Beach Photo Dump and Story Time! (LONG POST)

I wasn't the only one taking beach pictures! Kathleen posted a bunch. She's been working on teaching her girls to photo-bomb. 

She demonstrated the technique with Nana here.

Looks like the girls learned the lesson, well!

Maybe too well if Ka was looking for smiles!

I didn't get a ton of Tenley pictures this trip. She's shy and clings to her momma.

She clearly wasn't shy of Ka taking pictures, though!

There was a whole assortment in what Ka uploaded!

Evelyn was full of smiles the whole trip. I caught some of them, but Ka was at ground zero for some good ones.

Here, Stu was playing Old Maid with the girls.

Can you guess which card he picked?

Evelyn was a lot braver with the waves this year and she knew it.

I think she ran into the waves every day we went.

But her favorite place to swim had to be the hot tub!

Her sister wasn't usually too far behind.

The girls did almost everything together.

It didn't matter if it was electronics, swimming, eating, or napping.

Ka said that Evelyn enjoyed harassing Cole while they were at home, but that seemed to be put on hold for the beach. There were too many other fun things to do! Sometimes the stars would align and all the small kids would play together. 

Sammy was a free spirit.

He ran wherever he pleased. Sometimes that was with the big boys. B is clearly used to having his brother around.

Not that Sammy always understood whatever the big boys were doing. He just liked being part of things.

With his older brother running with the big kids, Sammy didn't need to share the tablet as much as he would have needed to at home (Both he and B love the YouTubes. B quotes his favorites and says stuff like "What the flip!).

Not that it was all fun for Sammy. Megan made him brush his teeth on occasion (When in Nana's house...).

He didn't seem to get much sympathy that time.

Sammy was pool limited due to his injury, but it didn't seem to hurt or slow him down in the least.

He would have happily jumped in if Megan had let him.

Sammy was a character! Nana learned the hard way that he didn't know his colors yet when she tried to organize an egg hunt with the kids. She color-coded everything.....which doesn't matter when Sammy starts picking up everything he sees!

I was reading one day and Sammy ran up and started bouncing on the bed next to me. I figured he'd tire out in a minute or two, so I put down the book to entertain. 

The kid kept going! He bounced, laughed, and snorted. 

Yes, Sammy is a snorter!

I tried to mimic his snort and swallowed spit wrong. I was caught between laughing and choking.

Aiden heard the fun and came to bounce with Sammy.

I admit it. I pulled out my phone to look at Hearthstone, Hangouts, or something and Aiden tripped. It was off the pull out mattress by the door. I heard the thud. Aiden got up and ran to Renee! He had a bruise right in the middle of his forehead for the rest of the trip!

Aiden, like Sammy, enjoyed running around wherever there were other kids.

He tended to hang close to Matt and Renee, but he was happy to let Pop chase him, too.

Aiden seems like the most musical so far. He brought a toy that would play a tune with whatever instruments were in the figurines you could add to it. I only knew what this one was, because Carrie had recently watched an anime about them!

I've played "the world's smallest violin" for people before, but I didn't do it to try and play actual music. Aiden, on the other hand, does!

He screeches, too! I thought it was the funniest thing the first time I saw him with a little violin and a straw to play it!

Aiden and Sammy may end up being good friends at future beach trips. 

Both Aiden and Graham stuck close to their parents or Nana and Pop. Nana and Pop have babysat the boys when Matt and Renee have worked their end of year camps or gone to Chicago for Urbana.

Graham was small, but looked like he was making a turn around just as the beach vacation dawned. He was good at rolling over and looked close to crawling. He was able to post up on his hands and knees, but tended to push backwards rather than motor forwards.

I wish I remember exactly what Matt was reacting to here!

Feel free to let your imagination fly!

You can see that B came over and started to interact with his little cousin.

Sammy followed B soon after!

B did two things I feel the need to call out.

First, he randomly picked stuff up and then wondered what to do with it. He had some pink sticks in his hand as he was about to go down the stairs one time. He stopped, looked in his hand, and looked truly baffled about why they were there! He put them down by the railing before going downstairs and I cracked up. That's the same sort of thing that happens to me all the time! It must be genetic.

The other highly McCruari trait he does is clap. B is a clapper! When he gets excited he can't hold still or stay quiet he just, "Clap! Clap! Clap!"

Again, the story of my life! Nana and I are probably the biggest clappers in the family, but B can now join our hallowed ranks. Shane claps some, too, but he's more likely to throw himself and bounce on the couch (which I do, too....).

All of the kids love being around each other and seem to value family.

It turned out all the oldests were boys. What were the odds?

