The best MLK day ever -- part 1

Chris and the kids all had Martin Luther King Jr. day off yesterday, so we decided to enjoy each other's company some place outside our apartment so we wouldn't kill each other or die of boredom. The weather was supposed to be a bit cool, but beautiful, so we headed to the beach.

 When the sun was hiding, it was a little chilly, and Chris had to wrap up in a towel to keep warm.

Ashley looks like she's about to fly away with the seagulls. Her toes aren't even touching the ground.

 Since it was low tide, there were lots of cool things to find on the beach, such as really big bones...

 and bizarre seashells with other seashells growing on it.

  The kids were excited to find a live starfish. When they were done examining it, they threw it into the ocean.

 We couldn't figure out what this thing was. At first it looked like a seashell or a baby turtle's shell, but it was so fragile, I wondered if it was an egg shell of some kind. Whatever it was, it's beautiful and we were sad when it crumpled and we couldn't keep it.

 Ashley loves to throw the football around. I think Chris was surprised to learn (after almost 13 years of marriage) that I knew how to throw a pretty tight spiral.

Here's our loot. We didn't take most of them home, because we have a lot of shells already, but we were sure tempted...

you can never have too many seashells.