Is This Real Life?

After two days of heavy rain we woke up Monday to sunshine!  The forecast told us clear skies and we got rain. Then when they told us the rain would keep up through the week, we got clear skies!  We couldn't believe it!

The boys went out golfing like they used to do in their BYU days.  I am certain there were plenty of bets and competitions throughout the day. 

Wes. Garrett, Carie, Hailey and I all went for runs in the morning and then we all headed out to the water as quickly as we could.  We still weren't sure the good weather would last the day.

 These two were happiest in the pool

The two Drews and usually Harrison too, went back and forth from the ocean to the pool with the basketball hoop

For most of the day the only clouds we could see were these ones, and we kept waiting to see if they meant the rain would be back 

 Just in case, we didn't want to leave the water for anything.  The kids splashed around in the gorgeous blue waters

 dug holes and played in the sand

 Even Brynne who usually stays out of the ocean water as much as possible, had fun getting wet!

 Carie and I were cracking up when Brynne decided she wanted to wear Hailey's hat 

 When I added this picture of her on Instagram after she got herself all settled in her chair, I had so many comments about her looking like Sophia Vegara in a diet pepsi commercial so I decided to look it up and see what it was all about.

I died when I compared an image from the commercial with Brynnes picture! 

When Jeff and Mark came back from their golf game they joined the boys out at the beach

The Skinners had picked up a really cool ball at Target that could bounce off the water and they quickly had made up some kind of game playing it

Mark and Drew Skinner

against Garrett Jeff and Wes

They threw the ball back and forth bouncing in on the water in between the other team and trying to get the ball past them without them catching it.  They played for at least an hour out there!

The rest of us were great cheerleaders from the sidelines while enjoying a little shave ice

Cute Garrett had joined a group of kids playing volleyball in the pool earlier in the day and had made a bunch of new friends.  He also helped take down the swimming lanes for one of the employees who gave him a free shave ice in exchange.  I love how comfortable Garrett is talking to just about anybody.      I just like him!

I spent lots of time in between the beach and the pool watching Brynne and Avery swimming.  Avery and Brynne share the same birthday but Avery is a year older and at least a foot taller.  Since Brynne couldn't reach the bottom in the shallow end and most of the pool edges were pretty high Avery ended up just letting Brynne climb up onto her back whenever she was getting tired.  Those two girls swam ALL DAY LONG!! I practically had to beg them to get out when we were ready to go make dinner.

I just love how tenacious Brynne is and how hard she works to keep up with her peers and her brothers.  When I finally dragged her out I could tell she was exhausted.  She pleaded with me to stop and let her watch the show they were doing in the middle of the resort.  When I sat down she curled up onto my lap and wrapped her little feet around mine.

As we sat there watching she could bareley keep her eyes open and then eventually I felt her relax completely and felt her breathing slow and steady.  She had simply run out of gas..

Just as the sun was setting the guys headed out the the BBQ to get dinner started.  Pork tenderloin wrapped in bacon, or as Drew called it, pig wrapped pig. It was awesome!

As we were all just lounging around the Skinners room after dinner Carie called the ice cream shop down the street from the resort.  They were open for just 45 more minutes.  Long enough for us to walk our massive group down the road.

After all day in the sun we were all more than a little sunburned and some were pretty crispy.  

Ice cream was just what we needed!

We all agreed that Two Scoops Ice cream shop gets two thumbs up from all of us!

We were all pretty tired

and pretty pink

The boys were finding it hard to wear their shirts and even ended up sleeping with cold towels on their backs.  (No, I am not a totally negligent mother, I really did try to get them to wear sunscreen, but because they so rarely burn at home they totally refused to put any on until it was a little too late)

When we walked back to the hotel we were all more than ready for bed but there was just one more thing on the agenda for the night.

Brynne had told Carie that we should have a super secret disco party in our room that only girls were allowed to come to.  

This would be the very best disco party because we could do whatever we wanted to.  I asked her exactly what she might want to do, were she able to do what ever she wanted,

"Oh you know, like dance of the table and jump on the couch and stuff!"  

We danced with such reckless abandon that I couldn't even get a clear picture until the music finally stopped!

On one of my trips during the day back to our room to grab something for someone I thought about my day and what I was feeling.  Once again gratitude is what was in my heart.  I was so grateful that Jeff had been able to get out and do something he has always loved to do and reconnect with a good friend. I was grateful for how sweet and helpful Wes had been with carrying things and taking care of Brynne.  I was grateful for Garretts spunky personality that allows him to make friends so easily whereever he goes.  That he has enough confidence to talk to anyone, kids or adults, male of female.  I was grateful for my little Drew-be-love, who make everyone happy when they are with him.  His quick wit and generous heart make him so easy to be around that it seems everyone loves him.  I was grateful for Brynne's health.  She certainly has limitations, but she is healthy enough to swim and play, tease and dance.  She is happy. I was grateful for the opportunity to vacation at a beautiful resort, and grateful especially that the sun decided to shine.  It had been a good day.  One of the best.  The kind of day that makes you wonder,"Is this real life?"