When you wish upon a starfish!

Last year in Florida Jadon found a real for sure starfish!  It was so cool!  It broke. I have no pictures. Sad.

This year, when we started talking about Florida again, Kiahna told us that she was going to find a starfish.  She became very excited about starfish and pointed them out (even when most of them were really just stars) everywhere we went!  She chose a hat for Florida based on the starfish (I tried to convince her it didn’t match her swim suit but 4 year olds aren’t really that into matching)

Well… we didn’t find any starfish in the natural.  We did find a rubber bouncy ball…

In order to make my little girls dream come true, when the boys asked to go to the souvenir shop, I asked them to buy me 3 starfish.

They did.  At least they proved they did by bringing me my receipt and change.  One of them had laid the bag down in another store and lost my starfish!

The next day my mom and Leah were going to the souvenir shop.  (much more reliable source) and they got the job done!

Now to plant them without the three youngest knowing!!

Excitedly showing Grandma their treasures!

Out-takes of getting a shot with the three of them… look at Kiahna studying it! 

I found Kiahna the next day watching TV like this…

The kids kept playing until the sun went down…

Lots of hard work playing like that…

Pam

Can't Leave These Two Out!!!

I guess I haven't featured Lucas and Jadon yet! Lucas, who can't seem to make a natural smile for me in the camera... and Jadon who is so photogenic it is amazing... Gotta love 'em!!

Lucas...

That is a good one!

ROFL!!!

See...I told you!!

Jadon...

I am still trying to upload all the pictures onto Shutterfly... I took so many. I came home with 450 on my camera. I was taking off the bad ones as I went even! So, now I am trying to narrow them down a little more yet! Too many cute kids to delete!!

I have to share with you the story of the starfish... I am sure you have heard the poem about the child who was on the beach throwing the starfish back into the ocean... and the man walks up and tells the child that what he is doing is pointless... there are just too many starfish... and the child throws the starfish that is in his hand back into the ocean and says... "it matters to that one"... My friend wrote a song about her adopted son, calling him "my little starfish"... I'll have to get the words and her permission to share them. Jadon and I were walking the beach, suddenly a starfish washed up by our feet. He picked it up, it was still living... we took it to the pool to show the others, it soon died. I didn't know what he did with it after that... yesterday he told me that he threw it back in the ocean...

THANK YOU GOD FOR CHILDREN... FOR THE JOY OF BEING ON VACATION WITH THEM. GETTING AWAY FROM THE BUSYNESS OF LIFE AND BEING ALLOWED TO CAPTURE MOMENTS IN TIME THAT WILL NEVER RETURN AGAIN... ON CAMERA... IN WORDS... AND IN MY MIND... THANK YOU FOR JADON AND KIAHNA... MY TWO LITTLE STARFISH... AND THANK YOU FOR JAMES, ZACH, LEAH, AND LUCAS... BLESS THEM DEAR LORD. AND MAY THEY GROW STRONG AND MIGHTY FOR YOUR SERVICE, IN JESUS NAME.