Beach 2017 - Day 3

Shane woke up around 6 AM again. He was too excited to sleep (still). We walked to the overflow lot and went out for bagels.

The rest of the (very excited) house was up when we returned.

Patrick and Shelby had been parked on air mattresses around the kitchen table. It was rise and shine or relocate.

They relocated.

Not that anyone could stay asleep with that much excitement in the house!

Today, we celebrated B's birthday!

It's not really his birthday, but after last year he thinks his birthday happens at the beach and not on a particular day. Megan belabor the point.

That meant cake for breakfast! 

It's not like these kids needed any extra energy from sugar. Cole and Shane set a 'trap' for anyone who wandered up the stairs. When no one wandered up the stairs, they started to call for victims. Pop obliged.

The trap worked....sort of. I'm not sure who was trapped.

The kids all got along fantastically. I thought there'd be a fight by this point. Evelyn got tackled once and cried. She was collateral damage. Cole could be vocal/high drama when he didn't get what he wanted but it was a whine and not directed anger ("I hate _____! I don't want ___!"). We never had a chain reaction where one kid set off another kid.

In this picture, I told Shane something and Cole started to cry. "Why are you whining?" I asked. "I wasn't talking to you."

And then he was back to normal a few moments later.

All of the boys must be extroverts.

We went to the beach midday. Matt and Renee led the charge.

Renee loves the beach. She and Matt will go and read books on the beach for hours. They set up camp, apply, and reapply sunscreen and listen to the waves. Matt looks for other pregnant women. Renee corrects false alarms. They stay entertained.

By Day 3, Matt and Renee had picked out a usual place which helped the latecomers find camp.

Shane and I were in the first wave this time. He was ready to go!

So was I.

Wave 2 arrived shortly thereafter. Matt and Patrick took turns throwing Shane into the waves. We tried to launch off each other's shoulders some, but the kids remained front and center.

Evelyn was thrilled people wanted to play in the sand this time around.

The waves called to my son.

Cole was braver than last year. He wasn't willing to go out as far as Shane (across the Atlantic), but he went deep enough to feel some waves. Shane would run back to say hello every now and then. Cole will start swimming lessons next week. Hopefully, the beach will prep him for getting his face wet (He's not a fan).

Shane learned why people don't get buried in the sand belly down the hard way.

B showed up last.

Group picture!

We stayed at the beach over two hours. My skin's limit is one. However, the kids kept playing so well! No one wanted to disrupt the good thing we had going. I got burned, chafed, and my foot still hurt as a result.

Shane got his first ever sunburn, too. For him, that meant his shoulders turned a little pink. My sunburn meant I felt drained, had a slight headache, and napped on the couch.

Dennis and Cathy visited again, too. Kathleen was happy to let anyone hold Tenley who dared to face the drool.

Stu, by the way, was in the early lead for "Most Valuable Parent" for the week. Here he's holding not one kid, but two! Sure, they're both his, but Stu also took out the recycling every day and cleaned up counter space. 

He wore two shirts every day because of Tenley. She'd drool on one, he'd hang it up to dry, and put on the spare. When he felt like he'd gone swimming in that one, he'd swap back for the original.

I finally got to play a board game after the kids went to bed. Patrick and I played Battlecon. We're Hearthstone buddies, so I figured Battlecon would be up his alley. It was!

I photobombed this picture.

We broke out Codenames for a little bit after Battlecon ended. Everyone was exhausted after a full day, so brain power was scarce. Stu went to bed early. It was still a fun way to spend time with my sibs and co.

Nana and Pop retreat to their room with Indy to watch TV when it gets dark. Fireworks go off every night and turn Indy into a quivering mess. She hides in the closet until the noise passes. Then they let her sleep on the foot of their bed (which would never fly at home). Indy is less than pleased with this years beach destination. The rest of us are packed in, but having fun!

UPDATE: Funny little story I almost forgot.

When it was time to open B's presents, none of the other kids were in the room. I thought they were ignoring him in favor of electronics. "Boys! Get in here!" I yelled.

Little feet hit the floor and they started running.

Nana and the twins jumped. They ran to intercept Cole and Shane "No! No! No! Quick! Go watch TV!"

They quickly herded the boys back into Nana's room.

You see, Megan had gone "shopping" at Ka and Stu's. All of B's presents were "from" Cole. He just didn't know it!

Disaster averted. I couldn't stop laughing, especially because I remembered hearing Megan "shopped" at Ka's that morning. Delayed comprehension is extra hilarious.