Dela-where?

This post is a 'lil late in coming.  That's partly because the Handsome Coastie has been using up a bunch of vacation days lately and we've been busy having lots of fun as a family... and also taking care of a doctor's appointments, one eye doctor visit, three cardiologist appointments, two trips to the dentist, and anything else I've been able to squeeze in while I've got an extra hand to help with the kids!

It's also a bit delayed because when I sat down to start blogging yesterday, I got inevitably sidetracked.  Which meant my computer was still sitting (closed) at the table when it was time for dinner yesterday.  And since we can rarely get through a meal without someone spilling their drink ... well, you guessed it.  So the Macbook ended up with a teeny, tiny bit of milk in the back vent.  And of course, it wouldn't start up again.  Even after sitting upright all night.

 So this morning the kids and I prayed, I took the back off of it and gently cleaned it off with alcohol, and an hour later it was up and running again!  I mention this story here just in case you're keeping track of the number of laptop/cell phone "incidents" I've had just since starting this blog.  I've lost track myself, but it seems that I incur a technological catastrophe approximately every six months.  So I guess I should be good until the winter now!

An airplane flew overhead!

Anyhoo, moving on.  Vacation was a week earlier than usual this year.  We were expecting a large group at the beach house which meant renting the biggest house we could find.  And between everyone's schedules and the house availability, we landed on the last week of June.  We were a little apprehensive about weather this early in the season, but we ended up having the perfect week!

And not only was the air temperature lovely, but the water was surprisingly "not too cold" as well!  It was a bit overcast the day we arrived and the day before we left, but I don't complain about a little break from the sun here and there.  Especially since I kinda forgot to put lotion on my back on our very first day.  Something about trying to get four kids in swimsuits and lathered up, and all our people and stuff out to the beach--naturally, something is going to slip my mind!

 Speaking of kids and the beach, they all did really well this year.  We were at a sweet spot in life where Joci will still take a nap anywhere (and by anywhere, I mean anywhere she's being held) and Julia can usually go without a nap.  Then again, vacation life takes it's toll on everyone so Lia actually was more than happy to fall asleep on Poppa a few different days.

The ONE and ONLY nap she took that someone wasn't holding her ... it lasted 20 minutes.

And the boys do pretty well at entertaining themselves and playing together.  Thankfully there's also lots of grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends around to entertain them.

Photo credit: Uncle Micah

Jude quickly attached himself to Aunt Kylee's mom--Miss Lynel.  They would play games together down by the water every day.  And if Miss Lynel wasn't around, then Jude would ask, "Hey!  Where's that girl that runs in the waves with me?"

Miss Lynel made us a Mexican meal for dinner one night. In addition to watching "Nacho Libre" there was a contest for who could make the best sombrero out of Play-Doh.

Both boys were braver than ever this year, going way out into the water with Daddy.

Lia, on the other hand, didn't even want to go near the waves.  Which meant lots of trips back to the beach house whenever she had to go potty.  Or thought she had to go potty.  Or thought she'd like to pretend to go potty.  Or whatever it is that goes through 2.5 year olds' heads 10 times a day.

And then there was Joci.  Please, next time I get to wondering, in that wistful voice, if we should have had "one more," just remind me of this week at the beach with my 11 month old.  You know, the one that never let me put her down.  The one that screamed and cried and threw herself on the floor if I left the room.  The one that was up two and three times in the night, and then up for good when the sun started peaking through the blinds.  The one that refused to sit in the shade at the beach unless I was right there with her (the shade is not where I like to spend my beach vacations, mind you).

A little bubbles play!

Thankfully, Marmie and Poppa stepped in a few times and between their willingness to take long walks around South Bethany and the miracle of the Ergo, I was able to get a small break most mornings and a little suntan to go with it.  Jon just kept reminding me that by next year's vacation things will look very different.  No preggo bellies and no babies, it is certainly something to look forward to!

While the kids did great at the beach every day, our evenings were a different story.  I realize it's a long day and that the sun can really zap you.  So naturally our brood was a bit more sensitive than usual.  And most nights we had them in bed by 7 or 7:30.  Which is incredibly early at the beach!  But we didn't want to spend our evenings trapped in the beach house EVERY night.  So we did venture out twice.  Both times one or two of our kids had terrible meltdowns.  Enough to make me question if it's really worth it.  But since we only have pictures of smiles from those evenings, and kids have such short memories, I think it's safe to say we look back on the entire week with fondness.

As is our yearly tradition, we had our family photos taken on the lifeguard chairs after dinner.  It was a little earlier in the day than usual, which is why the sun is so strong.  And why we're all squinting and "smiling like Joci."  But you can't stop a tradition!

And as is also becoming a tradition, our kids took several turns jumping off the lifeguard chair.  They don't even ask us to catch them any more.

And that's a wrap!  We love you South Bethany Beach.  We're incredibly thankful we got to visit you this year.  And we're pretty excited that we're able to have you on the agenda for the next year or so, depending on the Coast Guard's mood.

