This past week we drove to Gulf Shores, Alabama with my dad and our newly expanded family of five. Truth be told, I thought I may have lost my mind even thinking about packing up our family and driving 15 hours to the beach. This was however one of the best weeks we have had as a family. There were so many memories made and I can't describe the smiles that were plastered on the girls' faces when they ran to the beach each day.
There were three big things that stood out the most to me this past week.
1. The love and devotion my husband has for our kids. My heart melted when I watched him build sandcastles, swim in the water and go hunting for crabs on the beach with the girls. I lucked out in the husband department. It is hard to describe the feeling I got from watching them have such a wonderful time all day on the beach. I would just sit and watch them interact feeling ... complete ... mesmerized.
2. "Mom, thank you so much for taking me to the beach. Can we come every weekend?" Carmen is not one to say thank you for things we do together. She does say please and thank you, but gratefulness for the things we do for her hasn't evolved yet. By her saying thank you unprompted, I knew this was truly an unforgettable experience for her. She had this look on her face for days that showed how much she loved the water and the beach.
3. I have an amazing father and I am so happy that my kids love him just as much as I do. Even before we left for GA, the girls loved spending time with my dad. He is amazing and takes them to movies and on little dates. Spending a week with their grandpa was just icing on the cake for them. He swam with them, taught Carmen to ride the waves with her swim board, and snuggled James at every opportunity. I love seeing them build a relationship with someone I have adored since I can remember.
This isn't the best picture of the girls, but you can see how much Lilah adores her sister.
The last day we were there, I caught the girls snuggling in the chair together. This is RARE!
No comments:
Post a Comment