Van realized he can hold his breath and go underwater!!! Next stop: another swimmer.
Dude was applauding himself like crazy -- and so were we. He did this for 2 hours. It was absolutely amazing to see it click in his brain and how excited he was for it. SECRET POWER UNLOCKED!
!!!NEWS FLASH: THESE TWO ARE IN LOVE!!!
Oh yeah, and Scott and I shredded Off The Wall by ourselves for about 2 hours. No big deal.
Bad news Coco -- Dad isn't perfect. I put my desk on cinder blocks and pretend it's a stand up desk like all the cool millennials. I left one of the cinder blocks on top of the other, you crawled on top of it, it rolled off, and landed directly on your big toe. INSTANT PAIN. Your toe nail has a slice through the very bottom of it and all but insures that you are going to lose that thing. I'm sorry. Within 20 minutes you were calm, letting me ice it, and watching PJ Masks. Probably going to the doctors for an X-Ray, but mainly bummed you will have to stay off of it for at least a few weeks.
Scott and Heidi are here and staying with us for a few nights. I'm not going to reference why this is funny, but we went to dinner at Roy's and Scott said something so funny I have to preserve it here:
He punched the success out of her.
We laughed so hard at dinner people were staring -- I felt bad -- but I also didn't. It's complicated. Ash is so expressive and so fun, but he's also back to being a pain in the Ash. Van is talking so much, and for whatever reason, has a magnetic personality. It's far from perfect, but everything is awesome.
First off, iPhones are amazing. I'm incredibly thankful these things exist -- otherwise I wouldn't have pictures or videos of anything. That's the truth.
We love to go to the Stables out here. There's a nice private little pool off to the side that occasionally splashes water over the reef. We've spent many amazing mornings and afternoons here. Coco, this is where we first decided to put you on a bike, since it was hard packed grass.
Typically, Ash starts by running over to the FrisbyGolf™ tee off area and pulling the small orange balls up -- which have a huge spike sticking out of them -- and running around scaring us half to death.
Van then starts climbing the reef close the water, which closely resembles shards of glass sticking straight up. Yeah, it's super relaxing. We love every minute of it.
As if that were enough... on this day mom finally decided, after much badgering, to try the front flip and NAILED IT!!! Remember this moment in time.
You learn something new every day.
They call it Sharks Cove because if you look at it from the air it looks like a giant shark took a bite out of coast -- it has nothing to do with sharks being anywhere near the area. Boring stuff. I love you guys here. On this day, Van started swimming with the help of a blue noodle, Ash started randomly ducking his head under water, and Coco continues to look for fish. She points to fish every time she sees them, as if it's the first one she's ever seen.
This place is an absolute tourist magnet -- you all are darker than everyone else by 10 shades -- but you don't even notice. I'm upset that I have to work and can't be with you for EVERY adventure, but so happy you have a mom that takes you to the beach constantly.
Sidenote: Oswald has cancer and is dying. More on that later.
What didn't we do?
Van, I made you jump off of a one foot rock into the ocean -- you hated me for the next hour. Your face gets incredibly blotchy when you're mad -- never play poker for money. You also screamed "No BEACH" on the way there and then the second we get out of the car you holler "BEACH!" and run towards it as fast as you can.
Ash, you wonder around the beach like an oompa loompa loving every minute of it. You take Coco's sippy cup, then Vans, and rarely finish yours. You have absolutely zero tan lines (Mom's fault). You're never the first one to want to leave, but when you do, your back bends are second to none.
Coco, you are great in the water -- you just need to talk less and focus more on your swimming. You can't talk and swim, nobody can. You're incredibly adventurous and love attention. I'm amazed at your willingness to follow dad.
Wife, thank you for putting on a mask and swimming out to see the fish even though I know you were thinking about the "Sharks" sign. One day you'll be happy you pushed your boundaries ... one day.
