Beach Weekend

We spent several days at the beach over Truett's birthday/Easter weekend.  It was such a great time!  It took about 3 1/2 hours to get there and the drive was simply beautiful (and the kids did amazing in the car for that long!)  We left on Thursday when Michael got home from school and stayed until Sunday morning.   Our first hotel left much to be desired (I don't have a picture, but the sheets were a bit dingy and there was a cigarette hole in one.  Ick!).  But, it was a place to sleep and watch movies on the tablet, so it worked.

The first full day we were there, we went to THE most beautiful beach we have ever seen.  

There were only about 5 or 6 other people there.  The kids had a fun time playing in the sand and

getting a little bit in the water.

Our good friends drove down and joined us that evening.  But, since they took a wrong turn, we had some spare time before they arrived.  We found a little park and played.  Notice Truett sitting in his little "world."  The play equipment is all made of metal (some a bit rusted) and the ground is concrete.  Ouch!

 The next day might just be the best day I've had since we moved, mostly because Truett had such a great day!  (which is crazy because just the day before I was telling my mom that I didn't really care for the beach)  We ate a delicious breakfast of homemade banana bread, made by our friends.  We headed to a different beach, one that was much more populated.  I'm sure we all caused quite a scene . . . 1) we are all white (except for my friend, who is Indonesian) 2) we have some pretty adorable kids  3) our kids were playing and building things in the sand  4) we let our kids play in the water and 5) I was actually wearing a swimsuit, unlike any other woman on the beach.  Our friends rented a surf board for the day and Truett had an absolute blast on it.  I wish I had some pictures of that smile on his face.  He would ride the board from way up all the way to the shore (not standing up, just lying on his belly).  Oh my how he loved it!  Whenever he would get knocked over by a wave, he would jump up and laugh.  That's crazy, considering that he cries in the bath every time we get water near his eyes.  Oh well, there was sheer joy on his face and it made this Momma's heart so very happy!  He and I also spent a good bit of time jumping the waves.  His laughter!!  After a good bit of time in the ocean, we got a call from Commissioner Gorden, the police captain of Gotham City.  He told us that the Joker was on the loose and he was littering.  He needed Batman's help!  So we ran to find him!  Our friends made a Joker pinata for Truett's birthday and the kids had a blast with it.  You should have seen their faces when the candy came out.  He talked about that thing for days!  

As we were eating lunch, Truett noticed some random sheep.  He decided to go after them.

 

To top off the afternoon, we went for a boat ride.  Our friends talked some local fisherman into giving us a ride around the bay.  It was beautiful.  The kids had such a long, sunny, and fun morning that they all zonked out on the boat.

We moved a new hotel that afternoon and THIS was our view:

We found a fun place for dinner, run by a Spanish man and his Indonesian wife.  They had a kareoke machine and played HAPPY BIRTHDAY over and over again.  I think that Truett got a bit tired of it!  We exchanged numbers with the owners since she comes to Yogya often to purchase supplies.  They are starting a little hotel there, too.  Maybe this could turn into a fun friendship.  We will definitely be heading back to the beach.  

 Of course the kids dressed in super hero clothes for Truett's birthday dinner!

The next day, we went to a small little water park.  It only had a couple of slides, but the kids had fun.  It was a good way to spend the last morning before heading back for Easter Sunday church.