A beach day with him

It started out a beautiful day, ready to go to the beach!  

The boys counted their sea shells and were excited about adding to their collection. 

( Time out: I had to stop and soak up his 5 year old cuteness for a second )

ok, back to our day.....

 and then..............

Blake and I realized that Luke had a little touch of a stomach bug.  It started out slow, but he definitely needed a day of rest and a nap.

So, it was just me and my first boy,

we quickly said our goodbyes and ran to the beach.

He and I. 

On the beach.  

Together. 

No distractions. 

No place to be. 

and so I sat and soaked him up. 

Watching him run from the waves, 

and concentrating so hard that his little stuck out:))

and how small he seemed in the great big ocean. 

But my favorite part was watching him hunt, gather and collect hundreds of sea shells.  Hour after hour, he diligently searched the sand.

I was quite impressed with the shells, all different shapes and sizes.

And then he said something that I will never forget.  

As he and I walked along the shore together, he was picking up ALL the shells he could find.  

I quickly said, "Layton, be more selective, don't pick up the broken ones."

He sweetly responded, "But, Mom, they are still pretty."

I'm so glad that I have him, my precious boy, to remind me that the beauty of life and in our Lord that is often overlooked because things seem broken, ugly and unfixable.

Grateful for a lesson in unconditional love from my son......

It was a great day at the beach with him.