After we left Fernandina, the kids and I spent the week in Savannah with my mom while Joe returned home to work. It was so nice being in Savannah for that long. I can't remember the last time we were there for more than 36 hours. Beginning of November, maybe?
The purpose of the trip was to see family and friends. That's it. We didn't run around like crazy. We didn't pack our days with errands and exhaustion. We had some down time. We played in the backyard and on the beach. We ate yummy meals, and the seafood that I so miss living landlocked. We stayed with Meme, and got to see Gran Gran and Poppy, Aunt Sarah, Liam and Marshall (cousins), too. But the main reason for our visit was to see Uncle Pete.
{Brief story: Sunday, the day we got to Savannah, all the boys headed to Lake Mayer so Thomas (little cousin) could show Uncle Pete all he has learned to do with the remote controlled sailboat Uncle Pete gave him. On the way there, a car - driving insanely fast - tried to pass both of their cars over a double-yellow line on a small bridge as they were beginning to turn into the parking lot, and hit my mom's car holding both of my uncles. Thankfully, no one was hurt too bad. Mom's almost-new car is totaled. It could have been way worse, but everyone was definitely shaken up. Scary start to the week.}
The Dream Foundation granted Uncle Pete, Aunt Kristie, and their family a week at Tybee. They stayed in a great beach house, nothing between them and the ocean but dunes. We went down to the beach several times to play. The first night we brought dinner with us and got a teeny bit of time on the sand. I love this picture of Joseph showing Uncle Pete his gummies, and Hannah talking to Meme:
Itching to see the ocean...
playing in the tide pools - a favorite!
...except for Hannah, writing her name in the sand...she does not like to get anywhere near the water.
The next morning we met Gran Gran, Aunt Sarah and the boys at Forsyth for some good old fashioned fun in the sprinklers. No bathing suits = no problem.
We spent all of Wednesday on Tybee. After dinner with Meme, we walked down the pier. The kids loved it.
Joe came to town on Wednesday night. Thursday we mostly played at home. Hannah was over-the-moon to have a new trampoline at Meme's house. Cousin Lucas (who fell through the old one) is no longer in trouble.
Friday, it was back to the beach.
My high school friend Beth, and her twins met us down there. As always, so good to see them.
Caroline and Hannah
best one we got!
While Hannah stayed on the sand, Joseph loved the water. Cannot overstate that. He was all about jumping over the waves. We had a ball playing with him in the ocean. Unfortunately those sunglasses only lasted a day... Joseph does not like the bright sun, but thought the shades were pretty cool.
Our last night, the whole family met at the Crab Shack on Tybee. Only missing a few people, it was a big crowd.
About to eat the yummiest crab legs!
Hannah, Joseph and Jackson playing on the alligator.
Uncle Ben and Hannah feeding the alligators; Hannah giving Joseph a victory hug when the alligator chomped down on the food.
my brothers Ben (left) and Will, both weird.
Uncle Pete's tribe
the five, and spouses
Finally, a few miscellaneous pictures from the phone (all involving sweets, interestingly)...
Joseph eating jelly for breakfast.
frozen yogurt one night; Krispy Kreme on the way out to the beach one morning
dinner with friends followed by more froyo!
vanilla ice cream cone with sprinkles at the Sugar Shack...Hannah's favorite.
We drove back to Sandersville that night. It was late when we got home, but so worth staying for dinner. It was a great trip. I was sad to say goodbye to the family, especially Uncle Pete, but we are blessed to have gotten the chance to spend time with them. It has been about 7 months since Uncle Pete's diagnosis. We know what the doctors say, and what Hospice tells us, but we are one strong-willed family who believes in the power of prayer. This family has seen countless blessings and shared special memories together in that time, and I am grateful.
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