Well … it’s the end of the road.  The time has come to close the chapter on this year’s spring break.  We’ll be boarding our plane shortly for a day of travel back home.

The girls are really excited.  Amazing how they’re creatures of habit and love their routine.  They’re missing their friends and animals back home.  Not to mention missing daddy, who had to fly back early for some meetings.

We had an incredible time.  Once again … just what we needed.

As I would go about my day … little thoughts would pop into my mind and I’d think … I want to remember this.  Oh, and don’t forget this either.  I started writing down little notes so I wouldn’t forget …

And so for my final spring break post … these are the things I never want to forget:

• watching the girls, heads bowed, asking God for repentance … they were praying for so long, I seriously thought they’d fallen asleep
• holding Hunter’s hand in the boat … she in the middle of CJ and I holding on tightly, afraid of the big bumps … and then, being lulled by the waves, finally giving way to sleep
• Wynter finding a sea slug, putting it down to get her shoes on … and suddenly screaming “it’s inking, it’s inking!!”
• Hunter yelling to CJ “it inked, it inked!!”
• getting snacks in the kitchen {for movie night} with Hunter, and her talking me into putting out every snack in the kitchen
• laying on the sand, listening to the girls laughing and playing around me … pure bliss
• seeing tailless lizards and knowing my girls are on the hunt
• after seeing her sisters do it so many times … and mimicking them carefully, I watch Hunter sneak up on a lizard … stealth like her sisters … but missing by a long shot
• taking walks with the girls and knowing I have no where to go, nothing to do … we’re in no hurry at all
• a cold water, outdoor shower after a day in the sun and salt water
• crystal blue salt water
• sand
• sitting outside working on a blog post, watching the sun start to peek through the clouds
• Piper giving Wynter a crab she’d just found … explaining it only pinches a little
• the girls laughing hysterically at the April Fool’s Day jokes I pulled on them
• the Yogi Bear song … over, and over, and over, and over …
• seeing Hunter with a mixture of ketchup, grape juice and sand on her face after an afternoon at the beach
• watching the girls run up and give Taylor the hugest hugs ever {when she finally joined us on spring break}
• I really can drive on the left side of the road … even at night!
• dropping Taylor off at church to go on a door-to-door ministry trip
• Hunter, the morning after Easter, holding 1/2 of a plastic Easter egg, telling me that “Wynter got her germs all over my egg and I can’t find the other half”
• the teen having a busier social life on an island, than at home
• homeschooling
• watching 3 bare bottoms get whiter and whiter and whiter
• watching the girls hair get lighter and lighter and lighter
• lobster at Santana’s
• new friends
• playing pick up sticks for the millionth time
• impromptu karaoke party while playing pick up sticks
• being surrounded with my girls when CJ traveled home … nothing but girl time
• Hunter finally catches a lizard … only to realize it’s dead
• listening to the girls in their outdoor shower … playing, laughing, and silly girl-talk chatter
• knowing my girls love and take care of each other
• clepto Hunter taking everyone’s stuff
• my girls and their creatures
• watching Huntie major crushin’ on a boy … 13 years older than her!
• randomly finding the girls up in the tree reading, writing, or just hanging out
• listening to the girls barter at the local handmade market
• the awesome sense of adventure our family has … and completely thankful to CJ for instilling that in us
• knowing I am blessed beyond belief

And last, but not least … a few final photos of our vacation …

Beyond. Blessed!