Beach Week - Arrival

Shane and I had an easy trip this year. The only traffic we faced was at the tunnel (and that's par for the course!).

The cousins were on their way to the pool when we arrived. "There's a pool?" Shane said. "I love a pool!"

I made Shane help carry in his luggage before he could jump in. He got a hug or two for his troubles!

He didn't have to wait long. There was a hot tub!

The water was closer to 'hot bathtub' than a true hot tub.....which was perfect for the kids. They all loved it!

Tenley is by far the bravest of Ka and Stu's crew. She's happy to jump straight in (They make sure she has her floaties on first!).

Evelyn's come a long way and was happy to get in the tub. Cole still hates getting his head wet.

So, of course, Shane immediately started trying to splash him.

Shane's still the cousin who gets the most excited about swimming. B's a close second. Once B learns how to swim on his own I'm sure he'll be right behind Shane cannon-balling in.

Honorable mention: Sammy.

Sammy didn't get to go in the water this year, because he had stitches on his leg (He found some broken glass in their back yard!).

Not that he had to wear clothes the whole time. He was happy to strip down like he was going swimming and run around.

Stu helped out extra with taking care of him. Megan had online classes for work and Stu would keep an eye on Sammy boy to keep him out of trouble.

Kathleen had online work obligations, too, so it was a little bit less of a vacation for Stu!

Thankfully, the older boys all played really, really well together. There was far less friction than previous years (Maybe they were all socially starved from social distancing!).

Not that they didn't require supervision. Shane would've tried to pull out the chlorine rocks for a closer look if I had let him!

I hadn't realized that some of the extended family was going to be visiting, as well! Dennis and his girlfriend pulled up while the kids were swimming. Little Matt's best friend would drop by with his wife at dinner and Kyle would arrive the following night.

Nana checked in to put Shane's splashing in check. I'm afraid she didn't think I was doing enough to curb his enthusiasm!

Cole wasn't a fan, but he took it well (in my book). Kids push other kids' buttons...sometimes for the better and sometimes for the worse.

I didn't get in the water, but I tried to get some action shots.

Having too few pictures is rarely a problem for me!

Matt and Renee came out with Aiden.

Matt hopped in the hot tub with the boys.

They had a very serious discussion about Pokemon.

"What does Kakunna evolve into?"

Matt had all the answers. I had trouble remembering what a Metapod was.

The girls were done swimming by that point, but they weren't far away! It was a kid party.

I caught a picture of a wild Patrick and a wild Shelby when we came inside for dinner.

Nana and Pop were the first to show up Saturday followed by Matt and Renee. Graham had been having trouble eating and gaining weight. He had to go through laser surgery twice to fix his tongue-tie, but it looked like he was on the verge of a breakthrough right before vacation started.

Spoiler alert: Everyone gained weight while at the beach. For Graham it was a celebration! For the rest of us...

Shane was all about the desserts present. He had to sneak off to his nutella snacks, so that Evelyn and Tenley didn't get any ideas before they finished their main courses!

Did you spot the other cousin in the picture?

It was this guy!

Sammy's highly mobile. He ran from room to room.

It's a lot of noise, but most of us thrive on it. I've missed seeing everyone and it felt great to be back in the pack.

It quieted down a little when the kids all go ready for the first big group beach trip. The 'elders' reclaimed the couches and talked with Nate and his wife.

Nate was stationed nearby with the coast guard and wanted to catch up. The last time I saw him was years ago at a Carolina beach house. He was in basic training when sadder things happened and in the dark. It was decided he needed to focus on getting through before hearing the news.

You never know what can happen in life and that's why it's so important to live and cherish the moments you can have. It's why distanced and gathered even amidst the virus.

But on to happier things.

The kids were ready to hit the beach!

We didn't have to pile into a van this year! Nana and Pop picked a house that was a short walk to the beach.

There was a sign reminding us to social distance at the entrance.

And a lot of construction.

"Did they build a wall?" I thought.

No, but there was a giant pipeline. There were sand bridges (at Sandbridge beach...) to walk over it.

It wasn't super crowded, but we moved down towards the construction zone to make sure we kept our 6 feet from the nearest people! We ended up turning the same way every day we visited the sand and waves.

The kids were ready.

B and Cole had to be called back to suit up!

Shane went straight in, so I only got a few pictures before I was on water duty! It was cold, but not freezing!

We set a time limit of one hour each day to prevent sunburn. Shane eschewed lotion and got a pinkening. I made him lather up the rest of the trip as a result (natural consequence!).

Stu tried to have everyone rinse the sand off before we left, but it was futile. Certain children (not all pictured) decided to go for a roll after rinsing. Stu would catch one and another kid would go down while his back was turned!

We left en masse. It's easier to manage when the kids are clumped.

I'm sort of in this picture!

Here's another example of why Stu's plan to limit sand trekked back was a failure!

The kids rushed back to the shower when we got back.

Hot water is fun!

We had to kick them out eventually or they would have tried to extend the beachfront to our house!

The boys all crowded together to play on their Switches (Both B's and "Cole's").

The adults all put our hands up to rest up for the next adventure!

It was Dennis' girlfriends first time to meet the clan, but she adapted to the commotion quickly. We may be loud, but we're welcoming! "And if you're going to say something mean, make it funny!" Patrick said.

There's a lot of laughter to be had when surrounded with family.