These are a few of my favorite things

Our Cape May trip 2011 was really great.  Listed in this post will be all of our favorite things about the trip, the only thing we didn't take pictures of was the delicious food we ate and the pool time.  Some things just have to be experienced and bothering with the camera just isn't possible, especially when family time should just be family time and not a photo session!

God was gracious to us and allowed us to have a few Good Samaritans along the way who took family shots of us, but most of the pics John or I took, soon Julia will be able to be the picture taker!  Favorite thing number 1. Waking up early to walk along the beach and feel the hot sun and hear the waves.

2. Seeing Daddy give Quantity time with the kids...Julia kept asking, "Daddy you DON'T have to go to work?  You are staying with us! Yay!"

3. Watching Julia run all along the beach, in and out of the waves...man, can she run!

4. Hearing Julia's new song, "Look at my feet...look at my feet....look at my feet!"  It is the cutest, and funniest thing we ever heard and she sticks out her toes and shakes them, and the beat is really catchy...when we sing it it makes her laugh.

5. Teaching Julia and Mark swimming lessons in the hotel pool.  There was a whole gated off pool of 1 foot that the kids could play in, right next to the 3 foot.  And John gave the kids lessons.  They loved learning how to put their whole face under the water and scooping the water with their hands as they swam back and forth.

6. Listening to Julia in the car telling Mark about how Cape May was a beach and how they were going to swim and play and watch the waves and have fun.  She is such a great big sister and she loves explaining things to Mark, and he just soaks it all in, admiring her.

I've never seen Mark so happy.  This trip brought out the boy in Mark.  He was so funny and so happy, and most of it had to do with just being able to have daddy all to himself for three whole days.  It was really wonderful to see him ask John to hold him, and ask John if he could sit in his lap, and wanting to hold dad's hand.  I loved it.

Watching Daddy bribe Marky with pizza so that he could go to the arcade..."Mark if you eat your pizza, we will go on rides!"  It worked!  Daddy is his hero.

Not having to "do it all" by myself.  Having extra hands to help me was amazing, and very enjoyable for all the fun trips to the beach and pool.  Daddy's are so great.  And our daddy is a good photographer too.

Julia was SO good on this trip.  She was so well behaved and barely took any naps during the day, but was still a joy to be around.  She LOVED Cape May, she loved the shops, the food, the beach, the horse and buggy rides, the salt water taffy, the fudge, our hotel balcony, the nice people, she is definitely my daughter...she loves the shore!

Loved watching the kids play in the fountains, just had to convince them that the fountains were not for drinking!

Cape May coffee is a special treat...John and Mark brought us back bagels and coffee while the girls got dressed.  Such gentlemen!

I absolutely adored seeing my kids be kind to each other and enjoy each other on the beach and the board walk, seeing them hold hands is priceless.

Goodbye Cape May!  See you next year!  Can't believe my kids will be 4 1/2 and 3 years old the next time we go to Cape May...and we are praying for maybe an Amelia or a Caleb if it is in God's will for us to have another baby...praying for a baby by name has always been a blessing for me, we shall see what God has planned for all of us!  Summer vacation was absolutely wonderful...thank you God for all of our blessings and favorite things.



Next Tuesday will be our "Bringing up Boys" post!