Bethany Beach Finale

You might guess the water was cool at Bethany Beach but perfect for a rambunctious toddler. The tides rolled in with force and loud roars, keeping Vanessa on her toes. Our visits to the beach involved lots of running along the shore. She would go and go and go. Lucky for her, and for Mommy, Daddy was quite willing to follow after.

At times Vanessa would pause, but only if in protective arms. Daddy provided a good height to venture further out.

And while hanging on tightly, she'd go for a quick, small dip.

It was fun to bury our feet in the sand and have the tides reveal them. And even Mommy mustered enough energy to jog a few yards.

Indian River Bay—James Farm Ecological Preserve

Our last night in Bethany, Delaware, we drove around Indian River Bay, about a 1/4 mile around the bay from our condo, to the James Farm Ecological Preserve. It was a great find! The waters were really warm and still. We didn't anticipate all the awesome things there.

Here's a visual for those of you who are wondering where in the world we vacationed. We stayed in the Bethany Bay Resort, located on the Indian River Bay, about a mile from Bethany Beach.

Once at the James Farm Ecological Preserve, we hiked back the wooded trails to find the beach. Along the trail we saw lots of frogs and bunnies and neat native plants and trees.

Vanessa really enjoyed the water at the bay. She liked to go out as far as she could and wanted to stay in it. She didn't want to leave when it came time, although she was quite ready for bed.

The water was so clear that you could see snails on the floor a foot or two out from the water line.

There were lots and lots of horseshoe crabs that swam along the shore. As Daddy put it, they were very social. They'd swim and crawl toward you. These creatures are very interesting, existing before dinosaurs. It was a night or two before the full moon, so as seen in the picture, the mating activity was picking up. The largest population in the world lives in Delaware.

The new Indian River Bay Bridge is being constructed. You could see it across the bay from the condo and from here. We drove beside it the night before we visited here. Vanessa thought it was a pretty cool structure.

One disappointment with the East Coast is that you can't see the sunset on the ocean beach. But the bay at the Preserve allowed for that. What a peaceful place . . .

Vanessa Goes to Washington

With all the hustle and bustle in Washington D.C., and the long return trip still ahead, Vanessa didn't quite make it to Capitol Hill to share her thoughts on the oil spill dilemma, but she did get to play and run in National Mall. Our time there allowed her to release any leftover vacation energy before getting back in the car for a 7 to 8 hour drive home.

We took a great family vacation to Bethany Beach, Delaware. We'll share more about our trip over the next several posts. I figured it was best to share in reverse -- who wants to end on a bad note (the end of vacation)?! Plus, Daddy didn't much like any delay that Washington D.C. provided, making it the least enjoyable moment of our time away. It was also Mommy's first time to D.C., and enough of an experience that she doesn't have the desire to go back unless made to chaperone a future school visit, for which Daddy happily nominated her for. :)

A Vacationer's Prayer

Thank you for this vacation. Allow it to bring me a new appreciation for the good things in life. Bring us home safely . . . (and could you make it last just a little bit longer . . . ?) Amen.

Just Hangin' Around

Ornithologist . . . ?

Vanessa likes to use the white piece to her Cookie Monster face puzzle as binoculars. On this particular day she asked to go outside to watch birds. We headed out with no delay. She took her small chair out to the yard and sat down to spot birds. When she spotted one, she would go after it to say hi. Yes, even after a couple of years of bird chasing, she has not given up on making friends with these really fast creatures who want nothing to do with her. :)

Just a Singin'

How 'bout some ABCs?

And a taste of Marley . . . ?

Pooh

When Vanessa's daddy visited his Grandma and Grandpa Holton growing up, he could be sure to visit Winnie the Pooh's house in "the woods" to see if Christopher Robin left a treat. For a third generation, this tradition lives on. Seems Pooh moved to the woods close to Vanessa's grandma and grandpa's last weekend. This may be just another vacation home for Pooh -- as others have had to sell their "extra" house or two, due to the recent economic decline, Pooh still owns a few. He even has a home in Massachusetts!

Vanessa was excited to discover Pooh's new house and that Christopher Robin had left a few Ho Hos for us all to celebrate.

Cheers to Pooh! Welcome to the heart of Old Beechwold!

What are you up to?

She's so sneaky. Really sneaky.

She plots and comes up with really good excuses to give when caught doing something she knows she's not supposed to be doing. Other times she doesn't care and chooses the punishment or scolding for the immediate gratification she is after. How can it be that a 33-month-old can do this so well already?


Vanessa loves treats. She obsesses and asks for them all day long. She even tilts her head, bats her pretty eyes, and shows the prettiest smile when asking in a soft and tender voice: "May I have a treat?" She's used to hearing "No, not right now." But that doesn't keep her from asking again and again.


Sometimes after trying with Mommy, she goes to Daddy and tries with him. She's catching on that it doesn't benefit her to try this tactic when Mommy and Daddy are in each other's presence -- "Vanessa, Daddy will tell you the same thing Mommy just told you. Right Daddy?"


Vanessa woke up one morning a few weeks ago asking about her chocolate bunny from Easter. She spotted it the day before when visiting Mommy in the den, a place I thought was good for hiding things. We were saving the chocolate bunny till we finished our treats in our Easter basket, stored on top of the fridge. After coming downstairs and seeming to accept the fact we were not beginning our day with chocolate, Vanessa went about her morning as usual, or so I thought . . .


