42!!!....Forty Two Years Together!

Forty Two!!!  WooHoo!!  WoooooHooooHoooo!

Today marks 42 years with this cool guy!  We've been laughing and loving and watching the days of our lives shine brightly together!!

It's a Good Life!!!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

to my husband

to my friend

to my love!!!

Part 2 of Beach Fun!!

One afternoon, we went out to take some shots of all the kids in their new T-shirts when the sun was setting.  I love that late afternoon light that envelops all mankind on a white beach right before sunset....but I have to preface these pics with an explanation of why our Cap'n wasn't in the pictures.  We had only planned on getting pics of the grandchildren but because of such cool light, everybody just piled in the pics....WHILE WE LEFT CAP'N INSIDE COOKING OUR DINNER.....aaacccckkkk!!!!
Felt horrible afterwards because I would have loved to have done some group family pics too...

As the days came to a close, this was a familiar sight...

And when it was time to pack up and go home.....

grandfather and grandson took their last walk to the house!

We all thank ya Cap'n for making this trip possible for us every year!!!

Sea shells, White sand, Blue green waves...Annual Family Beach Trip "19

Memories drawn in sand!!

And our annual family beach trip began...

Our babies are growing up and each year gets easier and easier....no diapers need to be changed in sand, no naps under a tent on the beach, no bottles.  Yes, our youngest is now 3 and the oldest is 9.  The older they get, the more independent they become.  They all go play together in the surf or build sand castles or bury each other or nap together.  Yes, the grown ups (as they call us) actually get to relax more on the beach and talk and enjoy each other's company!!!  And be lazy together!!

Cousins, Cousins, Cousins.....all 6 of them played so well together and had so much fun all week long....in the words of sweet Josey -- "we get to have a sleepover 7 nights in a row"!!!!

There is always lots of good food to enjoy too!

One night was steak night! One night was burger and Cap'n's baked beans! One night was crawfish fettucini and salad night!  Our favorite night is Cap'n's cooking night......His famous new orleans style shrimp and oysters over rice with lots of bread to sop up the juices!!  We all gather round the table and enjoy a delicious dinner together...

Just so happened that the blue hour outside joined us for dinner this night!

Now, THIS is a Gulf oyster!!!!  Cannot tell you how delicious these were!

Matt's lunch out one day!

Amy's sausage balls for breakfast one morning!!!

The moms and dads always go out one night too while all the hoodlums, um, I mean grandchildren, stay home with us!!

My boys!!   Man, oh man....are they cute or what???!!!!!

and their brides!  And how cute are they???!!!!

Man, oh man....do we ever have a beautiful family!!  Sorry for the brag - not sorry!!

Meanwhile back at the beach house.....I had a few ideas in store for the babies...we had a scavenger hunt to find everyone's sack of shells.  Once found we had a round table game of poker..oh wait..no, it was a game of shell trading.  They got so excited about it and if one didn't know better, one would have thought they were day trading on Wall Street!!!

They traded back and forth for hours until the excitement of the day finally got to them and it was time for popcorn and a movie! (we had already lost Lane to the Sandman hours before!)

My middle boy is the big fisherman in the family.  He has loved it since he was old enough to hold a pole. I remember when he was about the size of these kids and left our condo before anyone was even up for the day.  Couldn't find him anywhere inside but once we looked down to the beach...there he was with a pole in his hand, fishing with a man on the beach....grrrrrr....I was so mad that he broke so many rules that morning but looking back and thru the years....it was our first indication that he would love fishing all of his life!

When I saw this picture, all I could see was that 6 yr old boy with the same ear to ear grin on his face that he always has when he's got a fishing pole in his hand!!!!  Geeze, I love that boy!!

He usually always has a few poles in the water late in the day and ALWAYS lets the kids fish with him.  If he gets a bite, he lets each child hold the pole and reel them in.  They LOVE this time with him and their uncles!

First catch???

stingray!!

Next one??

Catfish!!

By now, these kids were SO excited...and Matt was having the time of his life!

They all get to touch them...

And for the last catch of the day????  TWO at one time!!!

and then the important lesson of catch and release!

the peanut gallery watching from the beach!!

 

After the fishing????  Why, it was time for sand crabbing!!!

From the time they got up in the morning....Cap'n always takes them down early in the mornings, which gives everyone else a little more sleep or some quiet coffee drinking mornings...

Siblings....

Nap times with cousins....

Daddies with their children...

All of this.......every single bit of all of this.....is the makings of a perfect trip!!!!

and I've got even more pics but will have to come back in a bit for those.....