And if Pat and Shelby have kids will they start off with another son or break the trend? 

We usually weren't all gathered in one place unless it was meal time.

And that wasn't always a guarantee with naps and virtual meetings! Dinner was the most likely time to gather. These are pics Kathleen took of the low-country boil (a beach tradition at this point).

The one time all of the kids got up and ran together (save Graham!) was when Shane was "sleepwalking." 

Shane has practiced his zombie walk extensively. He modified it and shambled after his cousins saying, "Mmmm.....cheeseburgers..."  If he caught up with anyone he tried to eat them.

The little ones seemed to think he was really asleep! They were all hooting and hollaring as they tore up and down the stairs!

Common trend amongst the family: No one needs personal space. We gather for fellowship and body heat.

Why use the whole house when everyone can fit in one room?

"I feel left out," Shane said. "They're over there and there's no room for me!"

Different days. Different outfits. Not different chairs.

The chairs were deceptively comfy. One night, we turned on the TV to try and keep the kids in one spot. It was a kiddy show, but the oldest boy is the only one who stayed riveted to the screen! Comfy chair or electronic weakness?

Aside from meals, the biggest group gatherings tended to be beach trips.

Who all went could vary slightly from day to day. Nana and Pop never made the big trip with us. Matt, Renee, and their boys sometimes went on their own time table.

"Do you want to go on a walk on the beach?" Dennis asked Shane.

"Why?" Shane asked.

"Because I'm cool."

Shane thought about it for a second. "You're not cool if you're faking it," and walked off!

No, the kids always wanted to stick together. If one kid was going to the beach, all of them wanted to go. 

The hardest part of the beach journey was getting the wagon across the sand.

Sammy added a good 50 lbs if he decided to ride! He's going to be the biggest of the cousins from the look of it.

We experimented with carrying it and pushing it, but the bottom line was "sand sucks."

We were all real careful about avoiding sunburns. Much more careful than when we were youths.

The other constant battle was keeping the kids from encroaching into other people. It was like the tides and social gravity conspired to remove all social distance. Stu's the one saying, "Back that way!" in this picture.

It felt like we had more room at the beginning of the week and more people came as the days went on. By Friday there were wakeboarders skimming through our family germs only play zone.

If it got really busy we could have left. Friday was the only day I remember it being too much for my comfort level. Mostly, we had to worry about our kids bumping into others! Shane ended up in someone's selfie our first trip out as his face hit her hip! We'd often tell the kids to get out of the water and run past a certain adult before hopping back in.

Sometimes, I got to be the guidepost!

There aren't a ton of pics of me, because I'm normally the photographer.

Kathleen did catch me a few times.

Every year I take it upon myself to play lifeguard, because my son is the most likely to get into trouble.

I figure it helps make up for the downtime I got to read while everyone else was juggling their own little monsters back at the house, too!

Shane mostly went  his own way and played with the cousins this year. I didn't get to hurl him into the air much at all!

I did help him time a few waves the day he brought the boogie board.

The water was cold this year, but warm enough for the beach. 

Stu was frequently the other shore sentinel. 

Kathleen always had the girls by her side and Megan was usually with Sammy, but she got into the water some with B.

The surf was rough enough.

The kids got knocked around and had a blast.

Even just sitting and watching it come in was new and exciting to young minds that had been trapped at home for months.

The boogie boards didn't come into play the first few days. I think it was Cole who first brought a kickboard and got the other boys thinking.

Cole played with his by the shore while Shane used his to hit the waves.....literally and figuratively (Slapping the waves doesn't do much to stop them from bowling you over).

I got some fun pics while Shane was sticking near the shoreline.

I wish I had him take swim lessons this year, but with everything closed up it didn't happen. I'm hoping in a couple of years I can trust him 99% on his own in the water (and maybe even have him keep an eye out on the younger kids some).

Cole has been tougher about getting wet, so he may be ready to swim next year. It won't happen if he still hates to put his head in the water, but who knows? Kids grow.

B may beat him to it. 

He's got the "Danger is fun" gene.

I don't know how many opportunities he will have to swim when Megan and Big B go to their new posting, but I bet they'll find a way.

Shane had a monumentally stupid moment. He loved the rough waves. He got knocked down a couple of times, but he got up over and over thinking, "This is a blast!"

Well, his mom called. I put him on the phone to say hi real quick and instead the moron said, "Hi Mom! I almost drowned!"

Carrie has a phobia of Shane in the water. She had a near fatal experience as a kid and it scarred her. She trusts me to keep him safe, but she'd rather not see it or think about it. She was already stressed and near the breaking point when she called to check in. All I had wanted was for Shane to say some sort of "I love you" and "I'm having so much fun!"

