The Last of the Beach Photos

Ah, he loves his Mama. Kelly 'wands' some bubbles at sunset for Marcus's pleasure.

Melissa frolics with Brianna. She is a fairly serious mother, so watching her PLAY filled me with unspeakable joy!

Alana LOVES her mood ring.

We all love to feed the squirrels.

I'm unendingly grateful to have had this significant time with Kelly and his family before he goes off to war.

My heart wavers sometimes when I think about it, so I don't often think about it.

My son-in-law is home from Iraq and is weaving his family together with some time off before he goes back to the job his boss saved for him.

In fact Chris was offered a $3/hour raise,

a cushy route. and some ready cash to sustain him until May 10 when he returns to work.

We serve an awesome God!

ANOTHER! Spring Break

This is the picture of our first break.

I love traveling with my son's family because they like me to sit up front with him and they like to stop often. Kelly was REALLY on a break with some fine headgear. And Marcus LOVES his Grammy!

This was at Multnomah Falls on the Columbia River as we headed for the ocean on a Sunday. Kelly's boss appreciates his work ethic and has rewarded him with 3 weeks of paid vacation when he hasn't even work for a complete year yet.

He chose to take his wife on the first vacation to the ocean to scope out what we would do on his third week of vacation. I think he stayed home with the kids during their spring break for the second one. Anyway, before we left the boss called and offered him a $3 per hour raise.

Kelly heads for the Afghan war in May with the National Guard, and my heart is torn over the implications of that. But here you will see the pleasures we shared for 5 days together.

The view from the balcony of the condo we rented thanks to Melissa's boss. You see the splashing of high tide above and part of the family enjoying a meal our first night on one of the two balconies below.

When we were all tired that first night Brianna took Marcus under her wing to read a story as we set up the bedrooms and other organizing.

Trenton and Brianna ordered 1/2 a crab for their first seafood experience, Marcus and Alana chose chicken strips, Kelly, Melissa and I ordered scallops and jumbo shrimp with several orders of killer slaw. It was warm and sunny...perfect for a picnic.

One of the amenities at the condo was an offering of classes each day. Kelly and Trenton took an oil painting class, and you see, above, the results.

I was stunned at their talent.

Kelly's last art class was in 6th grade (he is 40, remember!), and Trenton has shown talent in that regard. This class was incredibly rewarding for both of them!

A closer view of Kelly's oil painting.

Here we all are at the Oregon Coast Aquarium ready for the treats inside.

I love this picture not only for the octopus, but also the reflection of Trenton.
There will be more to follow this post. I wanted to get started with these pics for my mom who doesn't get to see her grandkids or great-grandkids often.

The Last of the Spring Break Pics

Just out of the pool, we snuggle and get warm.

Kimber and Isabella had great fun as they swam and splashed.
Kimber did impressive handstands for Isabella
in water that let only her feet show!


and then!

We found a fabulous Italian restaurant, A Taste of Tuscany where we ate this Caprese Salad.

Insalata Caprese (salad in the style of Capri) is a simple salad from the Italian region of Campania, made of sliced fresh buffalo mozzarella, plum tomatoes and basil. It is seasoned with salt, black pepper, and olive oil. [1] This dish is also known as a Tricolore salad due to its three colors, which mimic the Italian flag.

The entire vacation was excellent, and I'm delighted to have had this time with my youngest child and her two before her dear husband returns from his military tour in Iraq.

More Pics of our Spring Break

She's ready for a trip to jump the waves in her little pink outfit!
They turn to wave at Mom/Grammy/taking this pic from the balcony of our room as they head out to jump the waves. One lady was taken by surprise when a wave came from behind her (as she watched Kimber and Isabella) and snatching her purse! Her Hubby stood in waist-deep waves trying to recover it for her, but he failed. It was a sad event for all of us.

My Jackie-O imitators as we all head out to shop for a bit on the main street of Seaside.

And the mild-mannered Mr. Dante continues to look, coo, and smile for everyone.

Spring Break at Seaside

My daughter and her two escorted me to the ocean for Spring Break. Here are a few of the pics showing what fun we had. Isabella rode the carousel once with me and once with her mom. For the first time since she was about 16 my daughter is not working. She is now a SAHM (stay at home mom). I think she looks relaxed and deliriously happy with her little ones.

We frolicked in the ocean even with Dante. Isabella was determined to wear her birthday dress for the trip over and back, so here she is in all her glory. She and I ran from the incoming tide while Kimber kept Dante warm and snuggled up close.

We inhabited a coffee shop to warm up with a latte and hot cocoa. Dante had fallen asleep by this time and was still snugly.

The three of them were so happy with our accommodations (oceanfront, fireplace with kitchen).

More pictures will follow to show what a wonderful time we had.