Hitting the Rides (Day 6)

| July 23, 2015

Before it got too busy, and too cold up there (the wind can be brutal), we decided to ride the Ferris Wheel. When I think back to how many years Mark and I rode that by ourselves, and how many years we have now been able to take Sam, boy oh boy, I am getting old! We all love the Ferris Wheel, Sam included. I don’t know what we would do if she didn’t enjoy it. Look at that gorgeous face! Hers, not mine. Geez.

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Little Miss Sassy Pants. Oh, the boys are going to have to look out!

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After the Ferris Wheel, we went on an old favorite, the spinning bears. They are pretty low key, as long as you don’t mind some mild spinning. Why does she like all the spinning? If she is a roller coaster kid, I am doomed.

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Sam wanted to ride a new ride this time, the Crazy Submarine. Not so crazy, but she liked it. It just went up and down in a sort of slow, circular motion. Sam actually said if you didn’t look out the window, it didn’t even feel like it was moving. She’s kind of right. Boring, but she says she wants to go on it again next time. Go figure.

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Last stop of the night, and last ride of the trip — the Carousel. Yet another ride Mark and I always shared when we were a Two and not a Three. Riding the Carousel instantly turns her into the 5 year old kid she is. No sass, no grown up behavior, just a little kid riding a horse and loving every minute of it.

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The joy on her face makes every penny spent on vacation 100% worth it.

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Sam and Mark stopped to take in the view while my mom and I went to get some refreshments.

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Sam was so excited to tell me when I got back that she saw bunnies! Beach bunnies! (And not the bikini clad kind). They are hard to see in this picture, but the little brown spots are there in the dunes. Three of them, just hanging out. Sam has the best eyes. Even in the dim light, she spied bunnies.

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It was hard to leave, but it was getting late and it was time to go. Bye Boardwalk! See you soon!

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On the Boardwalk (Day 6)

| July 23, 2015

We had to go to Ocean City again, once is never enough. We planned on a nice long visit this time and we warned Sam it would be a lot of walking if she wanted to have a good time! She was completely up for it, excited and ready to go.

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We really took our time strolling the boards and taking in the sights. And no, the striped shirts were not exactly planned…I love Sam’s cool girl look. I can just see her walking along when she is 16. God help me.

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We always have to pose for some pics in front of the ocean.

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Our beautiful girl.

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I am not sure what was going on, but there were a ton of mascots on the boardwalk. Salt Water Taffy at Shriver’s was one of Sam’s favorites. She wanted a little stuffed version of him last year and I wouldn’t buy her one since she doesn’t even eat the darn things, but this year she still wanted it, so I caved. I figure if a year later she is still begging, she must really want it.

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She loved the train too. But most of all, she was super excited to see…

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Julia!!!!! That was a most unexpected surprise. Julia and her mom and brother got a last minute invite for a few days from a family member and they found each other on the boardwalk. What are the odds!

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When we were finally able to tear the two best buddies away from each other, we were off again down the boards. One more stop at her pal skeleton!

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And yet another mascot. She also met French Fry guy and a ton of others. And yes, I have pictures with all of them…

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Next stop, the rides!

Sun, Sun and More Sun (Day 6)

| July 23, 2015

Did I mention the days have been amazing? Well, they have. The weather was unbelievable. This beach day was no different. We are always so lucky on our beach vacations. Mother Nature is good to us! Sam and Maddox had their first real beach day of the year and they had a blast, digging, playing, looking for sea shells and having a general good time. They always play really well together.

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This year was very different for Sam, and thus, more relaxing for us! She wasn’t afraid to run off to the ocean with her bucket of water, or just to splash around with Maddox. Last year, she would have insisted we go off with her each and every time. It was so nice in the mornings, before the beach got crowded, to just sit in a chair, enjoying the view and watching Sam run around having fun.

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Sam does love playing in the water! She pulled us all in as often as she could.

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Sam likes when I lift her up as the waves come in. I fling her as high as I can and she giggles and screams. It’s a good workout for my biceps anyway!

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A beautiful, beautiful day. This vacation has been so great. Mark and I promised before we left that we would try to really relax and have a good time, no stress, no arguments, and the effort has paid off. What a great time!

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Last task of the day on the beach, burying Sam, and Daddy!

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I am a lucky, lucky mom.

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Rainy Day Fun on Beach Day 5

| July 23, 2015

Today was the first morning that Krista, Adam, Maddox and Ryder were at the beach and sadly, it was the first terrible weather day. It was rainy and kind of cool so we left them to try to deal with the beach while we went to Stone Harbor for shopping at lunch. In the Five and Dime, Sam tried on a bunch of silly hats. This one was my favorite.

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We stayed a few hours, then went back to the house. By then, the Burkes had abandoned the beach and come home. The kids were a bit wound up so it was time for a good roughhousing session to burn off that energy!

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We had planned a pasta dinner so we could all sit down as a family and Ryder was all set. He won’t turn down food, that’s for sure! The food looked (and tasted) great, so who can blame him?

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After dinner, we taught Sam and Maddox how to play the card game, Uno. They did pretty well. Sam and I shared the first hand until she got the hang of it, and we won!

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Adam and I took the kids for ice cream while Mark and Krista went for a bike ride. Sam was pleased to be in charge of Ryder while we got settled! She loves being the boss of him, the poor kid!

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Hopefully, there will be lots of years ahead at the beach, playing games, eating good food, and having fun. It’s even more important now for Sam to have all these wonderful family memories to look back on. She will remember these times, so we are trying really hard to fill it with joy, and laughter, and happiness.