Vacation has come and gone and as I sit in my office, I miss the time that I had with the boys at the beach. I miss the laughing, the relaxation and just being with them during the day.

Our vacation each year, usually includes a week at the beach, mostly at the beach, but this year, we decided to mix in a little education into the trip as well. So the middle of last week, we took the boys to the Aquarium that was about 15 minutes from the beach house and let them walk around and touch sting rays, crabs, etc. and they had a blast. But I think that the highlight from that day was walking out and seeing the Blue Angels doing their practice runs for the day. Now whenever the boys see a plane, they ask if it is one of the Blue Angels. I get it, growing up, most guys wanted to be either a professional athlete or a fighter pilot.

But the thing that I realized the most is that the boys are growing up. They are doing more and more for themselves and becoming even more independent. Boy B decided that he liked Turkey sandwiches with mustard, who knew? Boy A got the courage up to dive into the pool and both learned how to boogie board. And what I saw more than anything, was that they were determined to not only try these new things, but if they got knocked down, they immediately jumped up and tried again.  This determination will only carry them further in life. This determination that they learned before vacation, but which only grew stronger will be something that will help mold their personalities.

Our family vacation had it’s challenges, but all in all, the boys had a great time.