Beach Pictures

By driving at night both ways, I was able to spend three full days at the beach in NJ with four of the children. We stayed with my cousin, her son, and parents in the beach house that has been in their family since before I was born (long ago in a galaxy far far away). We had a wonderful time!

Don't be mad about this post's misleading title. Due to the potential damage caused by sunscreen, sand, and salt water, I actually did NOT bring a camera to the beach. You'll have to use your imagination as you read the captions for the wonderful pictures I could have taken:

• Patches of pink show the downside of sibling sunscreen application. Mom covered everyone the next day!
• Tide pools (wave free!) are just right for toddlers.
• Pink cheeks, pale eyes, and weary grins after hours of boogie boarding
• My cousin's 9 year old is cocooned in towels, taking a beach nap. He was the last to awaken, so we packed up our entire camp before taking this photo of B oblivious and "alone".
• Our third trek of the day (hot sand! hot sand! hot sand!) to the potty trailer. The newly trained do NOT pee in the ocean. (I'm SHOCKED that you would even suggest it!)
• Sand, waves, sky. Aaah...
• Five umbrellas, with people and coolers huddled in the shade.
• Obligatory "head shots" of cousins buried in the sand.
• Melty messes at the obligatory ice cream outing.
• Grandma, parents, and kids playing this year's game discovery: Bananagrams
• Kids with ice pops waiting for their turn in the outdoor shower (arguably the best part of the beach house renovation)
• Mama duck with 12 tiny baby ducks wandering around Rebecca
• The cart. Loaded with umbrellas, chairs, buckets, shovels, coolers, bags, and noodles. Packed by my cousin who has spent enough weeks here to have a system.

It was a great trip!