If you have been wondering where I have been...We just got back from a wonderful 8 days at the
Jersey Shore! I have been looking forward to this vacation for so long. It's been years since I have had a full week off of work (unless you count maternity leave...which I don't). Dan’s entire side of the family makes this trip every year and we usually go for part of the week but this year it worked out so that we could go for the entire week. This trip is really fun because the entire family is there together but everyone also does their own thing. So, we had plenty of family time but also had a lot of opportunity to do things on our own. This post could get super long so I'm going to try to stick to the highlights of my Top 10 favorite things:-)
10. Sea Shell hunting: My brother-in-law and his family were able to join us for a few days which means that Brynn got a lot of quality time with her BFF Abby. We took them to the beach one morning for a seashell hunt. You sat on a blanket with a group and learned a little about the shells (the girls were completely bored but very polite about it). Next you went hunting for shells. The girls did manage to pick up a few shells but were mostly interested in running in and out of the water. It was such a joy just to watch them play together!
Colton could have cared less and spent the time playing in the sand and water.
After the hunt you were supposed to go back to the blanket and learn about the shells you found.
We missed this part because we were playing in the water but we did make it back in time for the girls to make their seashell necklace.
Patiently waiting for the fun stuff
9.
Date night:
There are tons of aunts, uncles, grandparents, etc around who don’t get to spend a lot of time with the kids throughout the year so it is a longstanding tradition that the parents of the younger ones (and sometimes the older ones) get to have a date night while the aunts/uncles/grandparents watch the little ones.
So Dan and I got to sneak away for dinner at our favorite little Italian place (this place has the best mozzarella sticks!).
It was wonderful to eat HOT food and have the time to enjoy our meal and a few drinks. We finished up our night with what else…Ice cream!!!
8. The Beach! Who doesn't love the beach but it was especially fun for us this year because it was
Colton's first real experience with the ocean and he adored it!!! He was unbelievably happy to run in and out of the waves. Brynn also loved it and loved flying her kite on the beach as well.
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This is awesome!!! |
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Flying a kite |
7.
Ice Cream.
Ice cream is pretty much a standard food group at camping.
I rarely eat ice cream (because I prefer chips and fries) but something about camping makes me want to eat if every day.
We sampled many varieties but I’m pretty sure my favorite was the Peanut Butter Ripple…yummy!
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This is sooooooooo good! |
6.
Butterfly exhibit.
Sea Isle is the home of a very small live butterfly garden.
It’s been there for a few years but we have never made the time to go.
Brynn loves a Fancy Nancy book where they go to visit a butterfly garden so this year we finally made time to go.
I just thought it was the neatest thing. There were butterflies fluttering around everywhere.
It was beautiful and it turned out the
Colton loved it even more than Brynn did.
5.
Naptime:
Isn’t naptime fabulous? This is probably the last year that both kids will take a nap at the campground so I used the time wisely.
I read, napped, did a little work (boo!) or just sat around and talked.
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Pre-naptime in the hammock |
4.
Mini-golf/rides.
I don’t usually love mini-golf but the entire gang goes on these adventures so we went too.
I had the best time.
Brynn was really into it this year and did a great job and
Colton was a little rotten but had a great time running around the golf course and throwing his golf ball.
I didn’t get to finish because
Colton’s attention span had run out but I did manage to get some great pics!
When I was a kid, I never realized how much fun my parents had when us kids were riding the rides.
I could have watched the kids ride all day. They all had huge grins on their faces, wonderful belly laughs and were just bursting with happiness.
It was also fun to ride a ride with Brynn where we got to fly “like Tinkerbell”.
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Flying like Tinkerbell |
3.
The
Lake!
I ADORE the lake at the campground.
I love it because the water is warmer, it’s just easier with the kids and we can walk there.
We spent some time at the lake every single day.
Brynn spent some time learning to swim and it turns out that our
Colton is quite the little fish.
He was incredibly happy sticking his entire face in the water and splashing everyone within his reach.
We had to literally drag him out of the lake kicking and screaming several times to take him to lunch (and you know how much that boy loves to eat!).
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Cousins at the lake |
2.
Time with the extended family.
Most of Dan’s family lives in
New Jersey. While it’s not super far away, we only get to see them 3 or 4 times a year.
I love having everyone together.
We played red neck golf, road the tram car, had campfires (which included singing and eating Smores!) went to the beach or lake and just sat around enjoying each other’s company.
I’m so happy that my kids have this week to be surrounded by the love of all of those great people.
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Brynn playing in the waves with Aunt Carol and Kristy. |
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Brynn, Colton, Sarah, and Rachel |
1.
Snuggles!
My all time favorite thing is weekend mornings when the kids wake up and come snuggle in Dan and I’s bed with us.
I just live for those mornings when the four of us (okay, usually it’s five because Pumpkin is always with us and sometimes the cat joins in too) spend time snuggling, talking or watching cartoons.
We have been so busy on the weekends lately that we haven’t been able to do this nearly often enough.
Vacation brought 8 amazing days of snuggles in the morning!
I wish every day could start like that!
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I also got some rainy day snuggles in the camper:-) |
Shew…I warned you it was going to be long but hey…I had 8 days to make up for
J