Beach Boys

We had a great time in Jekyll Island, Ga., last week. We were lucky to have lots of sunshine and hot, humid weather. The highlight of the trip was spending hours playing in the sand and surf.

It was Miles' first time on the beach. At first he wouldn't touch the sand, whining to be picked up as soon as his toes touched the ground. But he quickly discovered a love for it. The ocean, however, was love at first sight. He couldn't get enough of running in and out of the waves. His new words for the week were "splash" and "ocean."

Grant was also very comfortable in the ocean. When we first got to the beach, he was ready to strip down to his birthday suit to run into the waves. His favorite thing to do was to pick up sand, sticks or shells found on the beach and throw them into the water.

When they weren't in the water, the sand provided hours of enjoyment, thanks to beach toys brought by Grandma and Grandpa.

They also loved watching and "helping" Grandpa fly kites.

A few more beach pics:

Easter

We had a nice Easter Sunday with the Smith family. After church with Grandma and Grandpa, the boys and their cousins searched for Easter eggs, followed by lunch. 

The plastic eggs were filled with jelly beans, which Miles tasted and loved immediately. He simply had to smile at Grandpa or his older cousins, and they gladly gave him a handful. 

We struggle to get a good picture of all of the cousins on every holiday. There are currently five boys, and getting everyone to sit still while looking at the camera and smiling is nearly impossible. But this was our best effort yet.

After lunch, the older boys lounged downstairs and watched Ice Age. G insisted on changing out of his "buttons" as soon as we were done taking pictures.

Puzzle Master

Confined inside so much lately, G has spent a lot of time putting together puzzles. He works quickly and quietly, announcing to everyone when he's finished so we can praise -- but not touch -- his work.

Has Anyone Seen Spring?

Spring arrived last week, but it's hard to tell. Mother Nature dumped more snow on us on Sunday, the last day of Grant's spring break. Poor Miles spent much of the week sick with a viral infection, mostly wanting to snuggle on my shoulder. We are all dying for sunshine and warmer weather, going to the park and exploring outside.

Lions and Llamas

A trip to the zoo was a big hit over the weekend. We've been feeling a bit stir crazy lately since spring has decided to takes its sweet time arriving this year. And even though it was still very cold, the boys were happy to be outside. They were especially excited to see the new lion, Deuce, who they "adopted" last fall. He was pretty amazing.

We also spent some time watching the sea lions and chickens, which Miles thought were absolutely hilarious.

They were also excited about feeding the llama thanks to a favorite book series right now. G even pet him and said, "I love him so much."

19 Months

What's new with Miles:

• He has multiple new teeth, which seemed to sprout overnight. 
• We've been taking Baby and Me swim classes recently. He loves it, especially blowing bubbles and jumping in the water.
• His new words include "giraffe" and "book."
• His two favorite things are playing with trains and reading stories in the chair in his room.
• We trimmed his crazy blond curls; thankfully the curls remain.

Previous monthly photos can be found here.

Lazy Sunday Morning