Memorial Day Weekend (a lot late!)

We had a great Memorial Day weekend with the kids. Grammy and Poppy stayed up north for a few nights at a Resort by Lake Michigan so we headed up there for the day on Saturday. Sand, water, and a trach do not go well together so the girls have only been to Lake Michigan one time and it was so cold that we only stayed for 5 minutes or so. This time we spent a couple hours playing in the water and sand. They LOVED it! Keyan was feeling well enough to have her trach capped so that took some of the stress off. It was a great milestone for all of us and a memory that Mommy will not soon forget.

Jamahl was in the water in less than five minutes. The fact that it was cold did not stop him at all. Before the end of the afternoon, his layers were all wet and he was down to his t-shirt and skives!

Keyan kept pushing her limits and getting closer and closer to the water. She never stopped running until we made her take a break. By the end her legs absolutely would not hold her up any longer but she kept up with everyone else as long as she could!

Abagayle does not like to be cold so she kept finding the warmest places on the beach. She finally warmed up enough to chase Uncle Jeremy, scout for treasures, and roll in the sand. She had so much fun.

Sidney followed in the footsteps of Jamahl and just kept getting wetter and wetter. She too ended up in just her diaper but she did not mind at all. She loved digging and playing with Jamahl. She will be ready for the beach anytime!

McKenzy did not like the way the sand felt on her feet but eventually was won over by her siblings to join in on the fun. Her only real complaint was that her binky kept getting all sanding! She could play in the sand for hours!

Here are Sidney and Abby rolling down the dune. They of course had sand in every crevice of their bodies but it was all very worth it.

What can I say??? We tried to get a nice family photo but I really need to know the limits of having 5 kids. We literally have 30 pictures and there is not a single one where everyone is looking. Oh well, the fun that we had will long outlast the pictures that don't turn out. It is amazing how such a seemingly "normal" event like going to the beach becomes so huge when you have special needs in your family. We have definitely learned not to take anything for granted!