pamelamyers | August 5, 2018
No place quite like the beach for a lot of reasons, but it is a wonderful place to take photos. We got lucky and had some beautiful weather so we took some pictures of our beautiful, amazing family. Samantha is so lucky to have all of you, and we are lucky to have you, and her.
pamelamyers | August 5, 2018
Another beach vacation has come and gone. It goes so quickly that it almost feels like we weren’t there! We all had a wonderful time. Only one real day of rain that pretty much kept us off the beach. Otherwise, we sucked up every second of sun and surf that we could. Here are some of the (many) highlights of our vacation.
Sam’s favorite new toy of the summer. Every kid had one. It surfs the waves!
Sam and Ryder always have fun together. This year, they had dueling surfer girls!
I love my beach rocks and I have turned Sam into a rock lover too. We made this to commemorate our vacation. I think I’ll frame it for her room.
My beach babe. 🙂 This is the first year I have let her wear a bikini of any kind. Not too bare, but she can show more skin than she used to!
Every year the kids love that tiny pool!
This is Sam’s favorite bathing suit, by far. Mermaid!
The water was pretty warm for New Jersey so we all went in a lot. Sam was braver than I have ever seen her!
I don’t know how many more years I’m going to be able to do that!
Someone had dug an enormous hole and then left it so all the kids had a blast running in and out. I love this one of them all jumping in at once.
How can we go to Sea Isle City and not take a picture with turtle?
Sam really wanted to bring her guitar on vacation. I am glad they did. Sam and Mark sat on the balcony and played quite a bit. What a nice way to end a beach day, being serenaded by guitar while looking at the ocean!
Sam’s hair wrap, courtesy of Bad Kitty, one of her very favorite places.
One night we took a stroll on the beach after a rainstorm to see if anything interesting washed up. We found a cool piece of driftwood and I stood it up. I thought it was an interesting photo.
Look at that stormy sky. Beautiful!
Sam practicing her balance beam. 🙂
Skeleton golf! Sam insisted we go. She loves that place so much.
At one arcade we found this shooting gallery. Mark taught Sam how to aim and fire a rifle and I will say, she was impressive! That girl has a good eye!
Sharing some shaved ice…
Ahh…the boardwalk, one of my favorite beach destinations.
Every year we have to go in the “spooky house” even though it’s not spooky. It’s tradition! Once again we didn’t get to ride the Ferris Wheel which was disappointing, but it is under construction for improvements/repairs so I am hopeful that next year it will be open and better than ever!
Mark had hurt his back right before vacation, and it flared up again, so no bumper cars for him. Sam was disappointed until I said I’d go with her. We had a blast! I tried to smash as many people as possible. Sam was all for it.
A new thing at Wonderland Pier was this glass maze. It was harder than it looked, and so fun!
We rode the monorail train again at Sam’s request and she always likes to stop and see the singers.
That balloon ride….I am the only one who won’t get sick from the spinning so on we go!
Her swim shirt sums it up!
Sam had an assignment from her guitar teacher to write a short song based on the notes/chords she learned. She came up with this seagull song. “The Lellows” is the name of Mark and Sam’s band. 🙂
An amazing week with a wonderful family! I wish it never had to end!
pamelamyers | August 13, 2017
Our vacation continues! Hanging out on the beach is always the best part. Ahhhhh…relaxing. There is definitely something about the ocean that soothes the soul.
Mark kept the kids busy as much as he could, searching for treasure and playing games.
Once, when Sam and I were just looking off into the ocean, we saw someone who we definitely didn’t see before. Notice that guy in the upper right hand corner? The one wearing red and green, and a red hat with white furry trim? The one with the white beard you can’t quite see in this photo? IT’S SANTA!!! Sam just about freaked out. We were going to get closer, but we figured even Santa needs a break from all the clamoring children.
We made our usual stop to visit turtle…
…and the boat. What would a Sea Isle vacation be without those things?
This year, we tried something different, the Beachcomber tour. It is something they do in Sea Isle, two mornings a week. The tours, which are taught mostly by retired teachers, begin with a short presentation about the different shells and life that lives in the ocean. After that, you go searching the beach for treasures and then you can discuss what you found with your beachcomber guide. It is a cool way to teach the kids about all the shells they are collecting, and where they come from. At the end, everyone takes “The Beachcomber Pledge” to protect the beach and preserve the environment. Sam really seemed to like it.
Sam found a lot of cool things, and even a crab!
Beachcombing is fun, but just playing with my cutie is even better! Wave jumping has been her favorite Mommy-Sam activity for years. Pretty soon, she’s going to be too heavy for me to lift!
I made her a sandcastle, just for fun…
…and Mark and Sam jumped the waves too.
Sam got zonked by a few big ones and decided she’d had enough. I’m with you, Sam. Those waves can be brutal! But she did go in pretty far, for her, so I was proud of her.
We did a very cool thing this year, we ordered pizza from Uncle Oogie’s ON THE BEACH. Yup, they delivered to the beach. Gotta love it.
