The toughest part about the beach is making too many good memories. It's daunting to try and organize and sort through all the pictures! Then I have to write something about it!
The beach is the obvious place to start on a beach week.
I experimented some with taking angles from in the water.
It was a battle to keep my phone dry, but it still worked by the end of the day.
I got some neat shots, too.
The water was too cold for any adults other than Stu or I to go too far in most days.
I gave Patrick a cold, wet hug but that's the closest he came to swimming! He and Shelby only hit the sands once, but they'd had their fill!
Whereas, the kids were happy enough to roll around in it daily.
I swear, this picture looks like an action pose for a miniature. If I ever get into painting models again and I see one that looks like it I'm painting it to look just like B.
I don't know how it went unnoticed so long, but Shane found a full-face, snorkeling mask. It almost made him look like a power ranger (with a funky antennae). I got one picture before he got carried away and started swimming off into the Atlantic! I had to ditch the phone and hop in before he got too far out. I turned him around he paddled back into water he could mostly stand in.
He questioned a local fisherman about them.
The boys noticed that some of the fish on the sand were still alive! I told Shane to throw it back in.
The boys spent the rest of the night running up and down the shore, picking up fish (dead or alive), and hurling them back into the water.
Every day we hit the sand, the kids found something new and entertaining to look at.
They shared it with each other and with anyone who wandered by that would listen.
I thought the horseshoe crab shells were espeically neat.
We, the adults, found new photo opportunities with every discovery.
It's enough to wear you out!
How to tell if Tenley is tired:
I'm not sure the other kids picked up on the hint.
Megan came late and brought snacks for B to fight off the tired and hangry.
She had been trying to get this guy to sleep and he refused.
You'd think that they'd all be worn out from all the running around they did all day.
We probably spent more time at the pool this year than we did at the beach. The pool was really the perfect size and depth for the kids (which I know I've said before).
Shane started to wear his new favorite mask around.
He marched around the yard in it since we wouldn't let him bring it in the house.
The only thing that dampened his enthusiasm for it was when he realized no one could understand a word he was saying wearing it!
Without timestamps, it's hard to tell when different pool session were. They all blur together and the swimsuits only change part of the time.
Pool maintenance came by a couple of times. The water levels were low early in the week and you could hear the constant draining. Later in the week, the maintenance guys turned on the house and left it there.
Which of course made for fun play.
I felt a little lazy, because I don't think I went into the house pool this year. I was the first one in the ocean and to swim out, because I knew my kid was going to be the one to push boundaries. But at the house, Shane was safe. I watched like a lifeguard and let the kids play with each other (or try to team up against the Twins!).
We had to amend our "No swimming unless an adult is there" policy at the end of the week. I told Shane the new policy was "No swimming unless an adult is there who will drag you out of the pool in case of emergency."
The kids started swimming while Jama and Ed lounged at the pool side. Nana found them moments later while the rest of the horde was on the way. She made B put his floaties on and passed along the word to hurry up. Nana threatened to tell Carrie I'd let Shane jump in the pool without me there, but I'm posting it now regardless!
Water, water, everywhere.
Definitely a theme for beach week.
The kids didn't spend as much time on the pier this year. Matt spotted the snake and that helped kill that!
B really enjoyed peeing off of it, though. He dropped his pants and let loose before anyone could tell him not to! Shane was jealous.
It wasn't the only thing B peed off of either! He probably would have liked to have sprinkled off the observation deck if Pop hadn't closed it for business. None of the kids tested him on the policy to my knowledge. They had too many other things to do.
Which reminds me, I took some pictures of the lake under heavy winds.
We saw some inflatable blown from their safe harbors traverse west to east.
The waves were smacking against the eastern piers.
It was fun to watch. Weather is always interesting when you have a safe haven to be grateful for.
The skies were overcast all week which helped prevent sunburns! It worked for our clan. It rained more at night than in the day, but one day the wind kept blowing the front door open.
I believe it was Wednesday night Matt and Renee prepared their traditional low-country boil.
I actually helped this year!....by picking up some wax paper. No, the meal has been their show.
The sausage and corn was the most popular with the kids.
Aiden took my seat at the table, so I ate from the bar, listened in, and took some pictures. It was the last meal Shelby and Patrick had with us (95% sure - Darn WhatsApp removing timestamps!).
The house got a little quieter after Shelby and Patrick left. There weren't enough rooms in the house, so they had set up an air mattress behind the table in the downstairs room. I had parked my computer in there before they arrived, but after they left I never migrated back that way. It had been a quiet hiding spot, but now something was missing.
They've played fantastically together. I'm looking forward to watching them grow together in future beach trips (Plus, Matt and Renee announced they're expecting their second child in December!).
Pokemon Go and Super Smash Brothers were the favorites. There was a little Super Mario Kart and other games mixed in, but only for a smidgen. Shane and Cole liked to construct levels in Super Smash Brothers and sometimes squabbled over who's account to use. Things worked best when everyone was on the same team. Matt tried to see if the boys would unite against him in a 3 on 1, but they weren't mature enough to share the common goal without focusing on each other's mistakes. I got tired of hearing "Why am I always in last place?" and "It's no fair!" during one Mario Kart race.
