We arrived late Saturday afternoon with enough time to unpack, organize ourselves, grab a quick dinner, and enjoy the view from our balcony.
The next day we hit the beach bright and early. The kids had a great time in the sand and surf. I think both kids loved playing in the waves much more than they enjoyed the sand. Harrison wasn't very happy to see sand on his shoes or feet. He would be playing or walking and then suddenly look down, spot the sand covering him and say, "uh-oh, uh-oh!" I would tell him that it's okay to have sand on us and we will wash it off when we go up to take a bath, and then he would be fine for awhile longer. Eventually he had enough and would say, "up," which meant he was ready to go back to the condo. We typically stayed outside from 9-11:30 and then came back to the condo for lunch and naptime.
Watching a cartoon before heading to the beach.
Cuddles
No, Harrison isn't stinky. Justin says he snapped the picture just as Lily wiped her hand across her face. Still, I like Harrison's expression here. They really do love each other.
Harrison's first time digging in the sand.
We spent the afternoon at Broadway at the Beach. During dinner, I tried to get a picture of both kids with their crab outfits. Each time, one of them would cover a shirt with their hands.
I'm not sure why Lily is making such a face!
After dinner, we rode a few of the rides.
This was Harrison before the ride started...
...this was him screaming as soon as the ride started until the ride stopped! Poor little guy.
Lily went on a few more rides and had a great time.
Harrison did a lot of waiting and watching Lily, but we didn't attempt another ride with him after the carousel fiasco.
On a side note, Harrison had many admirers while walking around Broadway. He decided that he would take a few regular steps and then add a huge stomp every 3 or 4 steps. People would stop and watch him walk, grin at him, and tell us how cute he was. It was pretty funny.
Before we headed home, we stopped for ice cream. Lily wanted chocolate ice cream in a cone on a hot day. I must say she managed pretty well and didn't have a drop of ice cream on her clothes. I don't know how she does it--I'm just glad she does! :)
Our second day on the beach. This is right before H. fell over in the chair and got a face full of sand. Because his face was still sticky from the sunscreen, I mean it was completely covered. I have to admit it was a little bit comical.
Fun with daddy.
H. liked playing with his trucks in the sand.
Tackling daddy.
Harrison would run into the water with no fear at all.
Building a sand castle with Lily was futile. You'd get a little sand built up and she would knock it down because she wanted to start over.
The kids had a great time sitting with Justin and waiting for the little waves to wash over them.
Our friends, Torry and John, stayed with us for a few days. Their kids Alex and Juliet are around the same age as Lily and Harrison, and made for great playmates. Here we all are making dribble castles.
Lily and Harrison found a hole left from someone else and decided this would be a great place to sit.
Harrison running and splashing.
One of Juliet's happier moments. She didn't love the beach.
Remember the hole we found? Well, later in the day Lily made some improvements and created a slide.
During snack time, Justin showed off how well he can catch marshmallows. H. wanted to join in to impress the girls.
Claps and cheers to the boys for their amazing tricks.
One afternoon, the dads took the older girls to play Putt-Putt Golf.
Nice form!
It's going in!
John read bedtime stories to the kids on most nights.
All of us visited Broadway at the Beach again to ride more rides and to eat at Johnny Rockets because it is so kid friendly. It was HOT, but we all managed to have a good time.
Look at these two cuties looking very serious.
Harrison and Juliet could only watch, but they seemed happy anyway.
Johnny Rockets is the best! The singing and dancing kept all the kids in a good mood. The milkshakes helped too.
Watching the staff dance and sing.
Clapping to the music.
After dinner all of the kids got hats.
Attempts at a few family photos. Unfortunately a bubble machine set up right next to us really caught the kids attention.
Lily and Harrison trying to watch the bubbles.
Our last day on the beach.
Hanging out on the balcony one last time.
Pictures with Daddy.
"ME!" shouted Harrison as he watched Lily pose with Daddy.
Finally his turn for a picture and he fought to get down.
We can't wait for another fun family beach trip! Each year the kids show more excitement about our family vacations. It's great to watch them experience all of these great adventures! Of course when we got home on Saturday Justin asked Lily what was her favorite part of the trip? Her response--pulling our red van into our driveway at home. Because it is great to be home! What?! Oh Lily, we love you anyway.
