4th of July at the Beach

This past weekend we went to Brick, NJ for the long 4th of July weekend with our good friends, the Kriebels. Our family friends, the Browns, were generous enough to let us borrow their shore house for our trip and we couldn't have been more appreciative. It was a lovely weekend with perfect hot, sunny and humid beach weather, and was so nice to get away for our first time this summer. The kids had a blast just going on vacation and also being away with some of their best friends!

Here are all of the kids (minus Abby) on the outdoor swing soon after we arrived on Friday evening. So happy to be staying up late! :) Poor little "Charlie Brown" Nate had just come up to adults about 2 minutes before this picture and sadly announced, "there's no room for me..." So, we went down to the swing and, lo and behold, everyone else was on the swing, spread out a bit more. Aww! So, we squeezed and made room for cute little Natey :).

The next exciting adventure...the bunk bed room! Yes, one of the bedrooms has two sets of bunk beds and we (bravely) roomed Tyler (5-1/2), Ben (4), Samantha (3-1/2) and Nate (2) in there together. We did hear a bit of "partying" over the monitor for about an hour every night, but all in all, the slumber party went well :).

Discovering the bunk beds for the first time...of course they sanctioned off into a "guys vs. girls" setup and proceeded to toss throw pillows back and forth until the moms put a damper on the fun and games and announced it was bedtime!

Samantha and Brianna (2 next month).

The boys!

Don't stop our fun, Moms!!

The next day... We went to the beach later in the day on Saturday and Sunday, mainly to let the 3 little ones nap in the early afternoon. Our plan worked out well both days and made for 6 happy children (at least most of the time).

Playing outside in the 100 degree weather (literally). I packed up and brought our water table and after much mocking from the husbands beforehand, they both humbly admitted it was a good idea after seeing how much it occupied the kids and kept them cool :).

Daddy and his princess! Such a happy, content baby...

Now for Amy's good idea for another extracurricular activity: water balloons. We let the big kids play with the daddies while the babies napped and the mommies went to get frappes at McDonalds :).

Later in the day at the beach. Abby was definitely weirded out by the sand and was a bit clingy for this first trip to the beach. By the next day, however, she was an old pro, as you will see.

Well no wonder you don't like sand...I wouldn't like to eat it either, Abby!

Happy to be sitting on the blanket and not in the sand!

Playing hard! As expected, our boys were not big fans of the ocean and were pretty afraid of the waves. But, also as expected, they loved the sand and played the entire time, just loving the sun and the endless sandbox :)

Daddy lovin'...

I love this picture of Brianna!

Back to Mommy and back in her cover-up...and now she's content again after a stint of being fussy.

This was a very popular game: Bury the Preschooler in the Sand :). Let's say that the preschoolers all loved it. The two toddlers? Uh, not so much!

This is my dream come true - being fully immersed in sand!

"No, I don't like this." Nate decided he'd rather do other things instead after he wanted to try out what the big kids were doing. He did make it further than Brianna who got nervous when she was just put into the hole, even without being covered!

Clean up time back at the house...another fun adventure: tubbin' with the friends in the jacuzzi! And doesn't Samantha just take the cake for the best pose all day? Such a modest (aka silly) lady she is! :)

Day two at the beach. We're all still loving it and having a great time. It was July 4th this day so Abby is, of course, in her patriotic outfit and it just so happened that her Speedo is red, white and blue, too!

Another adorable back photo of Brianna in a suit that was a little too big on her (at least the straps). I love it!

This one is for Daddy and Pop!

Playing, playing, playing...

I love this chubby little baby body and fuzzy head!

Hey, baby, can I take you out for a drink after we play? Mom's got Capri Sun :) How big is Abigail? Sooooo big!

Abby's newest feat: standing with support. She isn't crawling yet and tries to pull up but can't quite do that yet either. But, she will stand for a long time if you prop her up and is just SO proud of herself. I love those little thunder thighs and gummy smile!!

Kisses...Bri is the biggest helper around and just loves "Ab-by" :)

Group shot on the couch before leaving the following day. How sad to be heading home after such a fun vacation. But, we need to get home so that we can pack for next weekend's trip to Hershey Park! :) Happy 4th of July!