Around 9 in the morning I had gone to the restroom. Vanessa seemed to be watching a favorite TV show. I was listening extra closely for her but she wasn't making a sound, so I figured she's in the chair where I left her. When I came back in the playroom, I couldn't see Vanessa. I called for her and she called back "Yes, Mama?" I followed her voice to the great room where she was sitting on the couch munchin' away on the ears of her chocolate bunny. It was like the girl had been waiting all morning for me to leave her alone for just one second. While I was in the bathroom, she scaled the nonclimbable gate and went into the den, grabbed her chocolate bunny box and took it to the great room where she proceeded to rip through the plastic and tear out the bunny. She had to have been planning with what she accomplished in the very little time she had. I grabbed the camera, of course, and scolded her. My words and taking her to the playroom to sit still for a few minutes didn't seem to faze her. She went willingly while patting her tummy and announcing "Mmm . . . that was good!"

And here Vanessa is pretending she's not up to anything. Vanessa often likes to play in her room for a bit after waking in the morning and from nap. This is when I hear some of her most creative moments play out. On this particular day I could hear that she was up to something questionable -- when the door is closed she often shares her plotting with her imaginary friends and stuffed animals, allowing me to overhear what she's up to. I grabbed the camera and opened the door. You could tell she quickly positioned herself to appear like she was just cuddling Elmo on her desk. When I asked what she was up to, she responded "Nothin'. Just sleeping." Then I caught glimpses of her looking at things hanging on the wall above her head and on a shelf located on the opposite wall. I knew right away that she had been climbing up there to take everything down.

She seems to understand most things she should and shouldn't do, but I pray hard we're able to help her develop a strong and nagging conscious!

I was pretty sneaky when I was Vanessa's age -- at the age of three I covered my little cousin from head to toe with baby powder that I retrieved from the top shelf of my bedroom closet, using a ladder from my brothers' bunk beds. One thing that I can say made me think twice before doing something was the song my grandmother always sang to me in a very gentle voice -- Oh Be Careful Little Hands (Eyes, Ears, Feet, Mouth). My grandmother would go into singing the appropriate verse when she suspected I was up to something. I now use it with Vanessa too, hoping for the same results. I seriously started hearing this song in my head!

Tiger Racing

With the ribbon cutting ceremony taking place at the Polar Frontier last Thursday, we decided to race tigers. Ours won the first round. These two raced for probably 5 minutes -- back and forth . . . and back and forth . . .

Daddy's Girl

It's official -- she's a daddy's girl . . .

I cringe with spiders. I've had horrible experiences with spiders. I don't like that they have eight legs and can move at rapid speeds. So as I was working in the flower beds yesterday, I heard Vanessa announce happily that she found a spider in her water bucket. I glanced from a distance and saw that it wasn't a harmful spider, so I then stood back to watch how she would handle it.

She bravely stuck her hand down in the bucket and let the little guy climb onto her. She held him proudly and kept announcing that she had a new spider friend. I wanted to swat it off her and kill it, but I sucked it up (not it!) -- I figured if she could stand there and play with him, then I could pretend I was just as brave. Quickly my only hope became that she wouldn't ask me to participate just to discover the big chicken I really am.

Vanessa's daddy likes spiders. He'll play with them and hold them. But not me!

And so the whole exploration began with Vanessa coming up with the idea to clean and paint her Daddy's truck using water and a paint brush. Daddy wasn't even there to encourage it. She must be a daddy's girl . . . (and just how did it become daddy's truck . . .?) :)

Money Saving Goodness

So the winds that came through last night brought with them a money saving blessing. We are scheduled to have this tree and another to be taken down. Now the bill will be about a third less! And what a perfect spot to have landed!

Vanessa: "Look Mommy! That tree is broken. Daddy will have to fix it. He'll come home and put it back up!"

Unforgettable Experience

So Vanessa was awarded a special treat. She was able to help Amy Parrish with a special project. Most of you are aware of the gift Amy honored Cousin Celia and her family with about 10 months ago, capturing Celia's radiant and stunning spirit. And just recently Amy did a gorgeous shoot of Cousin Audrey. Amy has incredible visions and a wonderful gift for capturing the spirit of any subject. We're grateful Vanessa fit into one of those visions. By looking at her wonderful photos, you'll see that Amy captured something in Vanessa that is unforgettable. Check out Amy's photos at the following link -- Casting Call Pt II: Amy Parrish -- Parrish the Thought

And after an experience like that, it's hard to share pictures from our old camera. But I guess you can't expect perfection with shots from behind the scenes. :) Here's Vanessa last weekend fretting over what to wear for the photo shoot yesterday. Wonder if this will work for Amy's vision . . . ?

I could never have envisioned what Amy would do with Vanessa's photos. I'm so happy she's the professional!

Vanessa's words on the experience:

"I took pictures with Miss Amy today. I dressed up and Amy shared."

"Miss Amy gave me straw to play with."

"Amy pulled a marble from my ear."

"I did pictures with Amy last night." (She meant yesterday morning.)

"That's me in front of that door. I'm opening the door. Amy took picture of me at that door."

"That Amy is silly."