Just Fishin'

 We spent Monday evening at our church's annual Memorial Day picnic. The rain fell hard and fast but our boys were not discouraged. The adults scampered for dry places and the kids got soaked. Some of our friends were kind enough to share their fishing poles and the boys learned to cast a line. Luke caught the first fish but my camera was no where to be found. I recovered in time for Andy's catch of the day.

 Andy did not want to touch that fish. I think he maybe put a fingernail on one scale. He was quite proud of himself.

 The cutest little fisherman I ever did see. He wanted to fish more than he wanted to eat. 

Focus...focus...

 Making his own fishing pole. He wanted so badly to do what his brothers did. He was mostly content to hang out on the bridge with the bigger boys and throw things in the water. We are blessed to have such a mellow child.

 Just when we decided to pack up and head home, they discovered the zip line. I so thought we would be fishing for boys in a matter of seconds. I almost covered my eyes.

Going, going, gone! He did it. I was quite surprised. They both made it across without letting go. In typical Andy style he finished and ran back around the pond yelling, "That was AWESOME!"

Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down

Mondays are tricky. The possibility and opportunity of a new week lies ahead. Yet it is hard to get excited about going back to school when your Saturday looked like this:

Luke was in slow motion this morning, asking more than once if he could stay home. He is said he was way too tired to be a good listener. I think he just wanted to hang out and daydream about fishing.

Maybe he thought if he stayed home, we would eat blue push pops for lunch. 

Or hang out with our friends and tell ghost stories.

Maybe squeeze in a little yard work after lunch.
In all seriousness, thank you to our friends who were kind enough to spend part of their weekend sharing their little slice of North Carolina. It looks like a good time was had by all.
And just in case this particular Monday is getting you down...

...have a look at Andy. If this doesn't make you smile, I don't know what will. He's ever met a Monday he didn't like. 

We Could Get Used To This

 We didn't know what to expect going to the beach this time of year. I think it is safe to say it exceeded our expectations. Especially at low tide in the late afternoon. The boys had the best time splashing in the tide pools and watching the critters. Eli was a little uncertain and wanted to stay dry. But he is easily influenced by his brothers and eventually took the plunge. He was quite curious about a rather large crab scooting around but the crab made it pretty clear he didn't want to play.

 I interrupted a serious game of "chase the minnow" to snap this picture and I'm so glad I did. Such cuties they are. Funny how sibling rivalry evaporates once their little toes touch sand and water. And funny how they never get tired of chasing such tiny little fish. Boys are a mystery.

Ocean Isle Beach at low tide. A glorious place to be. We had a wonderful week together. We keep asking the boys to tell us their favorite part and the answer always changes. This is probably the first time we have tackled activities besides the beach. We were able to go out to eat, out for ice cream, the older boys had lots of adventures with Steve while Eli napped. We had a beach play date with dear friends and lunch with extended family in Wilmington. An action-packed beach adventure, for sure. It will be a rough transition back to real life.

He Got the Collecting Gene

 He comes from a long line of shell collectors. I didn't grow up going to the shore, as we call it in my family, but I spent many hours admiring my Grandmother's treasures from the sand. Steve's family has a tremendous love for collecting things that wash up out of the sea. Eli stepped on the sand, watched us for a few minutes and then went straight to work.

 He is especially attracted to large, perfectly intact scallop shells. 

 We tried and tried to get him to add the shells to his brothers' fort but he would have none of it. He clutched his shells in both hands and paraded around the sand for as long as his little legs could carry him.

Eventually he wanted me to stand at the edge of the water and throw all of his shells back into the ocean. Then he quickly tried to re-collect them before they washed away. His grand finale was to fill a hole that Andy dug with his complete collection, add a bucket of water and giggle with delight. He is going to have a great week here.