Beach weekend with the McLaughlins...the rest of the story!

Okay, so I left off last time with Catalina and Ford splashing about in the ocean, Gus and Max hanging out on the sand with their ice cream sandwiches. We finally decided that it was time to go in and get cleaned up for bed. It all happened pretty fast...Nat turned on the shower, walked out to borrow some baby shampoo from me, while Scott and Ford got into the shower, and then we heard the screams. Ford slipped and hit his head on the threshold of the shower door. Scott snatched up Ford and put pressure on the cut with a towel, I panicked and called Louie to find out where the closest hospital was, and Natalie turned into super-mom! I'm telling you, she was as cool as a cucumber...taking care of business like the mom of the year...picking up clothes for Ford to wear, getting the keys to my car, and off they went. Of course, Scott was amazing, too, but, as a fellow mother watching the situation, I was seriously mesmerized by my sweet friend and how well she handled the situation!

They called from the hospital a little later to tell us that Ford was alright, the bleeding had stopped, he wasn't crying anymore, but that he would have to have a few staples in his head. This was all very good news to Catalina's ears, as she was absolutely hysterical over the whole situation. Natalie even put Ford on the phone to tell Catalina that he was alright. She and I felt much better after that. And, as far as ER visits go, I think it was the best that they could have hoped for. Scott took this picture at the hospital:



And, here's the brave little guy upon returning to the condo. His main concerns were that no one touch the back of his head and that he would be able to watch "Ratatouille" like the rest of the kids!



Here he is the next morning, still hanging onto his balloon from the hospital and still wearing his "I visited the ER!" sticker!





Before breakfast, we spent a little time on the balcony of our condo (as you can see above). In the span of about five minutes, Catalina managed to show Max that he could stick his arms through the railing with his drink in hand. And, I'm sure you can guess what happened next. Here's Max trying to look for his sippy cup, the one that he dropped from three stories onto the pool deck (also note the look of self-reproach on Catalina's face!):



Pointing down and saying "Uh-oh!"



After breakfast, we hit the beach. I was amazed by Ford and how well-behaved and obedient he was. I can't imagine it being easy for a three-year-old boy to stay out of the water when it's right there in front of him. But, he totally followed doctor's orders! I could post a million pictures of them playing in the sand together, but I won't (b/c I'm sure they all look the same to anyone but me or Nat).



As we were packing up the car to go home, the kids watched a movie. I can't resist sharing this spontaneous PDA between Gus and Max! I love it!





A family picture on the balcony before heading back to Tampa:



Now, here's a little parade of some of my favorite pictures that Scott and Natalie took while they were here:

































It was really hard for all of us to say "good-bye" to our good friends on Monday. We loved every minute that we spent with them! Natalie said that Ford told her he wanted to go back to Tampa and play with Cati, Gus, and Max. And, for the next several days, Gussy kept saying things like "Where our friends?!" "Ford cracked his head. He haf tuh go to duh hop-sital." "I wanna go back to duh hotel with our friends [meaning the beach condo]."

Thanks for coming to see us, Nat, Scott, and Ford! We love you and can't wait to see you again soon.