Back to Wrap-Up

Alrighty...I'm back. Don't know how far I'll get since I have spent 2 hours of Eli's nap time tutoring students. He'll likely be up any minute.

Picking up where I left off: Thursday, my sister, Lindsey and her man, Matt B., were able to join us from Atlanta. Even Daddy surprised us by arriving early afternoon...he was able to sneak away from work. (My hubby has been working incredibly hard and long hours this last month on a very important case. I'm so proud of him, but at the same time, I can't wait to have him back when this case is finished.) It was another beautiful day at the beach.

Eli got all geared up and decided that he needed his old pair of sunglasses (that I'd brought for Asher...) back to act as goggles in the water. Funny kid! It was also a perfect day for sleeping on the beach.

I love his froggy legs & the surfer dude look.

That evening, we had the wonderfully talented, Michael Johnston come down and take some pictures of our family as we aren't often all in the same place at the same time these days. It was a perfect July evening to have photos taken. I cannot WAIT to see how the pictures came out. We have never had professional pictures taken of Eli, (...why would we? I have a camera glued to my face, right? I take OK pics, but I'm definitely NOT a professional!...) so I'm super excited to see the ones of him and our family. And I honestly have to admit that it was a bittersweet event as they were our first family pictures that Kelly isn't in. I know she was there with us in spirit, but still...

Ok...on to more of our week and happier thoughts...

What an adorable grin!

Friday, the boys got some time to swim before Daddy had to head back to Tallahassee the next morning for more work.

We are happy that Daddy was willing to drive back and forth all weekend long. He made the 1 1/2+ hour drive several times throughout the week/weekend so he could spend as much time with us as he could despite his case heating up.

Friday was also the day that the Uncle Ricky's parents drove up from Oldsmar, and his sister and hubby came over from Pensacola.

With family living on opposite sides of the country, you are all willing to drive to a central location to spend time with loved ones. It was a lot of fun having everyone at the beach for the weekend. Everyone wants some of that awesome Asher love.

It was a perfect weekend with only one spell of bad weather in the entire week hitting Saturday morning...but the rain cleared up in time for another delightful afternoon on the beach. Typical scenes from the weekend would include:

tanning, reading, cornhole-ing...

...the men-folk in the water identifying (rather than solving) all the world's problems...

...and those finding a haven in the shade.

All the while, Eli is making trips back and forth from his hole to the ocean with his watering can.

The Lotspeiches brought along their sea kayaks. The water was definitely calm enough Saturday afternoon and evening to take them out. Those interested got a chance to paddle around and even fish (with no luck. boo!) Eli, of course, was enthralled by the kayaks. He waited and waited for his turn. As soon as one group got back in, Eli grabbed his inner tube and climbed on in. He was a natural...figured out exactly what to do with the paddle after watching the first two while they were out.

Can't you see the way he handled the paddle with authority and confidence? Later, Mr. Lotspeich, or "Mr. Rick" (or even just plain Rick) as Eli called him, took Eli out for an official ride. Thank you very much, Mr. Rick. Eli fell in love with the kayaks!

For our final evening, we decided to try a shrimp boil, and it was quite the spread. Deeee-licous!

Sunday was our final day in paradise. We planned to stay all day and soak all the sun and fun that we could before going our separate ways and heading back to reality.* On our drive back to town, we managed to twist my dad's arm into stopping for dinner at Angelo's...a favorite for sure. We all gorged on freshly caught seafood and some of the best hush puppies I've ever had! Mmmm!

Monday was supposed to be departure day for our Denver family, but after several LONG delays at a teeny tiny Tallahassee airport with nothing to do and fear of getting stuck in Dallas with a 2 month old baby, Theresa, Ricky, and Asher decided to stay the night and try again in the morning. Susanna decided to try, and got a solo seat on a jam-packed flight from Dallas to Denver with a stand-by list 15+ people long. Despite the horrible situation, at least we got another night with them. In the morning, we walked to the neighborhood coffee shop,

got some more Asher love,

and then made our way back to the airport...one more time. This time, it was only an hour delay, and they made it safely home.

It was truly spectacular to have this time at the beach as a family despite all of our busy schedules and living across the country from one another. We are blessed to all love each other, and we honestly adore spending time together. (No, we are not perfect, and yes we have plenty of drama too...after all, we are a family of all girls.)

We also couldn't help but terribly miss our sweet sister, Kelly, all week long. We took a moment Saturday evening to spread some of her ashes at one of her favorite places in all the world. It is always so hard to admit that she is really gone and that she is never coming back, and spreading her ashes is such a tangible reminder of the truth. We know that she is forever with us, but just not in the way we wish she was.

It will be a while before we are all together again. Looking forward to it already!

*sorry for no group Snyder family picture...we only took one...& it was incomplete...& sadly, i'm too vain to post it, i looked horrible! here's hoping MJ got some good shots to commemorate the entire group being present.