Thursday, July 28, 2016

Beaching It Up 2016

A few weeks ago the girls and boy and I loaded up and headed for the hills beach of Sunset sans Papa to spend a few days with my BRAVE family who were agreeable to dappling in the girls dreams of the beach excursion of 2015 as well as letting A get head to toe to mouth full of sand. 


Piles, lists, bags galore!

So OCD :  )

The morning monsoon which I loaded the van up in. We left straight from church so it was now or never and I was totally regretting E saying how they hadn't loaded up their sand toys at 8 the night before and I just told them to go to bed and I'd deal with it in the morning. Ha! loading up sand toys in a small river of our backyard in the semi-darkish plus the fear of a frog or snake plus a child sized umbrella ----> right here

I only pulled over once to give A his paci because I couldn't stand it anymore. We went super barbaric with no food or drinks for 3.5 hours and it was worth every single filthy potty break we skipped!

First order of business was getting to the beach 

A's number one mission was to take his hat off; consuming fists full of sand was a close second!


Uncle Kev was back in action this year!!!!

We took two trips out to the beach each day - morning and afternoon. I always terribly underestimate the amount of time it takes to get suited up and sunscreened up 

A's head was getting burned so I resorted to pouring super wet sand on it and using that as sunblock

So in love with the beach and getting our toenails painted

There were quarrels and squabbles but overall they kept the peace. Our sand toys are in need of replacing since they are so loved here at home. I'm thinking St. Nicholas might come through

Uncle Kev and Grandpa Joe supervised so much of the boogy boarding and Grammy and A spend some quality non-beach time together. It definitely was a team effort keeping up with these kiddos

Grandpa Joe and I discovered this nature reserve (soon to be developed : ( of course) and there were millions of crabs in the marsh. Purple crab?

It was so peaceful 

A pretty but thorn-bearing flower

Hahahahahahaha! Jokes on you mom, trying to actually get a pic of all four of us!

This boy!

These girls!!!

We went down over the 4th of July so I dragged (drug? - come on which on is it?) out festive attire

No patriotic strawberries or insanely awesome flag cake but red-white-and-blue cookies were make

If there was a major letdown of the trip it would have been in the fireworks department especially because last year we were SO CLOSE. R didn't mind being 50 miles away but E is not letting us live the fireworks of 2016 down. 

By the time we are there for the second day the kids are getting pretty beached out

And we spend less time on the beach

But we keep on going because we know we won't be back for a whole nother year 


The day we left E was on a hunt for a sand dollar because R has found some pretty decent half ones on a previous walk so we took a walk down the beach. The things you think about when the waves are crashing and the wind is blowing and the sun is shining... God's gorgeous handiwork

I broke down and bought 3 boogy boards which were put to go use. I MULLED over the decision and read WAYYYY too many Amazon reviews. I bought a $25, $30 and $40 on - all pink, but different. I was most happy with the $40 one. The kids like the $25 one and the $30 is getting returned because it got damaged too easily after the same wear and tear as the other two. I'm not linking to Amazon but let know if you are in the boogy board market and I'll show the ones we got 


They matched themselves... not me I PROMISE


Fam-mee beach pic for the books!

Followed by our one and only ice cream run - which was actually a drive because riding in the wagon was vetoed because the lead wagon puller and other walkers. We took two cars - minivans are awesome to an extent. 

No touching my ice cream!

She was the gladest to have her Uncle Kev back

What the what? Only one microscopic spoonful of ice cream!

But then I was glad we drove because we took everyone to the nature area 

They'd didn't touch the crab but $10 says next year A will . And yes R is wearing her shoes on the wrong feet because that's how she rolls!

Sunset Beach 2016.. thanks for being awesome

We stopped at our friends house on the way back to break up the drive (thanks E&T for hosting our crazies) and we still need to get photographic evidence that we do in fact see each other. With 6 kids ages 6 and under... pictures wasn't the first thing on my mind. And I still need that pasta salad recipe too!

It took a small army of people to make this trip happen to whom I am indebted for helping make our summer great and carrying on the Sunset Beach tradition which E won't let us get away from :  )

Thursday, July 21, 2016

7QTs - Pools, water slides and tubs


SUM-MAAAAA!




---1---

It seems like all I've been doing lately is working and going to the pool. Surely that is not the case but summer swim team keeping us busy!

R mid air!

She's been putting her face in and blowing bubbles (such a huge improvement!)

E has given breast stroke a whirl and is holding her own!

We got the pink google situation worked out - the first ones I picked out because they were $3 and I needed a bump to get free shipping, weren't working out so please note I have made good on the blue ribbon promise

Sno-balls  for post meet treat!

I got a brain freeze from gulping down some of R's when she got in the car!

---2---

Because we cannot get enough water at the pool... 

please let the record state, I am a cool mom who let's the kids set up a makeshift water slide

And get super muddy and gross. 

If we EVER do an addition on this house it will include a bathroom in the garage area that is complete with toilet and shower area for situations like these. 

---3---


I have no idea what this was but it was insanely good. Lee missed his calling as a chef. So appreciative when he has the time to display his culinary handiwork!

---4---

We couldn't get enough of the pool so we go back even for non-practice days!


Either that or we have nothing else to do in this crazy humidity!


---5---



We got a bunch of blueberries and froze them for smoothies


That's what the water/vinegar looked like after washing 2+ gallons worth of blueberries. Also, we had smoothies one night for dinner (we were having breakfast for dinner which is a total last minute dinner hack) and those blueberries plus the fresh peaches that we processed and froze = MUY BUENO!


---6---

The bookworms took 42 books to the beach...


Fortunately we found them all and they made it safe and sound back to the library. 

---7---

The two littles doing things that E and R got to do all the time...


Bath time used to be a big deal and a staple around here with E and then with E and R. But who has time for that? It's probably why the kids love taking baths at Grammy's and Jibbe's because we have them so infrequently here. We do shower them occasionally and A does get a bath in the sink. But there's nothing like a good old fashion draw the water and get in the big ole bathtub kind of bath. Especially when the big sisters aren't there to monopolize the toys and space :  )