Thank you, Google. You saved Shane and I at least 20 minutes. Maybe an hour.
We left around 5:30ish PM on Saturday. There was a multiple car wreck that stopped interstate traffic. We paralleled it on an access road and got to bypass being stuck. I had to stop at a backed up stop sign which let me take the picture,......but as you can see it was easy to be grateful and compare my small backup with the much larger one.
"We must have passed a hundred cars!" Shane said.
"More than that," I replied. "What this....2, 4, 6, 8, 10..."
Shane took up the count and stopped at 50. "...and there's more!"
"...and all those we already passed. We've passed hundreds of cars."
The rest of the ride was fairly easy. There was some backup at the tunnel (Which Shane was amazed by), the AC compressor mostly kept up, and we listened to an audio drama version of The Two Towers (not as good as the book, but library free).
Shane was the fourth kid to arrive. Aiden, B, and Sammy preceded.
B and Shane started to make a secret fort under the front porch for when Cole arrived. They ran around and jumped off ramps and exuded excitement for the upcoming beach week.
Shane and I were in the basement again, but Megan and B took the bunk bed room. She was smart to claim the windowless room! The basement in general was delightfully cool. Matt and Renee said Aiden wouldn't sleep well unless it was set at 69 F. Meanwhile, it was set at 76 F upstairs!
Jama, Dot, and Ed found it cool to their liking, but I had to retreat to the basement on occasion to prevent breaking out in a sweat!
Sunday morning, the boys each got their own Nintendo Switch to keep things quiet. I predict there will be a lot of electronics time this week (It is a vacation! I just want it to be a social electronic time where they get practice sharing and create shared memories).
Sammy is bigger and walking around. He seems to be past the "stranger danger" phase. Either that, or he's accepted everyone here as familiar.
B and Shane are both really hands on kids. They can only sit still for so long before exploding with energy! B started trying to kick my feet and we ended up in a leg contest.
Aiden is a little older and a little more mobile than Sammy. He really likes Pop.
Matt and Renee are on it. They prevent electronics, provide electronic food, schedule sleep, and read parenting books as they prepare for Aiden's future little. Renee is in her first trimester and they're eager to expand their family.
The weather was beautiful and the older boys couldn't be contained all morning. They went outside to examine the pool.
Megan, Sammy, and I went out with them.
Pop checked on things from the porch.
I might have "accidentally" thrown Shane into the pool wearing all of his clothes.
He hadn't changed clothes for days and been smelly, so it could have been strategic (and fun!).
Shane swam for a bit, went inside, changed, and came out to swim some more!
B joined him. The boys love the pool.
And this was all before church! (Expect a picture heavy post!).
I put on the birthday t-shirt from John and settled in for the ride!
New this year: The kid weren't allowed to go up to the observation deck. Pop discovered the railing was loose and declared it a safety hazard. The couch corner piece was breaking down, as well, and the kids had to be explicitly warned, "No climbing."
Otherwise, the house was in the same shape and we settled into some of the same routines. We geared up at 9:40 AM to go to the same church we visited last year. Shane and I rode with Megan, B, and Sammy.
There were 13 of us in the pews. Last week's attendance was 98 people, so we were a noticeable population boost even without everyone assembled!
Nana, Pop, Ed, Jama, and Dot all went out for lunch at Panera afterward. They'd already made it down all the house-steps, so Pop wanted to get in some extra adventure.
There is a strict nap time at the beach house. Anyone who doesn't want to nap needs to play quietly. I picked up Forbidden Sky for $13 on Amazon and have been eagerly waiting to try it out with Shane.
We set up and played in the basement. It's a step up in complication from Forbidden Island and Forbidden Desert. Shane spent at least the first 15 minutes playing with the rocket and making circuits! Ha!
We had a lot of fun. Shane really enjoyed the gizmo while I was curious about discovering how it played. I'd buy it again for the price (and I bet Nana would, too, to ensure a quiet nap!).
Kathleen, Stu, and crew arrived around dinner time. Shane showed Cole their secret fort.
Pop and Stu unloaded the car while Tenley helped.
Matt saw a snake slither into the water the night before, but that only made the boys more eager to explore (The new house rule was "Not by yourself." Shane + Cole met it).
Sammy and B got up from their nap/quiet time and all of the kids packed into one room.
