There were too many of us to stay at Grammy and Kelly's house, so we rented a beach house.
We had to do some kid-proofing for safety, but all of the kids had a great time relaxing and playing in a new house. Chilling out on the deck with an ocean view...
And the best part was that the kids had plenty of time to play with each other. Here's the mandatory "cousins in the bath together" photo (Emmy, 20 months old, on the left):
Brielle and Stella are close in age, so they always love to play with each other. Brielle and Ronan have both been enjoying watching videos of Stella singing on her blog, so they were really excited to play and sing with her in person.
It was really cute to see Ronan and Emmy playing together. They were immediately drawn to each other because they're both little people. Emmy's a little older and can talk with more words, so Ronan followed her lead.
And, of course, Grammy came to the house several times for visits. She was overjoyed to get to play with all of her grandchildren at the same time. The kids were really happy too.
In the evenings at the beach house, Kraig got to try out his new telescope. Compared to Portland, the beach skies were full of stars and even a clear view of the Milky Way. Kraig shared the experience with Brielle.
The beach was just a short walk away from the rental house, and we went there twice. The first trip was a little foggy and breezy, but the second one was warm and sunny.
Aunt Kelly and Cousin Emmy...
Brielle always loves the beach. She spent her time running around freely and throwing sand out into the waves.
Ronan was ecstatic to be at the beach. The last two times we went to the beach, we timed it wrong with his nap schedule and he slept through the whole experience. But this time he was ready to soak in the new sights. He smiled and strutted around as if he owned the place...
Of course we also had visits to Grammy and Kelly's house. We learned that when Brielle says, "Bandon" she means Grammy and Kelly's house. She referred to the beach house as "pretend Bandon". Luckily she got some quality time at the "real" Bandon.
Ronan is also getting to know Grammy and Kelly's house as his personal vacation spot. There are plenty of toys for the kids to enjoy.
Brielle has enjoyed the in-house swing herself for a few years. But she was willing to share the joy with her little brother.
Daddy and Brielle spent some quality time in the on-deck hot tub, overlooking the lake.
Another Bandon tradition is going out onto the lake in the boat. This time Brielle got to enjoy the ride with Cousin Stella.
We also took a trip a few miles away to the "zoo", a wild animal park with plenty of animals walking freely with the guests, including deer, pigs, and many peacocks.
Ronan loves new experiences, so he was excited to see the animals and pretty brave about petting them.
Stella had her own camera for taking photos.
There were a few opportunities to get in line to get to pet baby wild animals.
Brielle and Stella pet a baby caracal. Ronan got close too.
We've never seen baby peacocks before! Very cute...
Brielle has been in a "turtle phase" for quite a while, after watching the "A Turtle's Tale" movie. So she was excited to see the turtles (tortoises).
It was wonderful to have a nice, long visit with Kraig's family. Brielle has a special bond with Grammy, so it was really special for the two of them to see each other again. When we were leaving, I asked to take a picture of the two of them together. It was heartbreaking that instead of smiling, Brielle showed her vulnerability, being sad that she was having to say good-bye.
Finally, here's some proof that I was actually there as well. We've found that, so far, it's been impossible to get a family photo with everyone smiling. But we DID have an amazing trip!
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