Ramblings of a Grandmother: Worship Mom Week End

Another Worship Mom Week end a huge success. It's these kind of things that we don't intend on being traditions that end up being the best ones. This is our fourth year renting the same house. The kids even remember the house and are sad to leave. I feel so blessed, next year same place, same time.

Piper, last year she could barely sit by herself.

We left after a leisurly breakfast and packed up.

After the two hour trip we ended up getting there about lunch time.

This year Natalie's mother came with us too.

Great week end for daughters that are mothers.

So proud of the mother you have become.

The kids all love the bunk bed. This room has been Jen and Shawn's but Jen took a smaller room without Shawn and Charlie and Michele took this room for them and their kids.

We were getting ready for the beach so Thomas and Natalie gave me my gift and the kids helped me open it.+

A WETSUIT FOR THE OCEAN. How did you know?
Amazing since we got the kids each one too.

JACK, he kept those glasses on the whole time we were at the beach

WYATT

ELLA

I needed a little help to get all zipped. Those things are TIGHT.

TA DA

Tom liked the look of it

I'll leave it to your imagination what we were talking about.

Lily's was a little big and Piper didn't even try hers on but that means they'll have them for next year

Charlie carried Ella down the path last year too.

Wonder how many more years he'll be able to do that.

The girls call Natalie's mom BaBa. That's Russian for Grandma, they discovered that when Ella was so slow to start talking and we were all getting desperate for her to call us anything. She called me Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr (like a rolling R).

Love this path!

LILY JEAN

We love going a couple of weeks before the official open season.

We usually get the beach mostly to ourselves.

It really wasn't all that cold this year. The wetsuits were more for sun protection than warmth this year.

MICHELE

Lily wasn't a fan of the waves. She could hear them before they hit. Maybe next year.

BaBa and Grumpy (Grandpa Roger) have a second home in California and enjoy the surf.

WYATT

Sami wore her bathing suit the entire time. At first she didn't want to wear it though, crying because it was too tight. That is until she tried on the wetsuit, then she was begging to put the bathing suit back on.

Charlie actually had Friday off of school so he was able to come down with us a day early. Thomas was the only one who had to work but he was there Friday night.

Ella and Mommy

Wyatt and Daddy

Lily Jean enjoyed the sand

I have been working on this blog post for THREE DAYS. With Jennifer's pictures I have more than 500 to go through. I realize now I should have broken the post up into days like I did last year. Oh well, hindsight is 20/20. So the rest of this post will be mostly self explanitory.

Natalie ran into the waves to rescue a bucket that one of the kids let go. Tom kept yelling "let it go!" He had to walk away after that one. No worry, she is a very good swimmer.

Charlie worked on digging a hole big enough for all six kids to get in. He didn't quite make it but they all enjoyed helping. At one point he told Ella he was digging to China and she though that was hysterical.

Father Hen watching over everyone

BaBa getting some vitamin D.

The hole to China. He says next year he's bringing a bigger shovel

WYATT

Lily

Lily and Sami

Lily spied Papa

Papa went shell hunting and found a shark's finger.

I think Sami thought it really was a shark's finger

Then he found a crab

Baba was so good with ALL the kids. I'm not sure if she realized what a crazy week end she was in for but we were sure glad to have her.

Jack finding shells to show Papa

Cousins, Sami knows the boys are her cousins. She says the others aren't her cousins, they're girls.

Tom and I went for a walk

Then back to the house

Natalie brought her keyboard and Thomas brought his guitar. The kids loved to dance and Sunday morning we had our own worship service with songs, readings, prayers.

Michele worked on this picture where you used colored stickers on the correct number like color by number with stickers. It was great OT for Ella's hypotonia and Michele took HER picture home.