Rainy days and Mondays don't get us down!

Monday was a bit overcast but that didn't slow us down! In the morning, the boys went to climb the lighthouse and walk on the fishing bridge. During that time, the girls went into Apalachicola for coffee and some shopping. After lunch, William and I went down to the beach to wade through the tidal pools. We saw lots of seaweed, shells, and jellyfish washed up on shore. Then we decided to hop in the pool for a bit. William and Grandpa spent about an hour in the pool racing back and forth. He's getting to be a pretty good "swimmer."  Then the boys did hot cocoa on the screened in porch for their snack.  Sunshine is in the forecast for the rest of the week!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Cocoa by the Sea

Waiting Patiently

Little Guppies

We had another fun day on Saint George's Island. We woke up to warm temperatures but very strong winds. We decided the beach was not a good option but the pool was perfect! The pool water was nice and warm and it was relatively sheltered from the wind. William was excited to get in but Alex was very excited. He has no fear. Last summer, William clung to the side of the pool and refused to float with his water wings. That was not the case this year! Both boys floated happily in the pool. We stayed in until teeth were chattering and then came in for lunch. Alex was completely wiped out and fell asleep in Grandma's lap for an hour and a half. While he napped, William and I walked down to the beach to look at the huge waves. We made a pit stop in the "enchanted forest" along the way to climb some trees. After Alex woke up and had a late lunch, we drove into Apalachicola for ice cream. Then we walked down to the pier to look at the boats. After dinner, the rain finally came and we were able to enjoy a nice thunderstorm. 

Ready to go!

No fear

So much braver than last summer



Climbing trees along the boardwalk to the ocean

Ice Cream!

Boats in Apalachicola

Happy Grandpa

First 24 Hours on St. George's Island

We had a wonderful first 24 hours at the beach. We ran down right when we arrived so the boys could check things out. It was hard to get them to come back up to the house for the night. In the morning, we went back down to the beach. The kids jumped in the waves until Alex started shivering. Then we built a bunch of sand castles, flew our kite, collected a lot of treasures, and dug a huge hole with Uncle Ken. We also had races on the beach and went for a scooter ride.

Road Warriors

The boys and I left Thursday morning for our epic road trip. The three of us were heading down to St. George's Island to visit Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Mara, and Uncle Ken. Our first day was short - we drove 5 hours (6 total once you factored in stops) to spend the night at Mimi and G-Bob's in Cincinnati. We were able to spend some time with Abbey, Owen, and Lyla. Will and Alex had so much fun visiting. On Friday morning, we got on the road very early (4:45am). We were able to miss rush hour in all the big cities. The boys were amazing travelers. They watched some movies, listened to books on CD, played with toys, and listened to a lot of Jeff Kagen. We had two fun pit stops: one at the Alabama welcome center to see the Saturn rocket that was there and the other at a McDonald's with a huge outdoor play area. We pulled into St. George's Island at 7pm and were able to run down to the beach for a little bit so the boys could see it.

Abbey and Alex

Amazing Outdoor Play Structure at McDonalds

Saturn Rocket at Alabama Welcome Center

Here Comes the Sun

It was sunny and 45 degrees today!

)

House Guests

On Friday, the boys and I went to the Air Zoo for a while. We road all the rides and ran around for a bit. After 2 turns on the hot air balloon ride, mom decided she couldn't do it anymore. William realized he met the height requirement and asked to ride it alone. He did great! He rode it two more times by himself before it was time to go. It is his favorite ride but mom and dad's least favorite so this is a good development. In the afternoon, we did some baking/cookie decorating which is always fun.

On Saturday morning, we met some friends at Bounce Land. The boys had fun for about the first hour but then it started to get pretty crowded. Alex is quite the daredevil. Our friends Ben and Hilary came down to Kalamazoo Saturday afternoon with Charlie and Graham to spend the night. The kids had a great time in the bounce house, playing hockey, and just running around. We were sad to see them go.

Snow Days, GR Trip, and WMU Game

William had another snow/cold day last Thursday and then had Monday off for winter break. We are definitely looking forward to our trip to Florida next week! We have been playing a lot of basketball, hockey, and soccer in the basement and have done numerous art projects. Last weekend, we went to Grand Rapids for the night. On Saturday, Phil went to Ann Arbor with some friends for the basketball game and wives and kids got together for pizza and a movie. Will and Alex had fun visiting with their friends. On Tuesday night, we got to go to a WMU basketball game. Phil and Will have gone to a couple games but this was the first time we got to go as a family. William actually watches the game. Alex watched on and off but was more interested in my phone. But he sat through 3/4 of the game so we can't complain!

Dynamic Duo

Train Painting - so serious

The Boy Table

Yum!

"Life is a Highway" came on - Will was excited because the song was in "Cars"

Watching a bootleg copy of "Frozen"

Running through DeVos Place

More Painting

Fun at the Game

Alex took a selfie