So we went to the beach . .. about a month ago. . .

Wow, where does time go? I have been so slack in updating the blog. It just seems that by the time we get to the end of the day, I either have too much left to do or not enough energy (or both!) to think about writing down what we've been up to. But let me catch things up a little, if for no other reason than so I can recall what we did in the fall of '13 in the years to come!

Back in September, we took our annual trip to the beach. Everyone had a good time and while it was far from restful, it was a great time of just enjoying being together as a family. Mom and Dad went with us which was a great help!

While we were there, we got to see my college roommate, Carissa, and her family. It had been over two years since we last got to see each other! Gemma and Lucy had a good time playing together. Lucy will still talk about when she got to play with her friend Gemma at the beach.

Life has definitely changed since we left college eight years ago, huh? 

No matter how many miles are between us though, she is still one of my dearest and best friends. I am so thankful for her!

I told Lucy and Gemma to smile for the camera so I could get a picture of them. . . lovely, huh?

The next day, we took the boys to the pool for their first swimming experience. Dad and I had taken the boys and Lucy for a walk earlier in the day and stopped by and let everyone stick their feet in the pool. Charlie started going crazy - splashing and kicking and doing his best to squirm out of Poppa's hands to get into the water. Lucy was excited all day long . . . until we there. It took her a while to convince herself to get in!

Once Lucy got in though, she had fun and the boys had a blast! They splashed and splashed. It never seemed to bother them to get all that water in their face and they just grinned and giggled the whole time. They were not a fan of being in the float though - too restricting, I guess! They were definitely ready for a nap when we got home!

Cheryl and Ronnie bought a swing to use at the beach so I would take one of the boys out every now and then to walk out on the pier and look at the birds and the fish and then to swing. Charlie would get so excited whenever he would see the swing and would point and reach for it. Of course, he would enjoy it for only a few minutes before he would try and stand up in it. Sigh. . . he is my little daredevil. .  .

We had one kind of overcast, cooler day so we went to the aquarium at Broadway at the Beach. When Lucy was about the boys' age, we had gone to the Ripley's aquarium in Pigeon Forge and had the best time! I assumed that this one would be the same. Sadly, this one was pretty lame. The boys were not as enthusiastic as Lucy had been and it was EXPENSIVE! But we've been, so we know now.

Lucy was excited to see the sea horses. She will tell you that is her favorite sea animal. NO idea why . . . 

We saw lots of sharks. . . .

 Lucy got to touch a horseshoe crab. . .

Lucy said that this was where Jake and the Neverland Pirates kept their treasure.

After the aquarium, we went out to ride on the rides in the Pavilion Nostalgia Park. I remember so many fun times with my family at the Pavilion. . . it was always one of the highlights of our beach trips. I loved seeing all those old rides and I loved the fact that I could share those experiences with my kids as well. Lucy was so excited to ride the Carousel. :)

Lucy also rode the boats. She rode a red boat the second time and said that the bell rang better in that boat. ;)

Lucy rode the Little Pirate Ship as well. On this ride, there were finally some other kids out there to ride too, so I think she enjoyed that.

About this time, the boys were getting really squirmy and fussy. Lucy still had tickets to spend and more rides to ride and I wasn't sure that the boys were going to cooperate. Turns out that they just didn't want to be left out! They were SO excited to be able to ride the little whales!

Then we let the boys ride the carousel. Charlie and Alex rode twin frogs, of course!

Alex was tired after his afternoon of fun.

Lucy, of course, was not!

Alex enjoyed swinging at the beach house as well.

And of course, we also went to the beach while we were there. I will admit, I was a little worried about how the boys would handle this. Would they love it or hate it? Would they try to eat the sand? How in the world would we keep them occupied in one place when there was miles of open space to explore?

Charlie's feet in the ocean for the first time

Alex and the ocean

We brought this little device to try and corral the boys. . . obviously, that was a waste of time!

Alex's first impression of sand was not so great.

Of course, once he got a hold of the big shovel, he was ready to go!

 This picture doesn't accurately portray how much these little boys loved playing in the water. There were several places on the beach where the tide had left little pools of water and one in particular was just large enough and deep enough to be a really good splash pool!

Charlie had a love affair with this sea horse trowel the whole time we were at the beach. Heaven help you if you tried to take it away from him. . . 

Flack family of Five's feet!! 

This picture, I just include because it's a pretty accurate description of dinner time. . . whether we're at home or at the beach. ;)

Grammy and Poppa with their Grandbabies

My sweet family

Like I said, we had a great time and are already looking forward to going back next year. I feel so blessed that we are able to use my Grandparent's condo. It is so much fun to be able to share experiences with my kids that I once had myself at their age. Every time I am there, I am reminded of time spent with family and friends and I am so grateful that the next generation can experience those as well.