Let us begin

Raise your hand if you love the ocean. 

So do I. 

To say that our stay on the Oregon Coast was lovely, idealistic, and heavenly would be putting it mildly. I'm serious. I'm almost speechless. Almost.

Thanks to Mandie for snapping this shot of the house, since I forgot to. I was affected to the point of more-airheaded-than-usual by the loveliness. 

 There I was, inside the house, sneaking photos of the outside without interrupting the play going on in the backyard. This is our version of Ultimate Frisbee.

 It takes danger to a whole new level.

Katie may or may not be saying "Ha ha! Sucka!" to my three year old.

We're not competitive.

I kept my distance. I didn't want my rugged athleticism to ruin their game.

But enough of this, let's go down to the water!

Sisters never get old, did you know that? I mean, individually they do (not that you're old, girls), but sisterliness never ages. Kinda like cheese - it just gets better. 

 I was assuming that this one would take to the beach well, and she did. This child loves mud, dirt, and water, so what did you expect? The Ocean's full of the stuff! Water I mean. Did you know that?

Emmy is 3.5 inches taller than she was one year ago, when I was snapping pics of her and her Kate on this very same beach. I'd rather not talk about it. 

Uh, yes, actually, it was a little chilly. Jonah didn't mind. 

Remember what I was saying about loveliness? It was! The beach, I mean. There's no better word for it. Isn't lovely a lovely word? It's so sweet and cool and it smells good to say it. That doesn't have to make sense. 

We met new cousins, and you know how much we love cousins. Second cousins, if you want to get technical. All the same to us. 

 Honestly, I could post about this little one all night. Most of the photos are of her. It was her first time at the beach! We do love our other children. Promise.

"But not as much as me, right?" 

"I'm not answering that question."

The amount of photos of this child may also be due to the fact that I had to stay by her all the time, while the other two were off romping down the shore. 

 I mean, the other three. Caleb loves to play as much as any other 5 year old I've ever met. He is completely unaffected by social expectations when it comes to playing with his kids.

He is able to connect with them in a way that I cannot. It takes away many of my fears for the (very distant) teenage years. 

You won't hear Emmy complaining about his ability to play. This photo makes my heart happy.

I know that this post made our week sound blissful and, well, utopian. But the truth is, it was. It just was. You'll see, I have more to share.