Down By the Bay

Down By the Bay
Where the Watermelons Grow
Back to my Home
I Dare Not Go
For if I do, My Mother will Say
Have You Ever Seen
A Girl with a Touch of Blond Curl

who was scared of the ocean, but loved the Bay?

We just got back from Houston and had a great visit with family. Unlike our previous trip down to the coast, we were going more to see family and less to vacation. Rachel, Will and Jamie came in from North Carolina and we stayed with Danielle and Mark instead of shelling out the big bucks for a hotel room. Danielle's new house is very close to the bay and we went there several times. Sydney still would not go into water over her toes, but she had no anxiety over the water.

I want you to notice the pile of sand in her hand. It's a statue of a snail, she told me. She found this sand and started carrying it around after Uncle Mark found a massive snail, coming out of it's shell.

Did you ever see a snail, coming out of it's shell
Down By the Bay

Danielle's house also has a lot of great outdoor spaces. Sydney's favorite was the swing where she and Uncle Mark would sit. Mark sometimes uses a stool for his feet while he's swinging and when he was not on the swing, Sydney tried so very hard to make her feet reach that far.

Sydney's other favorite thing in the outdoor space was the four-in-one (five-in-one?) game set that Danielle has out front. It started as a Foosball table and then morphed into a pool table just while we were there. Here Aunt Dani is showing Will and Sydney how to play pool.

Did you ever have fun with a stool and some pool
Down By the Bay

Sydney also got to watch some new movies since she absolutely refused to go to bed before midnight our entire stay. She watched Uncle Mark's favorite, Happy Feet and was introduced to Pete's Dragon which is one of my old favorites. Mostly, though, she just enjoyed the time with family.

On our first morning there, Aunt Kathi came over and Sydney rode her bike down to the bay. Later, Lilia and Myles started catching jellyfish on their skip board and Sydney thought it was really neat to look (but not touch) at the jelly fish.

Did you ever ride a bike or find a new movie to like
Down By the Bay

Sydney also made out like a bandit on this visit. I had picked up two My Little Ponies, new in boxes, from a garage sale, thinking she might like them. Then Grandma brought her some new princess toys. Aunt Kathi brought her a whole package of pipe cleaners, one of her favorite things to play with. Sydney's cousin sent more princesses from her collection when she found out how much Sydney liked them. Gram picked up some frogs and turtles and Grandma Nolen gave her an ABC toy, some stamps, and let her take home three other My Little Ponies from the toy basket.

So, at various times, the Ponies and the Princesses had to come down to the beach to play.

Did you ever see a horse (purple, pink and green), of course
Down By the Bay

It was one of the longest trips to Houston I have taken in a long time and certainly the longest since having two kids and there were times when it would have been so much easier to have been at home, but when I think of how many precious memories Sydney made with her grandmas, aunts, uncles, and cousins, I think that no matter how hard it was for me at times, it was so worth it for her.

Did you ever walk the sand hold-ing your uncle's hand
Down By the Bay