day at the beach

Today we took a day trip to the beach.  We went down to Atlantic City, which is usually a fast drive, but due to rain and traffic was a little longer.  The weather cleared up shortly after we got there and we were able to have some fun in the sun.

The boys putting the sand in "sandwich."

Lunch on the go

I had a great time with the kids at the beach.  Asher and I ran in the waves and held hands and jumped.  Benjamin would join us for a little and then run back.  Charlotte got a little wet and screamed- she was scared of the waves. The boys loved playing the sand and making sand castles.

Kitty Cat also built a sand castle

Our friends tried to get their daughter to nap in the tent, and Charlotte thought that was a fun game to play.

Needless to say, no one napped.  Asher, with his hoarding tendencies, loved picking up shells (and pieces of shells).

Big boy with his shell collection

Fortunately, he was agreeable to picking out a select few to bring home.  I thought we all had a wonderful time, but when we got home, Benjamin told me he was never going to the beach again, he didn't like it, too much sand.  I said, too bad, you are going to the beach again, we go to Maine next week.

The kids took brief naps in the car on the way home, then were wide awake when we pulled up at the front door.  Eric, on the other hand, needed a nap.  So I took the kids to the playground, because after getting rained out at the beach, the weather was beautiful at home.

Kitty Cat likes the swings

We had a great time at the park, for the most part. Unfortunately, shells were not Asher's only souvenir from Atlantic City, as he had also picked up a secret treasure off the street- a razor blade with curved edges!  I found out when he dropped it out of his pocket at the playground.  You know, in front of about 4 other parents whose children were NOT carrying weapons to the park.  I panicked when I saw it, and he grabbed it and was holding it tightly in his little hand, while I panicked more that he was going to cut himself.  Then we had a little chase until I got him, got it out of his hand without any bloodshed, and dropped it in the garbage can.  Which resulted in Asher in hysterics as I had thrown away his "treasure."  I made a joke to our audience (people who will probably never let their children near us again) that that was what I get for taking the kids to Atlantic City.

I would say that, overall, it was a good day.  At dinner we recalled our favorite parts- the water, the waves, the sand castles, the shells.  I am glad we still have many beach days ahead of us this summer.