A Trip to the Beach and a Near-Death Experience

Do you see that photo at the top of my blog? Well, I got to take the boys there last week, and it was SO FUN! My mom came over a couple of days early, and we all drove up to Grand Haven, MI together. Then my grandparents met us there the next day. They had never met Gabe before, and Ladan and I hadn't seen them in almost two years, so this was a special treat.

This was my first kid-on-the-beach experience, so I wasn't exactly sure what I should do with Gabe. I asked many friends, and none of them had any good advice... except be ready to fish sand out of his mouth if he gets enough that he's choking. It's a good thing I tend to be a little bit laid-back when it comes to my kids encountering germs, because the thought of seagull poop in his mouth might have prevented me from going otherwise.

So, in the interest of your time, I'll get on with the photos, and I'll include a few little stories where necessary....

In case you're a relativist who isn't sure whether or not there's truth in the statement that the earth is round, these first two photos are for you.



The boys had a blast the one day we actually got to play on the beach. It was 80 degrees, there was a calm breeze, and the water was warm enough to get in. Gabe took right to it all. Ladan needed a few minutes to get used the facts that the sand was dirty and that the water might make him wet. He was pretty funny, actually. For the first 30+ minutes, he did things a little differently than most kids. Most kids I know take wet sand up to the dry sand so they can make castles, etc. Ladan, on the other hand, took the dry sand down to the wet sand so as to make it less "muddy". After a good bit of time, however, he did what every kid does and spent about an hour throwing shovels of sand out to the water.



Our beach day was Sunday. Monday was rainy, so we decided to do some swimming in the hotel pool and celebrate our Dutch heritage with a trip to Holland, MI. Ladan promptly found the huge wooden shoes and decided they would serve better as race cars for he and Gabe.



Then Tuesday was ultra-windy. The winds were about 35-40 miles per hour... leading to the crazy-hair photos below. If Gabe had hair, it would have been blowing too! Ladan was very uncomfortable in the wind, so he stayed up closer to the car with Grandma. Gabe accompanied me all the way to the water's edge, which is where I snapped the shot of the two of us.




And these are my grandparents! My Gram will be 80 in the spring, and Ken is something like 83. They're so active and energetic, and they have a BLAST together! Ken has macular degeneration, so he can't see much at all. However, Gabe's big eyes captured his heart. It wasn't long before he was crawling around on the floor with Gabe playing peek-a-boo.



Okay, so here's my mom's favorite part... the horse-riding experience. My Uncle Bob (mom's brother) lives about 20 minutes from Grand Haven, and he invited us to come out to ride his horses. Ladan thought the idea was really great, but these were some big horses, so he decided it wasn't such a great idea anyway. I rode Buddy using the saddle normally fitted for the other horse. After walking into a tree line, nearly falling off the horse MULTIPLE times, and fearing for my life a few more than that, I figured out how to get Buddy to do what I wanted him to do.

I quickly learned from experience that horses get a little bit "fiesty" (as Bob termed it) on cool, breezy days. As soon as the breeze picked up, so did Buddy. I can't even count the number of times I had to slow the silly horse down so I didn't bounce right off the top of him. It wasn't until I dismounted, and my cousin was about to get on that we realized that Buddy's saddle was too loose. It's no wonder I felt a bit insecure! Lesson #1: if you're jumping up onto a horse, and his saddle slides down his side, get back off and tighten it... BEFORE you go for a 3-mile ride! Lesson #2: If you fail to do this, your bottom will likely hurt for a day or two. Lesson #3: It's still pretty fun even if it's a bit scary!

Gabe decided he would go ahead and attempt to ride with Bob. He was right at home, and Bob was having a great time! Ladan was content to pet the horses, which is just fine with me.

And here are a few photos of the lake (Lake Michigan, in case you're not sure). The wind prevented us from hanging out on the beach, but it made some really great waves! There is no doubt that the LORD is an all-powerful Creator! Just look at his handiwork!

And, finally, does anyone with loads of random knowledge happen to have figured out why seagulls stand perfectly still staring in exactly the same direction at a time of high winds and possible rain? I'm assuming it's to streamline their bodies and make it a little bit easier to stand on their tiny little feet. But if there's a better or more complete explanation, please comment.