Friday, May 20, 2011

Beach Break

I'm a little behind with this post, but I couldn't let Eva's first trip to the beach or a great weekend, spent with dear friends, pass by....
While we were in China, we met and traveled with Pat and Chris, who were there to adopt their beautiful daughter Chloe.  We instantly hit it off and so enjoyed our two weeks together.  Before leaving China we agreed that this would not be the last time we saw one another. 
 
Ready to get out of the Michigan cold, Pat & Chris decided to fly down to Gulf Shores, Alabama to relax on the beach.  With the boys out of school for Easter break and only a 6 hour drive for us, it was the perfect opportunity to get our families together once again!
Unfortunately, David had to be out of town for work and was unable to make the trip with us.  Our family friend Dawn, who traveled with us to China and whom Eva now affectionately calls "Nana", was kind enough to travel with us. 
We had a great trip driving down to Gulf Shores and heard Eva say "beach" about 1,000,000 times along the way.  Poor thing, it was so late when we got there that her first glimpse of the beach wouldn't come until the next morning.
They were all so excited and couldn't wait to get down there.  At first Eva wasn't too sure about the sand and felt a little unsteady trying to walk in it.
However, it didn't take her long to get off of the blanket and begin exploring. 

The water was a little cold and the waves a bit strong.  A wave knocked her down and after that she was done with the water for the rest of the trip.  She much preferred to stay on dry land!
Of course the boys thought the waves were "rad" and the water condition just perfect for boogie boarding. They had a great time doing that together.
Chloe and Eva got along so well!  Chloe is 17 months old so they are exactly 17 months apart.
In China we took the "red" couch photo...well here's the condo couch photo...this time no one was crying! They are both "blankie" girls!!
We hated to say "good-bye" to our friends...so instead we said "see you later"!  We know we'll make our get togethers an annual event!!
Hugs & Kisses Chris, Pat & Chloe.  We miss you guys already!!

4 comments:

  1. I just love kiddo beach pics! Looks like fun. How neat that you had such a strong connection with a CHina travelmate. Love it! So happy to see you sweet family.

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  2. Looks like you all had a lot of fun. The photos of the girls hugging and kissing are precious!

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  3. Awwww... how fun!!!! Everyone looks wonderful!!!! We have been terrible with keeping our blog up to date. Not enough time in the day!! Looks like everyone is doing really well. Hugs and kisses to everyone. Miss you all dearly! Dennis, Lisa, Makaila Mei and Callie

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  4. Love the photos of the girls together. How special for all of you to be able to stay in touch and meet again. We're meeting three families that we traveled with at the end of August in NY! Hoping we can make it to New Orleans for Jazz Fest and we can see you next spring!

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