Adventure.

We enjoy adventure.
So when we discovered we had a week off to burn as a family between Christmas and New Years, it was the subject of much discussion.
Graciously, Uncle Patrick and Chrissy offered to let us stay with them for a few days down in Florida.
Since flying is a logistical nightmare with four children still in car seats , we decided we would brave the 950 mile, 16+ hour drive.
The trip down was good.  Better then we could have ever asked for.  Caroline got a little punchy in Roanoke, VA; the traffic in Atlanta was indescribable, Alabama back roads are way too fast and Florida seemed endless but we MADE it.

After taking a few hours to settle down last night, everyone was up early and raring to go today.
We got to Mass.  Mostly bluehairs in the congregation, but that was to be expected.  The church was ornate and there was almost too much to look at, resulting in Nate and Ben wanting to be anywhere but the pew.  Our experience culminated in Benjamin picking up prayer cards, pretending they were guns and making "pow pow pow!!!" sounds at the old couple behind us.
Oy.
We were able to venture to get donuts and then to run around the beach with Chrissy to work them off.
The water was rough and too cold to get in, but that didn't stop the kids from getting wet.
And sandy.
It will be a long while before we get all the sand out of the car.

Making the kids they will promise to stray out of the at the beach.  It didn't work. 

Only after 12 1/2 years of marriage did we take our first selfie.  We picked a good place for it. 

Benjamin would not stop throwing sand.  We were getting nasty looks when he was in time out and the rest of us were busily building sand castles. 

The Toothless Wonder himself.  He lost one more tooth down in Florida, for a grand total of 3 gone in the past 2 weeks.  His smile is so flippin' cute.

We tried so hard to get a good picture of the kids.  Wasn't happening. 

But karma is something else.  Benjamin kept wrecking everyone's sand castles by diving into them head first.  DingleHopper forgot to close his mouth on the last dive he took resulting in a mouth full of sand.  It was priceless. 

Peek-a-boo. 

Headstands with Charlie.

This was right before a big wave came and soaked these two.  It was 60 degrees and they were absolutely joyful to be soaking wet. 

Much easier to get a picture of them when they don't have to be looking. 

Cheese!