Thompson Reunion

We went to the beach for the Thompson Family Reunion over the weekend. I was going to stay home with my sick children, but Ben responded so well to the antibiotics, we decided to go anyway. The drive there was very long - at one point, road work shut the highway down. After about 10 minutes, Byron decided to head back and try a little parallel service track next to the highway to bypass the construction.

This little track was designed for ATV and, of course, the line started to move before we got to the front, but we managed to not wreck the car AND move up a couple of spaces in line, so a fun little adventure.

The beach was overcrowded and it was impossible to find a place to park. I did not have high hopes for enjoying the afternoon, but once we got there it was a blast. Josh surprised me by taking right to the water. He is our timid one, but once he got in - he was in ... right up to his chest. He wanted so badly to try out the boogie board! However, since he can't swim, I wouldn't let him get near one. I have promised to get him one just as soon as he learns to swim without a life jacket ... as it was, I had a really hard time letting him play "on his own" in the surf. At one point, I managed to stay about 15 away from him ... but not for long. My mommyness just wouldn't let me. Robert was out in the water up to his neck and that was bad enough - but he is 12 and can swim, so I just contented myself with looking for him every 45 seconds or so. Thank you to Uncle David who stood in the surf to keep an eye on the older kids. Ben and Ginny didn't think much of the waves at first and they stayed in the sand with Daddy. Just before dinner, Byron brought them down to play with Josh and me and THEN they loved it. It was especially hard to keep Ginny away from the water once dinner started - she just doesn't take no for an answer. Dinner was great and even my picky kids ate plenty. Byron was convinced for two days before we left that we were going to loose someone, but we managed to make back with the entire family (and half of the beach). I can't wait to take them again ... but maybe to a beach that is a bit less crowded!