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One thing my extended family has done after vacations and holidays is to all share our "favorite thing."  So as part of the kids' thank-yous to Marmie and Poppa they each drew their favorite part of vacation.  They were too cute not to capture and share here.

And just in case you're curious, Jon's favorite part was having quiet time each morning (special thanks to Joci for getting us both up at least an hour before the rest of the house!)  He read an entire book at the beach this year!  And my favorite memory was playing Quelf.  I highly recommend it.  Hearing my husband yodel (while simultaneously holding a finger up his nose) was one of the highlights of the entire vacation!

Father-y Festivities

Reading: Last week I finished up the second Maisie Dobbs book Birds of a Feather.  This wasn't the year of reading at the beach and I needed a book that I could finish fast and easily put down whenever Joci needed me, so I nabbed Rocky Mountain Oasis by Lynnette Bonner for free for the Kindle.  I've come across a lot of bad free Kindle books but this one was a pleasant surprise.  Finally, I'm working through Exploring the Gospel by Mike Fabarez.  It's required reading/working for our MOPS Steering Team this summer but it's been good for me to get back to the basics of being right with God.  Just some short and simple truth.
Watching: Does the final 30 minutes of the US v. Belgium World Cup game count as watching something?  How about a YouTube video on creating clipart in Open Office?
Listening to:  Rend Collective Art of Celebration - I really love this band!  And the kids like it, too.  They also like to dance around the house to it while I'm making dinner.  Jack's favorite song is "My Lighthouse."  When he's watching the video he tends to yell "goldfish" every time he sees one on the screen.
Can't get off my mind: Arrows and feathers.  I've spent the last few days creating graphics and working on the newsletter template for MOPS this fall.  With the theme of "Be you, bravely" I'm practically dreaming of arrows and feathers and coral color schemes in my sleep.  So you know it's gonna be good.
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As usual, my birthday kinda overshadowed Father's Day.  They were even a week apart this year.  But between my big surprise, Marmie and Poppa's visit, Julia's week at Grandy Camp and our just-returned-from beach vacation, we have some catching up to do.

We attempted fishing at Kinder Farm Park.

So as if watching all four kids the night before wasn't enough, the grandparents took the three oldest to the local beach the morning after our night at the club. Meanwhile, Jon and I enjoyed a quiet morning at home with the family darling, nursing a couple cups of coffee in an effort to shake off what ended up being a very short evening.

I think the pond scum may have inhibited our efforts.

We took advantage of being down three-quarters of our offspring and did some shopping for family birthday gifts and our upcoming vacation.  And then we cleaned up around the house and I got to spend some long, leisurely hours making dinner in the kitchen.

The following day was Father's Day, which we celebrated with my parents and Jared and Kylee after church.  I know I'm his only daughter, but I'm pretty sure I'm his favorite daughter after this Father's Day.  After searching high and low for the elusive "Shenk Special" fly fishing fly that my dad used to buy from a supply store that went out of business several years ago and that he hasn't been able to find since ... I came across just what I was looking for.

Yeah, that's a dirty, stinky flip-flop she's chewing on...

And in case you, too, have a father that enjoys fly fishing, I highly recommend www.murraysflyshop.com for all your fancy fly needs.

Pretending to solve a mystery in the backyard.

Learning to follow directions!

Hey, speaking of flies ... my kids got their daddy a fly swatter for Father's Day (don't worry, we got him a framed picture and new deck shoes too!).  It sounds strange, but he really wanted one and I have not been able to find one anywhere!  Until our trip to the dollar store the other week.  Not just one, but TWO fly swatters for a dollar!!  We've had a great time killing flies ever since.

There was a time, many, many, many years ago, when a family friend asked me what I was looking for in a husband (I'm guessing I was around 8 or 9 years old).  So I told her I wanted to marry a guy just like my dad.  Ha.  For those of you who know both my husband and my dad, you'll acknowledge they aren't even remotely similar.  Which is good, since I am the one very much like my dad.  But if there's one thing these too do have in common (other than the hobby of fly fishing that my husband took up for 2 weeks in the summer of 2005 when he was trying to woo me), it's their love for their kids.

Not every guy can take on the "blessing" that is four kids in five years.  And certainly not many can do it with such joy.  Yes, Jon and I can whine and gripe about our dirty house and our lack of date nights.  But we laugh a lot, too.  Because life with four kids can be downright hilarious.  So I'm incredibly grateful for this man who can not only tolerate the noise, filth, energy, and expense of our fantastic four, but just enjoy being a daddy, too.

I realized the other day that I could spend hours researching activities on Pinterest, and drawing, cutting, planning -- scavenger hunts, detective mysteries, baking projects... but if my husband comes into the room and announces that he's going to mow the lawn or workout in the basement, my audience vanishes in an instant.  Nothing I do compares with a few minutes of doing push-ups or pulling weeds next to their daddy.

And I'm thankful for that, too.  For a man that my kids actually like to be around, whether it's jumping jacks, driving through the car wash, or just swatting flies.  Someday I'm not going to be able to use "Go find daddy" as an excuse to get some quiet time for myself.  But I hope they always look up to their dad like they do now... and are still excited about mowing the lawn 10 years from now.