Note- two very clean and dry aunts enjoying a day at the beach.
Now note the child below and her enjoyment all morning- all morning being a figurative statement for the length of time a one year old can focus on any given activity. I will inform you that said amount of time in sufficient to leave one wet, sandy and in need of some attention.
This is what she did- pick up sand, try to throw a few grains, pick up more sand, sit down and rest, then stand up, pick up more sand, etc.
Now, when the moment came that this was no longer entertaining and she was ready to be dry and have a hug and a snack, she proceeded to the nearest known adult. Recall the first picture of the dry and clean aunt. Please do not judge the next picture- the only reason it was captured is because it was truly a moral quandry- well, maybe that's a little intense, but in the 30 seconds that I was reviewing my options, this picture was taken. The thing about a sandy, wet and mildly upset child is that you cannot simply hold them and soil one portion of your attire- their little innocent minds stimulate that little foot to swing back and forth across your abdomen so as to soil your entire front. And those little cherubic hands full of grime see that your hair and neck are without sand and are stimulated to correct that situation- and then once you match their current state, will they lay a head on your shoulder. Thus the cause for the pause.
However, for the love
of a niece and for the love
for a niece, I surrendered my cleanliness and all was made right. Besides, everything washes clean.
My mom is laughing at all of us who were singing and making faces and doing anything we could think of to get all the kids to look in the same direction and smile.
I love this picture of Tanya and Ella- the expression on Tanya's face is priceless.
Note- two very clean and dry aunts enjoying a day at the beach.
Brian- the picture doesn't quite show how much he looked like an island king
Scott and Josh
Liam
The cutest boys
Liam's Christmas quilt. As I was posting this I realized that perhaps this is why children associate visiting family with gifts. We enjoy spending the holidays with our family, which involves gifts, even of the smallest kind. And while we do try to see our family at other times during the year, it seems to be near someone's birthday or close enough to another holiday that gifts are packed in the suitcases. This trip was in the beginning of December 2008, so we brought the gifts with the intention of leaving them with the Johnstons. However, one morning Liam came into our room in the hotel and saw some ribbon sticking out of my suitcase, and then how can I turn down that innocent and sincere plea, "Are these gifts for me?" With parental approval, we had an early Christmas, and it was even a bigger treat to see the reactions.
