c'mon in- the water's great!

we have surely gotten our money's worth out of this spring float. i love that it has the canopy-- i don't have to worry about the kids getting too much sun. the pool at the marriott had several sprinklers for the kids to run and play under, and ethan was very disturbed by these! it took him about 30 minutes to warm up to the idea of getting in the pool because of these pesky sprinklers, and then of course, he got so upset when it was time to leave! the pool also had a slide (see picture on last post), and ethan loved watching the kids slide down into the water.




our last evening in marco island, we decided to take a picnic dinner down to the beach. ethan loved looking for shells once he got used to walking in the sand! he hasn't really walked in much sand because i was a pregnant lazy woman last summer and we didn't make it to the beach much... so i am determined for my child to get used to the sand and to NOT have sensory issues about sand and dirt!! (especially after just attending 2 conference sessions on sensory issues!!) so, as soon as we got to the beach, ethan and i threw the football. i intentionally threw it where he had to walk to go get it, and he stood in one place, asking, "football please" over and over (what 2 year old boy stands in one place at the beach?!!!!?! only mine!). i took his hand and made him walk over to the football. he didn't protest, but it was so hilarious to watch him make each step so slowly and deliberately! (i was imagining him saying to himself, "it's just sand. you can do it, ethan!") he actually didn't mind walking in the sand the rest of the evening, but we ended up putting his crocs on so he could walk on the shell-filled part of the beach without hurting his feet. what can i say? he's just like his daddy and he doesn't like to get dirty. caroline, on the other hand, will probably be eating sand next month... here's a couple of pictures of our family and caroline's first visit to the beach. she loved watching all the people and feeling the wind in her face.

finding shells with daddy
one wind-blown family!
"look! i found a little man in my shell!
hello, little man!"
"i can't wait to come back to the beach!"