We went to Corpus Christi for Labor Day weekend to visit Gail and Grandpa Billy and see their new house. When we arrived at the new house, there was a big surprise for Ethan in the backyard - a big wooden playscape complete with swings and a slide. There are also kids next door his age, so now he will have playmates when we go to Corpus.

A big highlight of our visit was our daily morning trips to the beach. Ethan loves to "surf" on his boogie board. He is getting so good that he can catch waves on his own. He is becoming quiet the surfer.


We also had the opportunity to explore the local wildlife at the beach and discovered a new little animal. After much debate about whether the animal was a chipmunk or a prairie dog. I decided to ask a park ranger. It turns out we were all wrong and the animal is a spotted ground squirrel. They live in little burrows in the sand dunes, and according to the park rangers, "like to eat dead dragon flies off the grills of cars." They also hibernate in the winter. Here is a picture of one of the little guys.