Bikes! Sea Isle City, Day 2

| July 20, 2015

Our first full day at the beach! We brought our bikes this year, which was a first, and couldn’t wait to hit the Promenade. It’s the perfect place for Sam to ride. Straight, flat, good scenery. Off we went!

We stopped early for a drink of water and a photo op then off we went! Bringing our bikes was a great idea this year. We see so many people biking at the beach and it always looks like fun. It certainly was! Sam liked riding next to the beach, although, in some spots, the dunes are so high you can’t see the ocean. We went all the way to the end of the Promenade. Sam did great! We didn’t go biking as much as we would have liked, but Mark and I even managed to get out once to ride on our own. We rode all the way over the bridge into Avalon!

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Whew! She made it to the end, now it’s time to head back!

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As soon as we got back, it was bathing suits on and head to the beach! That’s what we were there for, after all. The ocean was super warm, around 75 degrees, and calm as could be. Look at that view!

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The jetty. Always the jetty. It can be interesting, but Sam really loves it. We always have to go explore.

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We spent a good bit of time getting wet since the water was so inviting. I’m so glad that Sam isn’t afraid anymore. She is always saying she wants to go farther out. I think up to her waist is quite far enough, thank you very much.

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Look at that smile! She’s having a blast.

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Digging a hole with her daddy, another necessary beach task.

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We made sure to hit the Ocean City boardwalk the first day since you never really know what the weather will be like. Sam loves the boardwalk and couldn’t wait to go. She remembered everything! It was really shocking to me. I guess I keep forgetting how she is getting old enough to hold on to her memories. She loves this crazy singing, animated skeleton at one of the miniature golf places.

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We strolled the boards just soaking up the sights before going to the Wonderland Pier for some rides. Crazy enough, who did we see also strolling along? Mrs. Dunbar, Sam’s preschool teacher from this past year! I think Sam was more than a little shocked to see her teacher so out of place. You know how it is, teachers, like parents, are not supposed to have a life outside of their assigned roles.

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Sam’s first priority was going into the spooky house with Grandmom. She assured Grandmom that she didn’t need to be scared. Our brave girl.

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Sam pretty much ruled the night. She decided what we did and when we did it. Next order of business, the balloon ride. She loves spinning me around like crazy.

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We didn’t have a ton of time for a million rides that night but Sam wanted to ride the train. We thought it would be a nice end to the night. She wanted to sit up front with Grandmom so she could point out all the sights.

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That was fine with Mark and I. We got to relax and enjoy a few minutes of quiet time in the seat behind!

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We tried to leave, but we had to make one final stop. The kite store. You never know when you might find a pirate there. They tend to hang out at the kite shop for some reason. Sam is always looking…last year, she got real pirate treasure! This year, she found a bubble man, and a pirate! What a night!

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Vacation, Here We Come! (Day 1 in Sea Isle!)

| July 19, 2015

I never thought vacation would come this year, but it finally did! Boy, did we all need a vacation. It was a wonderful trip all around. We all had a blast last week, and it seemed for once no one was stressed out, there was no fighting about even minor things, and our biggest complaint was that it was over too soon.

The first night, we took it easy and just wandered around in Sea Isle. As we do each year, we stopped at the boat to take a picture. A few minutes before we took this picture, we had stopped into a favorite store and Sam somehow managed to talk me into buying her the little stuffed dog she is holding, Tuffy. Boy, that kid really loves her stuffed animals!

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We didn’t have much to do, and ice cream seemed in order, so we went to Yum Yums. Sam was ready to eat (and so was Tuffy, apparently…)

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Sam loves that her Grandmom comes with her on vacation every year. She always asks me why Poppy doesn’t come…yeah, Poppy, why not?

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Next stop, Turtle! I can’t believe how big Sam is getting. Her legs could barely get across him not that long ago.

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On the way back down the Promenade, we stopped at the arcade so Sam could ride some rides and play some games. She made a beeline for this horse, which surprised me. She always liked the horses, but now that she is older, I thought she’d find them boring. Nope. Doesn’t look like it.

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Sam and Mark had a race. Sam won!

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Sam played lots of games (to get the tickets of course). It is funny that even at her age, she has her favorite things that she remembers from years past. Spider Stomping is one of those things. She was remarkably better this year than last year. She did just fine with no help from any of us.

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Mark tried to show Sam some old school pinball. I think she didn’t quite get the allure. Ah, Sam, your parents are old!

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Grandmom and Sam tried out basketball. They should have been good, they get to practice at Putt Putt at home.

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I decided to try my hand a skeeball, my favorite arcade game by far. Sam wanted to help by handing me the balls, but unfortunately, she hands them faster to you than you can throw!

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This fishing game was fun, and Sam won loads of tickets!

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Sam really wanted to play air hockey with Mark. She is getting pretty good now, defending her side and getting some shots in. She loves it when she scores.

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We stopped at the bay to see the sunset. It wasn’t the most impressive beach sunset ever, but it was a great way to end our first day.

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We’re ready for Old Man Winter

| July 7, 2015

During a recent storm, Mark’s dad had quite a few trees come down in his back yard. It was a crazy storm. We were just expecting run of the mill thunderstorms, but, wow! The noise was incredible, the lights kept flickering, and it was actually the first storm I remember that Sam seemed scared of. At any rate, Mark’s dad had to call a tree guy to get rid of them. They were huge! Before he could do that, a neighbor of his, who heats his house with wood, said he’d clear them away as long as he could keep the firewood. It was quite a deal, actually, so Rich jumped on it. He did ask that he be able to keep a few truckloads of wood for us, since he knows we build fires all winter. The trees were cherry (perfect firewood) and we were glad to have it. Rich came over tonight with the wood and Sam had to jump right in and help.

First, she had to see all the wood up close. Into the truck she goes!

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When it was clear she wanted to help, I made her change her clothes, put on her work boots and her gloves, and she dove right in stacking the wood as high as she could.

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The pieces were heavy, so she took a break to serenade us with a tune on her drum. 🙂

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It took a while, but it all got stacked. Now Mark just has to split it…good luck with that!

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Me and My Girl, Chillin’ at the Pool

| July 6, 2015

Aren’t we cute! Love that lazy river!

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I swear, she didn’t go to sleep like this

| July 5, 2015

I have no idea what happened, but when I left Sam’s room last night she was sound asleep, not playing, not wiggling, no goofing around. I went in to check on her before I got into bed as few hours later, as always, and this is what I found…hmmmm…

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