The time was flying by. We did everything we loved to do, including getting ice cream at Marita’s, but it all flew by so fast. Sam took this picture of us and I think she did a great job. She takes after her Daddy.
On our last days, we tried to cram in everything we could. We flew kites on the beach…
…played in the sand…
…and took as many family photos as the kids could stand.
As the week goes on, we all get kind of beat, but a stroll on the Promenade is always a welcome treat. Sam wanted to pose here with her Pop Pop.
It is a little piece of paradise, the beach. I wish I could hang on to that feeling of bliss when I get home.
We are lucky we have our wonderful family. I am so happy that Sam has these memories to look back on. Time spent together, time spent laughing, time spent having fun, time spent just being together. Although we have lost some very important members of that family, I try to remember that we need to cherish those we have and to try to get as much out of our time together as we can. I want that for Sam. Doesn’t everyone want that for their kids? Family. Really, is there anything more important? I don’t think so, and I think Sam agrees.
pamelamyers | August 13, 2017
It’s that time again – shore time! We always look forward to our time in Sea Isle City. It’s funny, I never really went to the shore as a kid, but Mark always did, and it’s become such a huge part of our lives now, even if it is only a tiny portion of the year. A week, maybe two, but it means so much.
We got to packing (it is hard to believe how much packing there was to do, even though we just got home from another beach trip). Penny quickly added herself to our packing. She wasn’t too happy that signs of our leaving were present again. Sadly, this trip our babies have to be boarded. 🙁 Sam isn’t too happy about that. None of us are.
When we got to our beach house, it was so beautiful! We couldn’t wait to get the week started. It has been ages since we all stayed at the same house for the entire week. I was hoping it would be fun, and it actually was great. It was one of the best weeks I remember for a while. Sam and Ryder had fun hanging out in the top of one of the bunks. They were best buds the whole week. Sam is such a great babysitter for little kids! 🙂
We quickly found time to ride on the Promenade. Sam is the best little bike rider now. She is so enamored of her new bike.
We saw this bench and Sam wanted to take a picture. She is making cat ears on her head since she said this bench should be for Penny, since as well as meowing, Penny says, Murf! All. The. Time. I always joke that Penny’s name should be Murphy.
Maddox brought his bike and he, Mark and Krista had a fun morning ride. Mommy stayed home to drink coffee. 🙂
We had a great week hanging out on the beach. The weather was beautiful!
It’s been a few years, but we had to go back to Basilico’s. The meal was amazing, and Sam put on her onion bracelets, just like she did when she was little.
Oh yes, we did go to the arcade. Mark worked very hard to win something from the crane machine for Sam, like he always does. That smile makes the $8 trillion you have to spend worth it!
We had a great time doing all of our normal stuff. Strolling the Promenade, playing at the arcade, it was wonderful. Sam loves our vacations, and she loves having her Grandmom with her. I am so glad that they get to make these memories.
On one bike ride, look who we found!
It is so cute watching the kids riding together. They are getting so big. How did that happen!?
On the one sort of rainy day we had, we went to Stone Harbor in the morning. We always seem to go there, and this time, Sam begged me (as she has been since Myrtle Beach) to get a hair wrap. I knew I was going to let her, it was just a matter of when, and since Bad Kitty was not busy, it was the perfect time. Sam was shocked that I said yes. She was the happiest girl alive.
My pretty, grown-up girl. She was so excited to pick the colors and the bead and charm all by herself.
I think the hit of the week was the metal detector. The kids loved looking for things on the beach. They did manage to find a LOT of change. It’s funny how so much change winds up on the beach RIGHT where we were sitting. Hmmm…
It was a wonderful week, full of good memories, and good times. As exhausting as it can be trying to amuse an almost 8 year old, it is great too. I kept looking at Sam playing on the beach, with less toys every year, and thinking that one day, probably in the not too far off future, she won’t even want me to talk to her on the beach. She will want her own blanket, and her own chair, just far enough away that she can seem cool without her lame parents. And that will be a sad day. Even if I do finally get to read my book.
I love this picture. My little girl and the great big sea.
My mom, Sam and I all bought matching cover ups in a local store. One day my mom forgot to wear hers and Sam made sure to make her change after lunch!
Here we are-triplets!
We try to make time for family pictures every year. It amazes me how much bigger Sam is every year. How is she up to my chest already?
What a goofball!
Hey, look what we found in the ocean!
Of course, we had to hit the boardwalk in Ocean City. Sam was happy to find a pirate at the kite store. It’s funny, when she was a little kid, she really thought they were real pirates. Now, she commented to me after we left that he didn’t even need that much of a costume because he really looks like a pirate. Sigh. She’s growing up.
The arcade is a must stop for Sam. Thankfully, she is old enough to play games we want to play. We had a total blast playing Asteroids.
Ummm…can you see how badly she kicked my butt?!
