A Day at the Yo Yo Shun! First Impressions

Lily Grace's first attempt at "ocean" came out as "lotion" and we all got a kick out of that. So, naturally, we were wonderin' what Lia Faith's version would be. Just as a little background, Lia often repeats words or parts of words in her normal conversation. Thus, "I love you, too too!" I'm not sure why she does this, but she does. So while waiting in the van for Connie and Austin to return from plundering Publix for a few days worth of grub, Lily and I tried to get Lia to say ocean. Lily's pronunciation is correct now, so I let her give the lesson.





Lily Grace: "Lia, we're at the ocean. Can you say ocean?"

Lia Faith: No response, just giggling.

Lily Grace: "Lia!"

Lia Faith" "O kaaay, O kaaay!"

Lily Grace: "Just say ocean, Lia."

Lia Faith: "Yo shun, yo yoshcun" followed by much giggling from both ocean girls! And a few chuckles from Dad in the front seat. More laughter and more yo yo shun.



The next day, we got up early and treked down to the yo yo shun. Dressed alike, the girls drew much attention. One person even asked if they could take a picture of our family! That was odd. Lia's first response to actually seeing the ocean was similar to Lily's, but she didn't seem to be in as much awe. She liked the sand on her feet, digging her feet in a few inches with each step toward the yo yo shun. It took a while to get to the water at this pace.

Once we sat down, Lia was all about playing in the sand and seemed oblivious to the imposing yo yo shun threatening everything she built with the sand. Lily and Lia played for several hours - don't worry, they were covered in 50 sunblock - without regard to the world around them. Occassionally, they would take notice of the water, taunting it by standing within its reach, only to turn and run when it got close. Oh, did I mention squealing? What is it about girls and squealing? I don't remember Austin doing that when he was young.





Lia is not the least bit shy and would occassionaly find herself among other families who had wondered up and sat down next to her where she was playing. One funny exchange occurred when this family began discussing their dinner plans. Lia moved in close and looked back and forth at whoever was talking. I don't know if the family was amused or abused by this intrusion, but they did laugh at her interest in the planning. Alas, Lia had dinner with her own family at Fudpuckers. a family tradition, later that evening - see pics below.

Lily Grace's favorite part of the day was when we visited the kiddie water park here at the place we're staying (Waterscape). It is very nice, and as Austin says, very kid-friendly. So after Connie took Lia in, I stayed out with Lily for a little extra play time. She loved the attention and the fun. Austin finally found a swimming pool with people in it older than 4. And it was heated - very important, since it's March and the water is ice cold.

"Here's a picture taken in July 2008."

" And here's one taken this week. I guess we're just 'creatures' of habit!"

All in all, it was a great day at the yo yo shun, formerly known as the lotion, but correctly identified as the ocean!



Love,
Green, Party of Five
Jerry, Connie, Austin, Lily Grace, and Lia Faith