Johnson Family Reunion: Part 1

From August 18 through the 28th, Rick's family came to visit for our First Annual (or something like that) Johnson Family Reunion. In the understatement of the week, it was quite the adventure. We weathered an earthquake, a hurricane, and barely missed a tornado (by a day). I guess you could say that when we all get together, the earth moves. ;)

Anyway, the majority of our time was spent in the Sandbridge area of Virginia Beach . . . right up until we were evacuated because of Irena. Still, the days prior to the mess were beautiful! Warm sun, cool breeze, a house right on the beach with piles of sand to build castles. Not to mention the pool and jacuzzi. But words don't do it justice, so here come the pictures.

Day 1: Poolside

Here's the house we stayed at. Yes, it was painted teal. But before you laugh, know that the color made it easy to identify from a distance (like say, way up-beach).

Next, the most important element of the house. The pool. A significant portion of our time was spent right there.

Khyah found her comfort zone to be the first two steps. She had a great time dipping her face in (like her big brothers), splashing water at mom and dad, and bouncing up and down.

She would tell Daddy right where to sit and didn't let him move without her permission. "Sit down!" was a commonly heard command.

Brandt had a great time, too. He could be mister brave because the pool was just the right depth for him. Mostly. He thought the boogie board with the flames was pretty cool.

And he decided that jumping off the side wasn't exciting enough. He had to add some spin. And he was more than willing to do it multiple times so mama could get just the right picture.

And here is the more common view.

London had a great time swimming and racing and playing tag. He was quite thrilled with the shark boogie board.

And all of this wouldn't have been nearly as fun without the cousins. Zach practiced the cannon ball . . .

And he and Mic played all kinds of games with London and Brandt. I'd explain them to you, but I'm afraid I'm too simple-minded. But they must have been fun based on the laughter that always screamed from the pool.

And when Cadence wasn't sleeping, she got to go swimming with mom. A scream or two getting in, but she quickly warmed up to it.

And finally, there's no better way to cap off hours of swimming than to hop in the hot tub (or more appropriately, the warm tub).

In short, despite having the ocean right there, we loved having a pool to play in. More than once we caught the pool-less neighbors next door watching in envy. The pool totally rocked!

Next up: The Beach