The sky was so amazing that night. Man, the beach is just so amazing. How can all your cares not just slip away?
Even though we are not really fans, the Mummer-like (maybe they were real Mummers, I have no idea) that strolled down the boardwalk were exciting to Sam. One of the band members kindly stopped when he saw Sam watching and we had to take their picture. Every single thing about the boardwalk just thrills Sam to death. I love that smile.
It was the first time that we couldn’t ride the Ferris Wheel (it was closed that night for some reason) and honestly, it was sort of devastating! We ride the giant wheel every single year. But, Sam had fun anyway. She found her friends!
No Ferris Wheel, but we did go through the spooky house and Sam made me ride the balloons. It cracks me up. She was all about spinning me around like a maniac until the ride really got going and then she was yelling, “I think they changed this thing! It’s crazier than I remember it was! No spinning! No spinning!” So, of course, I had to spin her. 😉
No one will ever say the shore is cheap, and it is exhausting, but I wouldn’t trade the memories for anything.
pamelamyers | July 24, 2017
And the story continues! We had such a good time on the beach. The water was warm, and much to Sam’s delight, hermit crabs abound! Well, at least if you have Mark along to find them.
It was probably the most relaxing beach vacation I’ve had, as far as beach time. Sam amused herself enough that I actually read a book – shocking! We also had time to just take a rest on the sand.
But, you can’t just sit in the sand all day, there are attractions to see! Places to go! We knew there was a decent sized Ferris Wheel, so you know we had to do that. Here it is – the skywheel!
It was pretty nice, actually. Just about the size of the one in Ocean City, NJ, but you sit in air conditioned little “rooms”. What views!
Sam liked this big chair outside the wheel. Could it be any bigger? She could hardly climb on the thing.
We found a place to eat and Sam agreed to take a bite of my chicken taco. She said it was “okay.” She has been trying more and more foods lately, but I’ll post about that later.
Sam found an arcade so….in we went. You didn’t think we’d get away with skipping that, did you?
The view from the boardwalk was beautiful. Look at that sky!
I used to vacation a lot in Myrtle Beach when I was a kid, and I always remember going to the Ripley’s Believe It Or Not museum. It’s kind of cheesy, but since it’s still there, I wanted to take Sam. She saw a lot of freaky things, but I was surprised that there were also some regular things too. One was a giant Lite Brite. Mark quickly helped Sam spell her name before anyone else came to mess it up. Sam had no idea what a Lite Brite was, but now she wants one! Not a bad toy for her to want.
There were other cool things too, like this thing that showed your movements on the screen and enhanced them with weird special effects. It was really neat.
This one was a giant screen in a room playing dance music and when you danced it projected you on the screen. That was fun.
The next beach day, hunting for hermit crabs. No luck this day, but they had fun.
Instead, Sam and I made Barbie a castle. We did that a lot that week – making Barbie castles and Sam making Barbie complain about all of them so we had to keep rebuilding parts, and making her shovels evil enemies that tried to invade Barbie’s castles. It was funny.
Mark tried his hand at boogie boarding and Sam cheered him on the whole time. She loves her Daddy.
It was a great week. The weather wasn’t terribly hot so we didn’t bake on the beach. The water felt super warm to me, compared to NJ, but Dan and Eileen said it is usually warmer. I was happy the way it was, believe me!
Many, many more duck/swan/goose photos. Sam had so much fun. She fed the swan so many times. We all did, actually. How can you resist?
More pool play. Here is Sam swimming for her ball over the water. She is getting better and better, she just needs practice.
Hot tub time!
I bought a bunch of new bathing suits this year and when I bought this one, I didn’t realize how similar the pattern was to one of Sam’s swim shirts. She loves being “twinsies” with me.
Mermaid Sam 🙂
Now it’s Daddy’s turn to wave jump.
We only went to the water park for a short time, but Sam just had to try to lazy river, mostly because, unlike in the lazy river at our pool, she was allowed to be in her own tube.
Last night, and we had to say goodbye to all Sam’s feathered friends (and the turtles). She is going to miss them. It was really cute. It was getting late, and I think the ducks realized we had no more food, and they all started swimming away and tucking in on the rocks for the night. Sam watched baby duck swim to the opposite side of the lake with one adult duck. I said to Sam that I think baby duck and his mom are going to bed. Sam thought it was adorable and yelled to baby duck, “Good night, baby duck, I will miss you!” and all the sudden, baby duck and the other duck came swimming back to us as fast as they could. Sam couldn’t have been more thrilled that he came to say goodbye to her. It made her night.
We got to the airport early, and I just love this picture. Sam looks like such the experienced traveler, just waiting for her flight. Such a jet setter, my girl.
Home we go! Sam led the way onto the plane.
Home in Philadelphia and home to our kitties!
We were planning on taking an Uber home, and for some reason, this made Sam so happy. I don’t know exactly why, but she was tickled pink. So, here she is, in her first Uber ride! Crazy girl!
