Vacation

Yesterday was another cloudy, cold day here at the ocean until about 4.  We got in a round of putt putt and hit Walmart for Easter goodies and groceries and then came back to the condo.  It had gotten nicer out, cold still, but not rainy, so I let Dakota convince me to take him onto the beach.  That boy loves the water and the sand.  He ran all around, kicking and throwing wet sand into the ocean, daring the waves to catch him and losing the bet!  I took pictures and tried to soak up the memories.  They grow so fast and watching my kids at the beach has been one of those constants in my life.  I can remember the girls in their little bikinis, Brian David with his beautiful blond girls gleaming in the sun and Dakota at three and four jumping the waves.  Yesterday he had on a warm gray sweatshirt, rolled up blue jeans and "his feet".  He looked so young and strong and healthy.  Thank you God for that.  He is the epitome of a little boy and I am very grateful. 
     Today we took the kids to the Salisbury Zoo.  This is always a treat for all of us because it's so green and cozy and you see animals doing things you never expected.  Today we saw 2 herons flying high into the treetops to their nests.  We saw many, many geese sitting expectantly on their eggs while their mates hissed at anything that came to close.  We saw pelicans fishing, turtles sunning and a snake swimming through the water.  We saw chipmunks scurry and peacocks roaming free AND we saw all the caged animals too!  Afterward we went back the long way through Snow Hill and Berlin.  These quaint, beautiful towns are nice, but there isn't really anything to do.  We stopped on Main Street in Berlin hoping to find a little ice cream shop, but with it being Easter Sunday, everything was closed up tight.  Back in OC we got ice cream on the boardwalk, took one last stroll, bought one last Thrashers fries and let Koda play one last set of games.  Now we are back at the condo for one last relaxing evening (I am surely going to miss these nights reading and watching tv and gazing out at the ocean that's just outside my window).  I'm making dinner while the guys are building what looks to be an awesome sand castle.  Tomorrow we'll go back to reality.  Sigh.  I'm not really ready..