Jewelry

Amelia and Meggan handcrafted some jewelry tonight. I haven't verified the cut and clarity of the diamond we bought in the Wal Mart craft section, but I'm sure it is a pretty rare gem.  It's gorgeous and has immense sentimental value to me... but if you love it, I'd be willing to part with it for $20,000 (Meggan and Amelia not included).

As Expected

The transition could have gone much better. Amelia cried for about an hour before bedtime and then said the following prayer...

"Dear Jesus, since my mommy and daddy won't let me sleep in their bed, after we say our prayers, please let one of them drive me back to Grandma and Grandpa's house"

Needless to say, we declined her really enticing offer of letting us drive her 5 hours tonight.

The Return

Amelia stayed at her grandparents when we came home from the beach. So, we've had a quiet few days of having only one kid in the house. There were no fights for attention, no arguments over which show we were going to watch, and no complaining about the dinner menu. That said, the house was also missing the beautiful energy of a 5 year-old. It didn't have any of the wild conversations Amelia's mind takes us to. The sweetness of seeing siblings cuddle on the couch was also gone.  I know after a week of Amelia going to bed whenever she wants and sleeping in a bed with someone, tonight is going to be a battle for the ages. However, when she inevitably sneaks into my room and snuggles up to me at midnight, my home will feel complete once again.

Treasure

You know how they say one man's trash is another man's treasure? Well, apparently, one man's tiny, cracked pieces of sea shells are one little girl's beautiful gifts from the ocean....

Related?

I'm not really sure why, but this Llama we fed at the petting zoo kept reminding us of an all white Sophie... maybe we were just missing her while we were gone on our trip?

Growing Up

It's a year later and we have another beach trip in the books.  I always enjoy looking through our photos to see how the kids have changed.  While Amelia has certainly grown a bit, Everett has transformed from a toddler to a little boy.

Full Day

We fed animals at a petting zoo, rode horses, caught waves on a boogie board, built sand castles, swam in the pool, and had a few family members come visit us....I'd say that is a pretty full day.