If you don't like crowds, you'd find the beach house an interesting experience. I was amazed at how quietly all the kids were playing and snapped a quick picture. We were all within the bounds of the couch.
Megan and Kathleen both had to do some remote work throughout the week. Growing up as we did, though, they knew how to work even amongst a sea of distractions!
More family packed in and I think we had 11 or 12 people in the same space.
Everyone was happy to be around everyone else.
And it all started with these two. Happy Father's Day, Pop!
With all the young cousins, assembled. It was time to gear up for the beach. I put on my 'beach war paint' with everyone else (except Shane).
The kids exploded out of the "shuttle" when pop dropped us off.
The boys ran straight to the water with Shane the first one in. I had to put down the camera quickly.
The water was freezing. I thought I was going for a polar bear swim. My heart fluttered each time the water crept higher! It was so bad I didn't want to go any further than I had to!
Not that Shane cared. He was delighted. I don't know if he even found the water bracing for more than a few seconds before he was splashing around as I shivered. I couldn't have been a silent sentry with my teeth clattering so.
B and Cole stuck to the shore. I got B in an action shot.
I also got random kid A in a bikini pose for a good laugh!
Cole and B started digging in the sand and I was eternally grateful. Shane was lured out of the frigid water and played where I could stay warm.
That let me get the phone out again for pictures. The sun was setting behind us which prevent shots from the water up the beach.
Side shots showed more details (including Stu's chiseled abs).
Evelyn and Tenley stuck the sand with Kathleen and Stu.
Bugs kept the boys sandbound (in a good way). The boys discovered some local arthropods.
Shane wanted to know all about them. He ran around saying they were baby shrimp or lobsters at first. A quick internet search said there were possible mole crabs/sand fleas.
I praised God for them. Anything to stay out of the cold water! My kid was the one most likely to swim, so I knew I'd be the adult to have to follow suit!
Instead, I got to talk and play around with the camera. Matt was standing to keep his shadow on Aiden, but he moved at my request for a group shot.
It was really neat getting the four oldest from four different families framed together!
The beach was littered with shark egg cases and organic debris. There was a pile of something slimy and decomposing I hoped Shane wouldn't find/touch.
Cole was the 'winner' and ran over holding a pile of "shark guts" to show the other kids.
For once, Shane showed some restraint with touching something icky. Cole was already in for a penny, so he ran around with his treasure in hand to gross out as many adults and wow as many kids as possible.
Shane stayed loyal to his 'sand fleas.' He tried to spread the word and educate anyone who would listen!
We rolled around in the sand and played at the beach for about an hour.
The kids could have stayed much longer, but it was close to 8 PM and all the adults were ready to roll.
Good bye, sand fleas. You were well loved for our brief moment together.
Pop came to pick us up when we texted. How did we fit everyone without making two trips, you ask?
Clever use of the trunk. It was less than a mile of residential road to get to the drop-off point, so we bent some common rules of the road.
The big boys have moved as a pack all day. Even to the showers.
I'm amazed the air hockey table was able to remain standing after they found it.
Shane tried to come up with his own rules, but the other boys weren't having it. They've done a good job of not having any major arguments, but there are definitely times of friction. Shane tries to convince the younger boys to do things in the way he wants (and shockingly benefits him...). They're not always interested. Cole's favorite retort is "That's boring!" and B's might be "I'm not playing!"
That said, I think they've gotten along fantastically. Kids need to learn through the minor conflicts....and you certainly get practice at it in a family this size!
Even Indy got to practice! Aiden took an interest in her new toy!
She was not having it. He had a ball trying to get it from her, before Nana nixed picking on her!
We were up to 18 people in the house for dinner.
Most of the kids ate outside. Stu's been in the mix all day long and all day strong.
Aiden ate with the older generations.
The youngest kids are very attached to their mothers. Sammy will let others pick him up, but he keeps an eye out for Megan. Evelyn and Tenley are two little ducklings who follow Kathleen around wherever she goes.
Stu is never too far away and ready to help.
There were some lessons learned throughout the day.
For example, Shane learned through experience that wet swimsuits don't belong on couches.
He also got schooled by Nana on how to push the toothpaste from the bottom and to put the cap back on.
Indy learned to not let Aiden near her alligator.
My night ended with re-learning Bridge. It's been at least a decade (maybe two). Aunt Dot and Nana whooped on Jama and me. Remembering how to play was easy, but the bidding and scoring? That was like learning a whole new language!
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