Beach Fun

We were able to go down to the beach over Memorial Day weekend for the Junior High Beach Retreat with our church group. We've been blessed with the opportunity to attend this Beach Retreat for the past several years. It is such a fun trip and this year we had an absolute blast! I was able to truly relax and enjoy our time together. The kids are at a great age with the pool and the ocean. I feel like I was able to loosen the reigns on the kids a little. They all know their limits and they don't push them (which is a good thing for me). Abby Kate and Joshua felt pretty secure with their ring floats and Jackson didn't go any further than the first step. A trip to the beach is a perfect way to relax after a full school year! We are excited to be out for the summer and are looking forward to many fun days at the pool!

While at the beach, we took an afternoon off to head over to the movie theater. We all saw Kung Fu Panda 2 and really enjoyed it. We don't go to the "real" theater that often, so this was a special treat for us. We also took a couple of nights and headed out to our favorite restaurant - De Soto's. We've been visiting De Soto's for the past 12 or 13 years! I guess that if you eat 2 of your 4 dinners out at one restaurant, you are a pretty devoted customer.

Jackson's trip to the pool was not complete until he had put on his sunglasses.

Abby Kate can't wait to get in the ocean.

Joshua loved the ocean and enjoyed jumping over the huge waves!

Jackson loved going out in the ocean with Jason, but when he was giving the other 2 a chance to go out, he sat at the water's edge and played in the water. 

Jackson's hang out for the weekend

Abby Kate loves the water!

Silly Joshua

my 3 little cuties

Dinner at De Soto's

Jason and Abby Kate

My handsome little guy

We were able to go crab hunting our last night at the beach! Jackson was so excited and wanted nothing more than to catch a crab. The girls with us took Jackson with them and made it extra special for him. He was really disappointed that he didn't find a crab. After getting back he told Jason how sad he was and it just about broke Jason's heart. So he did what any good dad would do, he took his little boy back out to try and find a crab. The crabs were not wanting to come out, so they turned their little excursion into a seashell hunt. Such a sweet moment between a little boy and his daddy!

Abby Kate sporting her crab hunting hat! The flash was quite bright at nighttime, so Abby Kate is doing her best to smile for the camera with her eyes open.