Garden City Beach - 2011

Garden City Beach. Not quite sure what it is about this place that keeps us coming back. Could be the tradition - a tradition that spans back to my great-grandmother's days at the beach. Could be the family time - it is the one time each year that I am under the same roof with my sister, my parents, niece, nephew, cousins, aunt, brother-in-law for more than a few hours. Could be the early morning porch time. Could be the people watching - interesting. Could be the food - the "trash" mix, Pop's pancakes, the boiled peanuts, the biscuits, the desserts :) Could be the waterpark. Could be the storytelling and the laughter that always ensues. Could be the ice cream truck. Could be the walks on the pier. Whatever the case, I believe Pryce summed it up best. As we were driving in, Pryce took a deep breath, flashed his convincing smile and said, "Ah, it feels good to be back!"

My parents....the two who carry on the tradition.

Poolside chatter....

Emma and MK were our two resident swimmers.

MK and the beach are the best of friends.

MK was flying her kite and dancing the entire time.

Colin loved his beach time skimboarding, boogie boarding and just listening to his ipod and hanging out. He is growing up too fast and was quite the helper during out trip, even learning how to make the coffee to everyone's liking.

Pryce, Emma and MK riding waves....the bigger, the better.

And Jay-man, he was running from the waves....

Maddox's second week at the beach and she continued to explore.

Ahhhh, the ice cream desserts were the best....

Daily we sat by the pool in the afternoon and listened out for this guy.

My dad enjoying his quiet time on the porch.

Big brother and his youngest sister. C adores Maddox.

All four.

The little red wagon - every child has a beach memory with this little red wagon.

All set for an afternoon at the beach.

We spotted a shark swarming around the pier.

All four. This time last year we were finishing up our paperwork for our next adoption. I remember telling Ryan during our week at the beach that in two years we would have our baby girl home.....little did we know she was waiting patiently for us in China and we would have her home for our beach trip this year!

The daily beach nap.

And the random nap due to exhaustion.

MK's first trip down the waterslide.....she even ventured down the Dark Hole and LOVED every minute of her time sliding.

And Pryce.....this was a highlight of our trip for him. He LOVES to visit the waterslide.

And C going back for more.

These two kiddos are besties when together.....they enjoyed their trip around the lazy river.

Gran, Pop, and all NINE of their grandchildren. So happy that we all had a safe, fun-filled trip to the beach!