SandFest '08!

WARNING!!!! EPICALLY LOOONG POST! :)

Thought I'd journal a bit about our weekend before it all gets away from me....only so much room in this busy brain of mine!

While Daddy put in a half day of work on Friday (the 18th), Miss A and I finished up the packing and prepping for the drive to Port A. This was the 2nd installment of what is sure to be an annual trip. When we got the "I'm on my way" call from Daddy, I relayed to Grammy to head our way, and went to pick up E about an hour early from school. We were on the road! And VERY excited to arrive before dark. Last year we didn't cross the ferry till almost midnight!
We got in late, but stuck with our plan to make hamburgers. Grammy and I whipped up some tasty burgers while Daddy unloaded the car and the girls explored our cool pad. We lucked into a neat suite-the hotel had booked all of the regular 2 bdrm. rooms, so offered us a "split". Our main floor was on the 2nd floor of the hotel, then we had a full loft upstairs where the bedrooms and full bath were. And a balcony on each level, with a clear view of the water. And more importantly...depending on who you ask...THE POOL. The pool was a HUGE hit with the girls. Checking it out the first night, E called down that "someone's in our pool!!" ha!
So...Saturday morning we mixed up some breakfast tacos before hitting the beach. Just a hop and a skip to the boardwalk, and there we were! Early enough to beat the big crowds, we walked all the way to and past the sand sculpture area. It was cool to see the beginnings of the sculptures, knowing how much they would grow.
E played in the water-we couldn't keep her out of it! J and Grammy looked for treasures...and found some! Among them a beautiful intact sand dollar! I sat back with Miss A and tried to loosen her up. She was of course concerned that everything would blow away, and was taking it upon herself to hold onto whatever her little hands could grab. Eventually I distracted her and we played "bury our feet" in the soft beach sand.
Now here is where I SHOULD have applied my sunscreen. This was my plan.
Things don't always go according to plan...
We got a call from our friends, that they were settling down by the boardwalk, so we packed up and headed back that way. On the way, A actually enjoyed some of the "baby waves", running towards them and letting them lap at her feet. Sometimes up to her knees! This was an awesome recovery, considering that the first wave that came up totally surprised her and when it hit she took off at a full run with a horrified look on her sweet face!
E and crew hung back and continued their search, stopping for a quick saltwater potty stop. :)
We made it to the rest of the group and the kids continued with lots of water and sand fun. Well, all but Miss A...she sat in my lap and promptly fell asleep! I thought about my options, and decided to try and lay her down on a towel. We had a successful transfer, so I covered her gently with another towel and she took a TWO HOUR nap! On the beach! Poor thing just couldn't go any longer! And hey-she had her own personal "wave machine". How soothing!
Daddy, Grammy and E headed back at some point for a break, and some lunch, and I stayed with A to let her finish her nap. Here's where I pay the price. No sunscreen, plus no previous sun exposure for this year...equals big painful sunburn. Geez....when will I learn???
Soooo...I endure the rest of our trip with burning, swollen legs and back. Nice.
Oh well, live and learn!
We spent the rest of the day back and forth to the beach. And Of COURSE, a trip to the pool!! And a quick trip to town for Miss A a kite (she loved watching these as we walked. We later found out it was only cool when it was not hers...as soon as hers got in the air, we hear "get it back!! get it back down!" ugh.) and two ankle bracelets for Miss E. Two, because last year she got one, and it only lasted a few months, with daily wear and tear, baths, sprinkler parks, etc. So she asked to get two. :)
We put on our ribs to cook about late afternoon and cooked them slowly for several hours. MAN....(licking lips just thinking about it!)they were GOOD! We all inhaled them for a late dinner.
After a nice bath, and one last visit with friends, the girls went to bed with NO trouble at all. We were all quick to follow. I could unfortunately find no comfortable position, seeing that I was pretty much lobstered on all sides. :( J had some badly blistered feet too, so we were both in bad shape!
Last day-Sunday. We packed everything up and hit the beach again. Miss A was pretty much done at this point. It was quite a bit more windy than the day before, I'll give her that. But Good Grief, the girl can Whine like no other! J ended up taking her back while I stayed with E for a bit longer.
Once we got the car loaded and had turned our key in, we took one last walk down to see the final sculptures. A-MAZE-ING! Wow, there is some serious work that goes into these things. It was really, really cool to see.
All in all, I'll chalk it up to a really nice weekend. Even J, who had been worried all week about needing to work all of Friday and Saturday, said he was SO glad we went, and he had a blast.
To sum it up, I asked the girls separately what was their favorite part of going to the beach. And interestingly enough-they both added things that I had forgot!! Bless their little minds!

Miss A's answers (in the order that she gave them):
"I liked ("wiked", in Ally-ese) the bubbles." --I forgot we picked up these cool bubble wands at Walmart before we left. It was a huge tube, filled with bubble solution and a big wand. She just had to dip and pull, and tons of bubbles would blow out! Right up her alley!)
"I liked the waves. The baby ones and the BIG ones (said with a big grin and wide eyes!)"

Miss E's answers (in the order that she gave them):
"I liked the ocean."
"I liked setting up the room." ---When we arrived and while we were cooking dinner, E was obsessed with unpacking hers and A's bag, and finding a spot for everything. She took every single item out, had things on hangers, and a drawer for each selection, i.e. a shirt drawer, shorts drawer, undies drawer, had a shelf for swimsuits, had all the hair and bathroom items put away in their proper place. Shoes lined up in the closet. EVERYthing had a place. Now...little Miss A wanted to help. Of course. Well, E was trying to be patient, but ultimately wanted to do it herself and her way. So here's what I overhear from the other room: "A, I know you're trying to help, but I really don't need help right now, and you are being VERY ridiculous!"
HA! Hey, at least she was nice about it!
Anyway--E also said,
"I liked our new house" --both girls called the hotel our "new house". The last hour or so on the beach, A was whining to "go home...I want to go home...". After some play time for E, we headed to the car and started for home. When we pulled in, a good 4+ hours later, the first thing we hear is A's whiney, "Not THIS home!! Our OTHER home!!" Sigh...there's no pleasing her...
and finally, from Miss E:
"I liked the kids area". There was a special area roped off for a kids competition. The kids were grouped in categories according to age, and I read one bio for a 2 1/2 yr. old contestant. The title of her sculpture was "Just Having Fun." How cute! I told E we'd look into signing up for next year.
OMGooodness! My poor hands need a break. Check back soon-I'll add my pics. The few that I got. The sun was so bright off the sand, that it was like shooting blind out there!
Well, here goes-sorry for the boring layout, but at this hour, I'm going for easy!


...Out on the boardwalk! (you're singing it, aren't you?)



Sweet Sisters


I see sand...I must dig!!


Hitting the beach!


Buried feet!


Tranquility.


Beach Bum!


Fun in the Sun!


BFFs


Ally found a hole...and worked on filling it till the job was done!


Bedtime Books


My Girls




Beach Bunny


The Wizard of Oz Sculpture


Another sculpture...don't know the title.


"Turning Over A New Leaf"


Mom and Son
(Grammy is holding A's Seagull kite. Although they will forever be "eagles" to me. Even after being corrected dozens of times, A still continued to call these silly beach birds "Eagles"!)