Spring Break 2021 - Saint George Island

We took a road trip to Saint George Island for spring break. It was a nice little getaway and we were able to relax and have fun. We rented a house on the beach and it was so nice to be able to sit on our porch and enjoy the ocean. It also made getting to the ocean very easy. We had some days where the weather was a bit cool, but that did not keep us from enjoying our vacation. We had some really nice weather too, which was just I had hoped for. 

Due to the ongoing pandemic, we did mostly outdoor activities. That worked well, since we were on the beach and there was plenty to do outside. Evan did a lot of fishing, although he wasn't successful with shore fishing. The boys loved catching ghost crabs at night.  Despite the water being chilly, the kids played in the ocean every single day. We played games on the beach, built sandcastles, and found seashells. We also had fun going fishing on a boat. 

I am so very glad that we were able to have some nice time together. The boys keep getting bigger and are increasingly more independent. I really enjoy our family time together.

After a long day in the van and a fairly late night of catching ghost crabs, I expected that the boys would sleep in. Although Evan slept in, Preston was awake and ready to go early in the morning. The sunrise was beautiful and Preston was so happy to get to play in the ocean. 

The house had swing, which both boys enjoyed. 

Sea Song 

We chartered a boat to go fishing. Preston loved the boat ride, but he ended up falling asleep. He had been unable to sleep the night before because of a very loud storm. He went to sleep after less than an hour on the boat! 

Evan was very happy to be out on the water. 

We saw several dolphins. You can see two of them, if you look closely.

I usually just watch as everyone fishes, but I went fishing and caught a fish!

Evan also caught some fish!

Evan was happy to be back to a place where he could catch lizards. 

There was an ice cream shop nearby and we visited several times. The ice cream was delicious!

We spent a lot of time on the beach. Here are a few pictures of our adventures. 

This picture of Preston cracks me up! This is one of the ways he chose to play on the beach one afternoon. It isn't very conventional, but it is super cute!

Evan wanted donuts one morning, so we waited in a line outside the donut shop to purchase these. They were worth the wait, because they were delicious!

Evan was unsuccessful in his attempt to catch a seagull. It was interesting to watch though!

The seagulls were happy to have a snack off of our porch. 

February and March 2021

We are still enduring the global pandemic with Covid-19. The U.S. has had over 500,000 deaths and over 29 million cases. Globally, there have been over 2.6 million deaths and 121 million cases. It is still pretty scary, but we are grateful that many people are now eligible for the vaccine. Grammy, Bonnie Mom, and Grandpa have now been fully vaccinated. Carl and I didn't think we would get vaccines until much later in the year, but they have gotten better at getting the vaccines and distributing them, so we have now received our first vaccine dose!

For most of February, we didn't do too much. We continued to do school virtually. We watched The Super Bowl with the Amshoff family and enjoyed some visits with Grammy and Granddaddy. We celebrated Valentine's together at home, with gifts and pizza for dinner. The boys loved playing outside with their friends and the weather never seemed to damper their desire to have fun.

March brought warmer weather, more sun and the start of going to school! JCPS has elected to use a hybrid schedule. Some students go on Monday and Tuesday and the other students go on Thursday and Friday. Wednesday is a virtual day for everyone. It is also the day the schools are deep cleaned. Preston started on March 17th and Evan will start on April 5th. Although it is VERY different than normal, Preston has enjoyed being able to attend school in person. 

During March, we continued to spend time with Grammy and Granddaddy. We mostly did dinners and watched shows, as Granddaddy doesn't have a ton of energy. Granddaddy continued with chemotherapy and he is about half way through the treatment plan. We also had an at-home movie night with the Amshoff family, where watched Raya and The Last Dragon and had popcorn. We also rented a movie theater to play video games! It was SO much fun! We will DEFINITELY do that again!

February gave us lots of ice and snow! The boys loved playing outside together and with their friends.

                                                 

The boys enjoyed pizza and gifts for Valentine's Day and Carl and I enjoyed a custom charcuterie board. 

March brought warmer weather and the first signs of spring!

We played video games at the movie theater! It definitely something we want to do again!

We celebrated my birthday with Grammy and Granddaddy and also as a family of four. I am always grateful for each year, even one spent in a pandemic. 

Preston's first day of in person second grade!

Cheers! We have so much to celebrate! It is Saint Patrick's Day and Preston's first day of school in the building! 

Carl's favorite time of the year is March Madness. It didn't happen at all last year, as so many things shut down as we first started to experience the coronavirus spread in the U.S. They are playing the games this year and we celebrated as we do best! 

  

Winter Fun

It is winter and we are still enduring the pandemic, but we are still managing to have fun. We find that doing things outside is nice, even when it is cold. We have also rented out movie theaters for our family to view movies, which has been super fun. We are excited for warmer weather, but for now, we will continue to have fun in the cold weather! 

New Year's Day brought lots of rain. Preston found the puddles to be lots of fun!

Carl and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary on January 6th! We made fondue at Bonnie Mom and Grandpa's house, while Grammy and Granddaddy watched the boys. 

We made SO much food, that we could not eat it all. The boys were happy that we brought the chocolate fondue home to share.

We have enjoyed watching movies in our rented theater. We have seen The Karate Kid and Jurassic World.

Preston was a Super Cardinal for Chancey Elementary School. He was thrilled!

We love hiking! We love our nature reserve, but also enjoy Creasy Mahan Nature Preserve. 

Evan found a shed, which is amazing, as is it is still pretty early in the season. It is his best one yet!

We have been fortunate to have some snow this year. The boys have had a blast playing outside!