Few more photos from the beach

I thought I'd consolidated all the photos from vacation, but I missed a few good ones from Anthony's cell phone.  Here were the three kids pig-piling in the living room.  It happened dozens of times and miraculously there wasn't a bumped head or tear!

We were fortunate to catch up with cousin Joseph one afternoon and went out for sushi and ice cream:

Wrastlin' Gators at Thunder Lagoon!

Bea and I have been on this carousel together in Rehoboth every summer.  This year she picked the bench:

The boardwalk at dusk:

This girl knows how to flash the pearly whites for a camera!

My sister-in-law Kathleen, me, brother Dan, sister Louise, and the three little cousins:

Maryland Vacation

Just back from ten days away from home.  And just put my daughter to bed after she was crying huge crocodile tears about missing Maryland and wanting to move there, so obviously we had a blast.  Here are some highlights from the trip, selected quickly from over a hundred photographs.  Road trip to Lolo and Lola's house:

Ninth hour in the car:

We spent two days at Anthony's folks' main house and visited his sister and family on her 41st birthday.  The girls headed out to catch fireflies and here's Bea with her first ever catch!

                                        

                                                    

                                                         Crazy girlies jumping with joy!

                                                     

                                       Lucy & Matt, The Forondas, and us:

After a sleepover with the girls, and destroying Lola's living room with some awesome blanket forts the next morning, we then  headed to the beach house and spent 24 hours just the three of us.  Mini-golf was one of the first things we did:

The next day, Lolo and Lola, as well as my sister, and my brother and his family, joined us.  Sula had her first vacation in a couple years, and enjoyed chasing rabbits, getting some long walks, eating lots and lots of handouts from many a hand, and trying on my sister-in-law's flip flops:

Here are the three musketeers enjoying a dessert called "DIRT."  

Crazy Elton John glasses are around yet another summer!

This picture represents three things that shocked and frightened me. A) My daughter is a carnie wanna-be...she loves those ridiculous games,even more than rides! ; B) She chose this redneck "Pirate's Booty" game at Rehoboth beach as a must-do; C) She picked up that rifle, aimed, and shot four for four. Dang!

Here's the only pic I got from the water park Thunder Lagoon in Fenwick Island.  The kids had a blast, but Bea wouldn't go near the big slides.  And my cautious girl was the only kid in the park with floaties!  

She fit just right under the Dumser Dairyland ice cream ordering counter:

                     We visited the beach a few times, and the fun for Bea consisted of digging holes, filling holes, refilling holes,  avoiding waves, and posing ridiculously for cell phone pics with cousin Hankie:

     She is going to go through some serious withdrawal after all this fun cousin time!

Here she is at Assateague with Daddy:

Making sand angels:

Out to lunch with Lola and Hank:

On the Fourth of July we rolled around this ice cream ball for 30 minutes making some delicious, albeit incredibly soft, vanilla ice cream.  Fun!

Lolo and Lola posed for this picture before heading back home:

My sister treated the three kids to a pirate's adventure boat ride and they had a blast:

Bea forewent the patch/sword/costume and chose this random princess crown necklace instead:

On our first night, she did her first ever go kart ride with Daddy:

And after nearly giving up, we were treated to a visit with seven wild horses at Assateague:

Can't cope with the long ride home!  (in all seriousness, both she and Sula were awesome crammed in the back of the Civic.  We still have yet to pull out any electronics for car trips and Bea entertained herself today  for hours with a stuffed mermaid in a shell bag that she bought with her own money at Candy Kitchen. She had her eye on it from day #1 and finally was able to get it on the last day.)

Card games, late nights, movies, constant entertainment and attention, ridiculous amounts of junk food, loads of laughs, surrounded by loving family...no wonder there were tears.  See you next year beach house!!!

Night Before Vacation

My Dad's not been well and he's in the hospital for the second time in a week.  Yesterday it looked like our trip may be cancelled, or at least postponed, but today things look brighter, so we're going for it and leaving in the morning.  Tonight we had a nice visit with my cousin Janet and her family from Florida. Haven't seen them in  2 1/2 years.  Cousin Rabu and all 6 kids came too so we had a fun night with cousins, the first of many to come in the next ten days!  Janet snapped this photo at Aunt Denise's house before we left.

Filling Up the Days #4: Farm Camp

Here she is checking out the kale:

See this blonde kid below?  All I know about him is that his name is Xavier and he may just do the best rooster impression on this planet.  He treated me to it this morning. Pigeon cry too. Think he'll make David Letterman's "bird calls" episode one day.

Amanda has been the reason Bea loved this week of camp so much.

Off to Maryland next!

because some day I'll forget:

-At five years old, she measured at the 2nd percentile at 3'3" and barely 32 lbs.
-She loves to call "family meetings" for very important topics, for example, last night it was announcing that her nails were sharp and she might scratch us by accident when she's playing kitty.
-Beatrice "feels nervous" about many things lately. She's in an anxious phase, needing a whole lot of reassurance, which I hope passes soon.
-"I puh-got!" is a common phrase around here.  It means "I forgot," "oops," or "I didn't know that" all in one!
-Fruits and veggies are becoming more of a challenge to get into her.
-She has a burning desire to read and asks us "what does that say" every time she sees print. We are currently on the fourth book in the "Little House" series and she just loves it, plopping the book and my reading glasses on the bed every night.
-Overall, her imaginary play has lessened, but not disappeared, and imaginary friends Mango & Madonna made more appearances the past few months.
-She's mentioned a couple times she has a burning desire for a sister and asked directly if we could adopt again.  Sadly I had to tell her that very likely would not happen.
-She loves to introduce herself to people, and to introduce me or her Dad to others.  She especially likes to point out her Daddy's public artwork or announce that he's opening a store.