Ok so posting blogs w/ pictures via Picassa has it's downside, aparently I can only post 4 pics per blog, so here are some more of our day at Daytona Beach in January. If you read the previous post you know that Austin was very reluctant to go into the ocean. As you can see from this picture, once I coerced him into sticking his toe in, it did not take him long to be jumpin waves and having a ton of fun.











Now this was the way I expected to see Austin! Soaked and smiling! In the end he was very happy that he decided to go ahead and get in the waves. He loved the Florida beach, but said that he likes the Pacific just as much. Not surprising as he is definitely my water boy!


Colton also had a great time. He told me that he liked the Florida beach "way better" than the Oregon one, because the water was a lot warmer, and because we could park right on the beach and not have to hike to get to it. Colton found a star fish and some shells that were really neat.









Lily had a lot of fun. Running from waves, and digging for shells. We found a lot of cool things. Lots of little angel wing clams (scallops I have no idea), and a crab claw.


In the end this is one thing I really miss about Florida. While I love the ocean (any ocean) and will take what I can get. Sunny and warm is how a beach should be!

Saddness abounds....

We found out a few hours ago that Marc's step-dad, Bruce, passed away from heart failure. He was in the hospital following brain surgery to remove what they though was a cyst, but turned out to be a cancerous tumor. The surger was the 26th and everything seemed to be going well. He was eating, up moving around, took steps today in PT, and generally progressing in a very optimistic fashion. The heart failure was sudden and a huge surpise. We are all very sadden by this loss.
I'm heartbroke for Marc's mom. I just can't imagine what it must feel like. She wants us all to come out to Orlando, so we will be booking flights asap. We hope to leave Sunday afternoon if the flights I found tonight are still available in the morning. We are planning to stay as long as Donna needs us there, a week at minimum. Marc was 5 when they married, so Bruce was very much a 2nd father figure for him.
I'm a bit concerned about talking to the kids about this. I have an idea of what to say, and how to answer any questions that might come up, but you can never know how this will affect children. Poppa was the grandap they were all the closest to, and who they had spent the most time with. I can't predict how they will take it, so I have to be ready for any eventuality.
Please keep the family in your thoughts and prayers as we deal with this loss.