And yet more from Marco

The trip was great...a little short for Abby and myself, but just about perfect for the rest of the clan. After 2 days, the "other three" were exhausted and ready to head home...I think Abby and I could have stayed another week or two or forty. Nate tolerated this trip a whole lot better than he did last year. It wasn't nearly as hot, since it stormed off and on every afternoon, and the oxygen really did make a huge difference. We kept him off O2 for a little over an hour that first evening so I could take some pictures and we could swim in the pool (too many people to keep his O2 on in the pool), and it was quite evident after a while that he needed the oxygen. He was retracting deeper than I have seen in a long time and from every place you could possibly retract...add in a little shaking each time he would take a breath and bluish lips, and I was a little freaked out. Jay immediately took back up to the room and put him back on his O2 and he improved after a while.
The rest of the time out, we made sure to take his tanks where ever we went. Every 20 minutes or so, we would get him out and put his cannula on for about 10 minutes. He was so good to sit there and rest each and every time. After about 10 mins, he was breathing easier and ready to head back again. At the beach, he kept it on most of the time. He lasted so much longer outside when it was on, as his breathing wasn't nearly as labored.
The next 2 pics are perfect examples of how different of a look you can get in a picture just by adjusting where you stand. This was one evening close to sunset...Nate and Abby picking up shells:
This was taken just a few minutes later on that same evening...right before we headed back towards the hotel. The sun was behind me while taking this shot...a completely different look to the one above, though they were taken merely minutes apart:
Emma hated the beach. The sand, the salt, the fish...she was a big ole' complaining machine the moment she realized we were headed to the beach instead of the pool. I bribed her one morning, telling her that I would turn her into a mermaid if she stopped complaining. Being the princess that she truly is, she obliged. My little mermaid:
She did, however, love the pool! She was all about the slide, once she realized that she could take her floaty down with her. Even though she has been doing awesome swimming underwater by herself lately, she was still a bit freaked out to let that floaty too far out of her sight.
Abby loved the beach this year, which gave me incredible hope that I may have indeed raised a beach bum to hang out with each summer. One afternoon while Emma and Nate were sleeping (Jay also despises the beach, so he gladly offered to stay with them in the room), Abby and I went down to the beach and sat in the water for 2 hours reading the first book of Harry Potter. We also caught coquinas and sand fleas and found some gorgeous shells. It was truly a lot of fun hanging out together.
My favorite times were the evenings, since those were when we would go back to the beach and take pictures. I have loved doing this every year...dress the kids up and then let them get wet and dirty while I snap away. I love this one of Abby helping Nate wash the sand off his hands:

Emma singing to the world:

Em playing in the water:

And of course, another one from the last night...the girls and I always stay and watch the sunset on out last night at Marco and reflect on the fun few days. I love these times with them: