Happy. Birthday.

by Rob

Life at the beach has found its stride. The weather is cooperating nicely, hot and mostly sunny; the clouds have been big and full, but not concentrated enough to make things overcast. Between the ocean and the pool, it's been possible to stay outside for extended periods of time without getting overheated or bored.

Yesterday day was Abbie's 11th birthday. I think that she realized that this is not a common way to spend your birthday. She got it and she appreciated it. She was happy and busy all day. She didn't swim or play outside quite as much as the first couple of days, but she didn't seem to have any trouble spending her time. For awhile, she and Kim watched a movie on our bed together. They watched 27 Dresses, a chick-flick as Abbie would tell you. She seems to get the idea and she's quite happy to choose her movies from that genre.

After dinner last night was the photo shoot. We all dressed in khaki and pastels and headed down to the sand with the photographer and his wife. After the pictures, we had cake (chocolate with chocolate frosting) and ice cream, and then she opened presents. It was a lot of fun.

The day ended with a late evening swim. It was Katie and Rob verses Abbie, Kinsey, Garrett and Nate at "keep-away." Four young cousins can be an overwhelming force when they all wrap their little bodies all over their target, in this case, Katie. But Katie didn't give them any breaks and the game was rowdy, physical, and a lot of fun. When we emerged from the pool at about 10:00, there was no arguing from anyone. It wasn't much harder to get them all to head to bed.

This morning is another sunny and warm one. I am not aware of any plans for the day, but it looks like the weather will allow us to spend our time here, wandering between food, swimming, reading and talking. It's enough for all of us.