I don't know who had the idea to turn down the difficulty level in the games, but things went much smoother once the kids started winning more often...
We got some good, old-fashioned games in, too. Shane, Cole, and I each got a win in Jenga.
Aunt Dot played War with Shane.
Lots of memories made with these folks.
Next year, Jama, Ed, and Dot aren't likely to come. The stairs posed a problem and the price for a house with an elevator skyrockets. Jama and Ed live a life of excitement and adventure at the Woodlands and Dot likes the quiet life. There were two falls over the week with a bed and a dog underfoot, but it all worked out. I think they'll all have fond memories of the week and maybe even re-think opting out in the future once they've had enough time to rest.
Thursday night was crabbing. The crew started on the back pier, but moved to the side one before I found them.
Pop provided a picture of the boys preening over their first catch!
I arrived in time to chronicle the next several catches.
Including Cole's catch of the night!
He was proud.
He told Ka about it when she showed up and I provided the pictures to verify.
Nana is the one who always drives the crabbing experience.
Pop plays netman and helps procure whatever it is she needs.
Nana went crabbing with Jama and Papa when she was a kid. She passed it on to my sibling and I when we were kids and she's passed it on to the next generation.
Shane yelled and hooped and hollered every time he made a catch. I believe he made a total of three (including one claw-less crab that got incredibly tangled).
All the kids were excited to look at every catch. B kept insisting he "wasn't afraid," but he was happy to pass along the string after a few sharp tugs!
All of the boys (Shane and B especially) would call out to passing boats to let them know about their crabbing adventures and successes.
Megan almost took a FANTASTIC video of the boys scrambling and squealing after Pop dropped a crab on the pier to scuttle off. It didn't take, but we still have the memory.
It would have been good blackmail material. B hid behind me the whole time! It didn't stop his chant of, "I'm not afraid" either!
You know who's really not afraid? Megan.
She went inside to check on Sammy and left B with her phone to take pictures.
It was still there when she came back, but that's terrifying!
Indy watched from up on the grass until Nana took her in. I guess she wasn't too interesting in sniffing something that could pinch her nose. Somehow she slipped her harness, but she never strayed too far from the group.
It was a quiet Friday in the house. Aiden spent the morning doing blanket time and going to the pool with Matt.
Kathleen, Stu, Cole, Evelyn, Tenly, Megan, B, and Sammy all left before 5 AM. Stu likes an early start so that the kids will sleep a chunk of the way. Megan decided to drive down with the H-branch to attend the funeral next week.
It left the house strangely quiet. We went from 18 people to 10 people and only 2 of them kids.
Shane didn't notice at first, because he was psyched about crabbing. Nana had promised him they'd go again and he bothered her again all morning. He asked one too many times, so she told him he'd have to wait an hour before he could ask again (and believe me, he was watching the clock!).
They caught the claw-less wonder again right off the bat.
Shane likes fishing, swimming, crabbing, whirlpools, showers, and watching water in general.
He loves beach week because of all the family, but he enjoys the sand, as well. I wonder if these interests are a clue about what he'll be interested as he grows older.
I'll need to take him out on a boat. He's been on a cruise ship, but that's not the same as when you can feel the waves. Grandpa was Navy, so maybe he's got some nautical blood on both sides of the family (skipping Carrie aside from cruising!).
Pop joined us after a little.
He took my phone and got a few pictures of me hanging out with the group.
Which is fair. I stole his hat.
We didn't go to the beach, but Pop and Indy supervised Shane swimming some. I got small burn, so I stuck to the shade. It's definitely quiet with only two kids around, but Shane wasn't the only kid making noise.
Renee! Why would you encourage Aiden to ride Indy!?
In reality, she was pulling him off Indy. He didn't need any encouragement to bond with her. I got a video of him trying to lick her, too!
Shane and I said all of our goodbyes as people went down for naps. We delayed our own exit, so Shane got some more switch time. I wanted to time our arrival for Carrie to get home, because I didn't have a key for Grandma and Grandpa's house yet.
Shane tried to teach Uncle Matt how to play Hearthstone, but since Matt already knew how to play he wasn't as receptive to the lessons......not that Shane got the subtle and not-so-subtle hints!
We hit traffic when we did head out around 3 PM. Google Maps changed our route multiple times and put me through a toll I would have preferred to miss (Hopefully it shows up in the mail. We really need an E-Z Pass). The AC fritzed out some while we were on a bridge, but the wind mostly kept us cool.
The gas light came on about 15 miles from 'home.' I slowed down some for better mileage and we rolled on without incident.
Even with traffic we timed it near perfectly. Carrie hit her own traffic and only beat us by 10 minutes! We went out for dinner as a family to celebrate safe travels and seeing each other again!
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