Ya Mon, Part III: The Final Installment

I saved the very best for last...the beach! Our little beach bums take after their dad and especially their mom in their love of all things sand and surf. Give them a bucket (real, or fashioned from a bar cup), some sort of scooping device, and something else that can become a motor vehicle, and they are good for the day (or at least the morning).

But before you go jumping to any conclusions that involve us parents sitting back and reading a book while these two play, it ain't quite that rosy of a picture yet. Because unless there are two of each of the above-described tools, and unless they are exactly the same in every respect, there is a fair bit of fighting over who gets what. And then there's one child who loves to fill said bucket with sand and dump it into the other child's hair, face, or both. That same child also enjoys tasting a bit of the grainy stuff himself, just to see what exactly he has just bestowed upon his brother.

Then, of course, there are constant demands for snacks, drinks, etc. You get the idea...maybe in a few years we will actually get to read a few pages of our books on the beach instead of holding a sudoku puzzle book upside down and pretending.

So we abandon all pretenses of quiet relaxation and jump in on the fun. Who wants to read anyway, when there are treasures to be found,

waves to be jumped over,

boats to be sailed/paddled/pedaled,

and sandcastles (or turtles) to be built

The sandcastle's "vegetable garden"

As you can see, we brought in the reserves for part of our trip to share in all this fun. Noni and Papi joined us for the middle four days of our vacation, and we were so grateful. Having an extra set of hands to keep energetic boys busy, give Mom and Dad a few minutes of peace, and cater to constant appetites (I know, I know, it's not like we had to cook, but taking umpteen trips to the buffet gets a little tiring!) made the trip that much more enjoyable. Watching my kids bond with and fawn over their grandparents (and vice versa) added lovely lasting memories to the many created during our Jamaican adventure.