish and a tiny sand flea), gathering shells, throwing sand, and eating our snacks in the shade. We met nice kids and saw lots of people with bad beach etiquette (don't pitch your tent 6" from ours and don't dig a two-foot trench in front of our tent!!!). Leo had a great time sometimes and was totally worn out at others. Thank goodness for four grown-ups - we did a lot of tag-teaming (thank goodness for walkie-talkies) with Leo at the beach and pool and all of Henry's naps and feedings. We have learned that spray-on sunscreen is a godsend for busy, excited little boys. Leo got to see dolphins jumping right by the beach this morning - they were beautiful.

Let's see...our week in a nutshell...
Tuesday - Brooksie and Papa pretty much took over with the boys, and Todd and I sat on the beach and visited all day. I think we talked more that day than we have in a year, and it was nice. That night, we went out for seafood and ice cream by ourselves - a date night.

Wednesday - Todd and I went for a nice run in the early morning. Brooksie and Papa went to meet a friend (Sally, mama's friend since high school), and Todd and I took the boys to the beach. We didn't make it until 2:20, and it was quite an adventure trying to get the tent up in the wind while I held Henry. Later, Daddy took Henry back up for a nap, and Leo and I built castles, created and smashed molds, and Leo met some friends at the pool.

Thursday - Mommy and Brooksie did the outlet mall! We all went out to dinner - we tried two seafood restaurants (ummm, no, we can't wait for an hour for a table), so we gave up and went to Ruby Tuesday. Mommy and Daddy went for a walk on the beach when we got back.

Friday - Leo is worn out, but we've had a pretty good day. He was on the beach at 6am with Brooksie and Papa (saw the dolphins), and then we went back around lunchtime. He wanted to play with a little boy in the tent next to us, so he went and asked him twice if he would like to share Leo's toys and play in the sand - and the little loser said he just wanted to watch! I wanted to smack that little boy. He has had a long nap, and we're all getting ready to pack. Todd and I will probably have one more walk on the beach tonight.

I'll post pictures when I get home.

Day Two: Mondayft

We have had a lovely day on the beach. We were on the beach before 9am, and Leo loved playing with all his sand toys. I went a little overboard with a CVS gift card that I had, and we have TONS of beach toys. It was like Christmas morning today when he opened all of them. Henry came down to the beach for a few minutes, but then he was ready for a nap, so his time on the sand was very brief. Leo wants to be at the beach or in the pool every chance he gets, so he was only in the room for meals and a quick nap. Todd's getting him ready for bed right now, and I bet he will sleep very soundly.

The bites on his legs are looking much better - he had two more nasty ones pop up after we had started the medicine. I read in the paper that Dallas has 3 different types of mosquitoes buzzing around this year since all the rain, and I'm wondering if he has some sort of allergy to one of those types. But, anyway, the medicine is keeping them from getting so big, and he isn't gagging anymore when he takes it, so life is good.

There are lots of people here, and Leo likes meeting other kids and watching older kids play and roughhouse. He played with a little girl this morning, and we'll see who else appears throughout the week.

Leo is enjoying going to the beach and pool with Brooksie and Papa, and it's so nice to have grandparents here so we can tag-team on staying with the two boys. Todd and I were able to go for a walk by ourselves on the beach tonight, and that was really pleasant. Although it is hot in the afternoons, overall the weather is very pleasant.

We made it!

We've made it to the beach! We got here at about 4:30 today, and we went straight to the beach. Leo is loving the beach and also the pool at the condo. The highlight of the trip for mommy and daddy so far was a wonderful AYCE Sushi place for lunch in Hattiesburg MS (jawdrop!) - chefs were making about 15 different varieties of delicious sushi, and it was $8.50 per person. We ate a ton and felt like we were stealing.

The signal is very weak here, so Internet usage is kind of a pain. Will update when we can.