Sibling Moments

One of the reasons we love to take our family on vacation is to pull our family together.  We have so much more time to focus on each other and like 1000 less distractions.  Honestly, it is getting to the point where our boys are so busy that it is nice to get away so that we can have their undivided attention.  5 years ago I would have said that it was nice for us to get Ken's time but me and the girls get to see him and play with him way more then our brothers.  The children have been super nice to each other and it is wonderful to see them having so much fun with each other on our trip.  It's also been neat seeing how they pair off and how sweet our boys are to their little sisters.

The boys have been bonding while catching waves.  While they have always been super close since they were really little, the last few years they have definitely had a few periods of friction.  Not anything truly worrisome, it has more to do with them figuring out their identity and wanting to be independent.  Which I feel like is a natural part of growing up.  I do LOVE to see them hanging out and having fun with each other.

They've been doing so serious sand castle building too.

The girls started out exactly the opposite of the boys.  I feel like I have spent the better part of the past 4 years trying to get them to enjoy playing with each other.  The last 18 months or so they have made huge strides in being each other's buddy.  But I have noticed that ever since school has gotten out that they have been Best Friends!  They are seeking each other out as playmates and turning to each other for comfort and love.  It is so NICE!!!

These are pictures of them playing their baby bottom game.  They think it is hilarious at the moment to say "Baby Bottom" to pretty much everything.  In the ocean they kept saying how the waves were going to hit their little baby bottom and wavy their little bottoms in the air until the wave hit them.  It was too funny!

They were all building a sand castle together.  Can you see it??? It takes 4 to build it when it is constantly being pounded by the waves:-)

When the boys decided to split off (wait, sorry make that Nathan got mad about something Darin said to him...not exactly the best sibling moment:-)  Rose went with Darin.  We often find Rose and Darin reading together or watching cartoons in the morning.  But during the day Rose usually sides with Nathan, so this was a unique situation.

Oh, my goodness!  Is there anything cuter then this picture.  Ginger was scared to boogie board by herself so Rose took her by the hand.

Nathan and Darin came to the rescue.  Ginger's rescue at least!  And took the girls out for a few rides.

Rose quickly decided that she wanted to do it by herself.  What a big girl!  It's like she thinks she is one of the boys!  Oh, wait she totally does think she is just like them and can do whatever they do!

Yep, who needs a brother to help you ride a boogie-board.  She can ride the waves just like the rest of them!

Rose may act like a Tom-boy half of the time but she also acts like a girly-girl too.  Nathan had helped the girls pack their backpack with toys for the month, so it's been surprising to see what they have brought.  Like they didn't bring a single doll.  But I've found that girls naturally like to play dolls and boys naturally like to play guns.  It doesn't matter if they actually have them.  Little boys will make anything into a weapon and little girls will dress anything up into a doll.  

This time probably doesn't seem like much of a stretch of an imagination since it is a stuffed animal.  But they never play with this stuffed animal like this.  They just sleep with it.  Also, I didn't take a picture of it but Rose put her panties around a pillow and played house with it too.  

The girls are very sweet mama's!  And I love seeing them play so nicely with each other.