Beach recap, 2010.

I keep patting my pockets during the day, like something is missing.  And then I realize I'm not forgetting anything at all--there really is only one mouth to feed at a time during most of my day (not counting my own, of course). 

Little man and I are still adjusting to a new routine.  One without the big boys, now that they're in school.  Part of the struggle, I think, is we came straight off of our beach vacation where we hung out together non-stop.  For a week.  A week that was notable because everyone got along incredibly well.  And then we go straight to this...this mostly empty house.  It was not my most strategic of moves.  And I'm writing it down here to serve as a reminder for next year.  Or, good grief, in three years when our littlest one heads to kindergarten.  Excuse me while I faint.

But, ahhh, the beach.  It was, in a word, fantastic. 

                    

 

We rented a house a block and a half away from the beach, North End, in Ocean City, New Jersey.  Yes, the Jersey Shore.  But not that Jersey shore.  This town is dry which makes it a perfect family spot (you can BYOB but you avoid biker and college groups that tend to crowd many other shore rental areas).  We love the boardwalk and the amusement park.  And the gentle sloping beach that is perfect for kidlets.

The hurricane did preclude boogie boarding on most days.  But it also made for interesting waves (they came in diagonally!) and the older boys could not body surf enough.  This year, William did not take to the water much, which was okay because it was a bit rough.  But he loved playing in the sand with borrowed dinos and checking out the many craters dug by the rest of his family...

And he's definitely got the beach-lounging-thing down...

I don't think I can fully explain how much they enjoyed themselves.  And it's something I don't want to forget.  This should remind me:  we spent between 5 to 7 uninterrupted hours on the beach, five days straight.  And we would have gone back for more on that last day if the guards hadn't closed the beach due to the hurricane.  I think I need to put a huge sand pit in our backyard.

Evenings were filled with simple things, like taking a stroll that always ended with a healthy dose of ice cream.  Or heading to the amusement park on the boardwalk...

The big boys rediscovered some favorite rides from last year...

And it was littlest one's first go.  He is a daredevil so of course he loved it.  His giggles were infectious and once the older boys saw such unmatched glee, they insisted on spending their precious tickets only on rides that they could all ride.  Together. 

It was so sweet, I kid you not, that I got verklempt in the middle of a kiddie park.  And it made me forget the forty-two times over the summer that the older boys stuffed little man into a random piece of furniture to get rid of him.

 

So yes, the beach...it was awesome.  But again, it makes me miss biggest one and biggest little even more this week.    

 

Comments

[Meredith]

Gorgeous pics! That Santa picture is hilarious.