It Just Doesn't Get Any Better

We were all very excited to be at the airport.  With kids, nothing is guaranteed.  Samantha had roseola the week we were going, and had a high fever until about 24 hours before departure. 

That challenge conquered, she landed in Tampa with some sort of bug bites on her foot, which was swollen to twice its normal size. 

We got in too late to really do anything about it other than administer Benadryl and stay up all night staring at it, and that appeared to be just what the doctor ordered - by Saturday morning the swelling was improving and we were ready to hit the beach.

At first, SJ was a little nervous about the whole sand/water thing, and the best place to start out was in a nice beach chair with a view.

She acclimated pretty quickly, though.  She was far more comfortable with the sand than we ever expected.  She's usually not a fan of things with texture.

She loved watching the big kids play on the beach (and in the house, and on the deck).  I think she really learned a lot.  Since we came home, she's been showing an increased interest in standing and even trying to pull herself up occasionally.  Here, Dave was hard at work building a volcano with moat for the big kids and even a little baby pool for Samantha.

Elaina and Gus were kind enough to share their toys with Samantha, so she was well occupied even when taking a break from the beach.  Grandparents, take note -- Fisher Price Little People will be on Samantha's Christmas wish list!

I just loved this picture of Amy and Gus, and thought the Rice crowd might enjoy it.

What are those big people doing?!?

Another game that fascinated Sam...

Thanks, guys, for sharing your weekend with us.  We really enjoyed visiting with all of you (and making our very own SPORE creatures)!