Beach 2017 - Day 7

"Come outside! Come outside!" They said.

It was a bubble ambush!

Shane started the kids on a 'trap' spree.

We gathered all of the kids for one last beach trip as a family.

Ka and Evelyn walked. The rest piled on.

We have a nice routine by this point. Matt and Renee set up camp near the lifeguard. Shane charges the waves.

Another contingent starts digging.

The waves crew will sometimes wash in to play in the sand. Parts of the sand crew are sometimes called to jump in the waves.

There was a concentrated attempt to make some sand castles this time. The kids learned how to pack the sand in.

Evelyn and B were on moat detail...not that they know what a moat is.

Tears were shed and sad faces adorned when it was time to leave.

Except the twins. They laugh at everything.

Nana kept the kids busy while cars were loaded.

The boys hung as a unit.

The girls required more individual attention.

When the moment came, the crying started again.

"I HATE leaving! Go THAT way!"

Ka didn't listen.

"Here! Have a waffle!"

The cars were packed in bumper to bumper, so it took some logistics to get everyone out.

Shane and I went upstairs to watch and wave.

Megan wasn't quite ready, so Matt and Renee took B for a spin.

B didn't want Megan to move. He wanted her to wait. "Back in 5 minutes!"

Five minutes later, Matt drove by. Megan wasn't there. Thankfully, Matt was prepared. He told B to cover his eyes. When Matt saw Megan was still inside he hit the gas and cleared out before B took a peek.

Megan was ready a little bit later. Matt and I texted and had Megan standing in the same spot B left her at. She never moved!*

It was B's turn to say good-bye.

Everyone was ready for a nap save Shane. I took him to the library.

It's a tradition worth keeping.

I liked the "Who am I?" books we stumbled across. There was Churchill, Jesus, Tolkien, Madame Curie, MLK Jr... Lots of neat things to learn about out there.

There was a playground behind the library, too. I threw Shane over the fence and walked around.

He's not afraid to talk.

He's not afraid to inject himself into whatever's going on, either.

The big kids were trying to race, but Shane was right there running and narrating along beside them. When they climbed trees so did he, talking the whole time.

We headed home when Nana texted an "All clear!" It was dinner time! Renee had researched a restaurant.

One thing Shane does that bothers me: He decides he doesn't want something he's never had and says he "hates it" (or "Doesn't like it").

For instance: Hush puppies.

I swear he's had them and loved them before. However, "I don't like those! I don't want any!"

"Hey, wait a minute! Daddy, I have to tell you something! These aren't bad!"

"They're good!"

He ate more.

"Try it before you decide something about it. Think before you speak," I said.

We toured the marsh walk behind the restaurant next.

Nana took a family picture.

The funny look on my face was, because I overate. My gut had a few things to say about it (Nana understands. She's where I got my gut from!).

Shane looked at the different birds,...

...and read the info panels.

There were some goats on an island.

Apparently, Drunken Jack planted weed all over the island.

The local plopped the goats there to eat it up. They've been happily munching since! (Who knows if there's any weed left. Goats have the munchies all the time regardless.)

To end the night we all watched Moana. Matt and Renee know one of the animators and even got to tour the studio! Carrie called at the end, so I stepped outside to talk. I figured I could watch the end with her later. Shane would be a-okay with watching it again.

And so ended our last night at the beach. It was a lot quieter with most of the kids gone. Everyone started packing and cleaning to reduce the work load in the morning and said our good nights.

NOTE: The big time night activity around the camp was to drive around in souped up golf carts blasting music. This terrified Indiana. I'm sure she'll be thrilled to get out of there!