I was a little nervous about the car ride and the sleeping in an unfamiliar environment with the kids, but they were fantastic from the word go. They'd been looking forward to our trip for months, and their excitement showed! I'll never forget the smiles and squeals of delight when they caught their first glimpse of the ocean when we rolled into town.
The trip exceeded my hopes and expectations. Everyone was so good and enjoyed every second of it. It was exactly what family vacations are supposed to be, relaxing, fun, and time to just soak it all in.
I watched my babies go from being the timid little girls swimming at home, to fearless jump into the deep end of the pool girls. Aspen mastered the running jump "like Maui."
They giggled as they buried each other in the sand. Oohed and awed at surprise fireworks from our balcony. Ran with glee as the waves chased them in. Maui loved trying to surf the waves. They built sandcastles, one of the favorites was late night building. They decided we weren't coming home and that everyone could come visit us at "our beach house" (I think they enjoyed themselves)!
Rob and I got to soak it all in. We got to enjoy the giggles, the laughter, and the fun without all of the distractions. It's the little things that we often get too busy in the everyday hustle and bustle and don't slow down enough to enjoy. But there's something so freeing about saying yes to things that you'd normally say no to because there's nothing stopping you. Yes, you can play in the foam party bubbles and sand before we sit down for dinner. Yes, you can have sno-cones as we head up for lunch. Because it's those little things that bring out the inner-child in us all. It's fun playing in the sand. It's fun finding just the right shell for your castle. It makes for great stories and laughter when there's a fake crab on the beach that scares you half to death. It does a heart good. It's in those little things you find joy and memories that last a lifetime.
Watching our girls be carefree kids. Watching them grow. Watching them love with abandon. Watching them be the beautiful people God made them to be and realizing every single second how blessed I am to get to be a part of it. Making memories with the ones that fill my cup up and over, that's the best part of beachin' it.
