Inhale

I've been absent from writing, but following all those who've continued to write, post, and update.  January and February were months of constant recycling of colds, viruses, and yuck.   Addy was the lone ranger unscathed by the runny noses, coughs, fevers, and laryngitis.  Then, Andy's travel schedule, my work, and the happenings of having 3 active kids left me very little time to write.  Plus, the only pictures I could take were of runny noses, chapped cheeks, and droopy eyes and who wants to see those:(

 This past week, we flew to Florida to spend time with my snowbird parents and grandparents.  It was Sarah's first trip there and we spent our first day at the park and rode the mini-train that is a yearly tradition.

That evening, we brought a picnic to the beach as we watched the sun say good night.

With Sarah's zeal for sucking every possible moment out of every adventure, she ran straight into the ocean without checking the temperature!  Her expression was priceless as she acclimated herself to the cool temperatures.

 She loved digging in the sand, playing side by side with her brother and sister, and sitting with her family as she took a rest.  What a wonderful moment to watch her wide-eyed soak up every nuance, sound, smell, and sight the beach night opened up for her moment.

And I inhaled deeply as I watched my family enjoy their time together, walking in the sand.  Just being.  The reason I love our Florida time, our Carolina time together.  Just being together.

It's like she's saying, "Hello Sand, can we play together?"

Then, it was time to say good night to the sun, pack up the van, and rest for another adventure in the morning.

Children have neither past nor future; they enjoy the present, which very few of us do.

Jean de la Bruyere