There was a talk. A very serious talk and consequences. I almost told him to pack his bags to freak him out, but settled on telling him what I nearly done.

I know what Shane was thinking. "I almost drowned" was a sign of how much fun the waves were to him. I would have felt the same way.

However, he needed to learn to think before he spoke and consider the audience. That was probably the worst thing he could have said to Carrie.

It's only fitting I put up this picture of Shane walking into the "Danger - don't go here zone."

It wasn't the same day, but the image fits. I watched Shane walk off looking for shells and was curious how far he'd go. I eventually called him back. When I asked if he read the sign, Shane said "What sign?"

Which brings me to the other highly controversial attraction of the beach: Sand.

And if you dig deep enough and close enough you can mix the two. 

The more you dig, the more cousins you can fit (especially with their comfort with close quarters!).

The kids love it while many of the adults could leave it.

At least it gave the non-swimmers something to do!

The only things we had to worry about with the sand were pushing the wagon through it and getting it off before we got in the house.

Shane and I left the beach early one day. Shane said it felt like the sand was "a bunch of tiny knives stabbing" his legs. I couldn't see anything wrong at first, but eventually I saw some chafing.

On a scale of 1 to 10, I'd have rated it a 2. Shane's number was much higher. He wanted to go home.

I caught a quick video of him waddling off!

He walked that way the whole way home. He insisted it was only a "6" on the pain scale and acted like he was holding back tears.

It was a good natural consequence moment. I had told Shane to take his swimsuit off and let it dry the previous night. He insisted he didn't need to and slept in it! The prolonged damp was probably the source of the irritation.

I put some Vaseline on the chaffing and Shane was fine the next day. "Welcome to my genetics," I said.

A few days later, I had my own chaffing. "Hey Shane? Do you notice anything different about me? No? Good. You'd never guess I've got a worse case of what happened to you!"

Ginger problems.

"Mind over matter, kid."

Even if we didn't go to the beach, there was always the pool.

I don't think Nana and Pop are ever going to rent a beach-house without a pool as long as there are still wee ones. They just love it too much.

This was the first year that Shane could basically stand wherever he wanted.

I haven't said it enough: The hot tub was the MVP. It was a bit broken as a hot tub which meant it was always the perfect temperature for the kids.

Graham and Sammy were the only kids who didn't play in the water. Graham might have gone in, but I don't recall seeing it.

It was a roaring good time.

Right, Aiden?

In hindsight, the one thing no one packed was an air pump.

I heard it wasn't easy to inflate that monster!

I heard it was even harder to try and dethrone Matt as King of the Floatie!

Shane was ready to roughhouse!

B was still figuring it out. He was ready to be rough until he got dunked. That was a little scary.

But he got over it quick!

I jumped in one time, too. No one else had thought to turn the pylon into a weapon.

A weapon of mass noise! I'd slam the water as Shane swam underneath.

The ship was wrecked, but all hands made it out....and then they climbed up on the underside!

And when that got old and cold, there was always the hot tub!

Nana planned some fun activities for the week (like the egg hunt). The last one we did was a Mentos and Diet Coke experiment. 

This picture encapsulates the experience: Everyone was ready for something awesome, but the fountain just wasn't there!

I was filming, so I couldn't tell you exactly what went wrong. A cap with a hole poked in it may have upped the pressure.

B didn't care.

He thought Mentos-soda was delicious!

I'm not going to say Megan's kids purposely took advantage of Nana's plans, but they certainly came out on top of things. Sammy found more eggs than anyone and B got a bonus snack!

It was hard work going wild and playing video games all day with cousins. The kids all slept well.

And they all got up early! They were tired at night, but too excited to sleep past 7 AM!

I don't like electronics first thing in the morning at home, but it was a way of life at the beach. Otherwise, Nana and Pop would've been cranky, cranky!

The day we arrived, I offered to help the kids set up MineCraft for multiplayer. They declined.

After a couple of days of Switch, Shane remembered I brought my laptop. "The cousins want me to show them Slime Rancher!" (I'm sure that was their idea, kid...).

Thursday night, we gathered all the devices and I got multiplayer to work.

"This will even work while we're in Africa?" Megan asked.

It should! I don't know if I'll have to set up a VPN or anything, but Minecraft should be a way for the boys to keep in touch even when we're apart.

They played all Thursday night and first thing Friday morning. 

A lot more happened at the beach house than the pictures or I can tell. The only way to truly experience it is to be there. It's an important tradition. It's going to be sad when we can't gather the whole family next year, but this year's memories should last for a long, long time.