Can you have a Summer without at least ONE trip to the beach.....I think not! I was brave/stupid/crazy/desperate enough to drive to Ocean City, NJ this past July for the day.... THE.
DAY.
If I had to do it again, I would at least spend the night and have another day there. Our Pastors daughters came along so the ratio for caregiver to child was 1:1 ~ this was good.
I love these girls....and so do my boys!
Their Grandparents LIVE at the beach so we had a "home base" ~ this was also good. 
We headed out bright and early and after 3 1/2 hours on the road, (mesmerized by the faithful heaven sent portable DVD player) we arrived safely.....we went right to the beach with all our gear. Their Grandpa helped carry all our stuff and I nicknamed him our "Cabana Boy!"
We spent the day playing in the waves, lying in the sand, eating watermelon with two forks and red Italian Sand...um, I mean Ice and getting some sun on our backs. Luke took a nap on the beach blanket, bless his heart...while Tyler played and played! Paisley sat in her seat and got sand in her cracks....leg and arm cracks that is!
After our day on the beach we went back to our "home base." We took naps and enjoyed the air conditioning and love of the quintessential Grandpa and Grandma! I want to be like that when I grow up....welcoming strangers into my home and feeding them!! Here's Tyler totally doing a little impromptu model pose...he thought he looked so handsome. "Let me look in the mirror and see how handsome I am!" HA!!!!
Can a picture get sweeter? Precious girl in the forefront and Kohr's ice cream in the background!
and then the rides....such DELIGHT! 
some poses in polos on the dunes...gotta have some of them.
Tyler age 4Luke age 2
Luke is cracking me up! I love his "cheese" smile!
Do I look tired or what? I was exahusted and thinking about the 3 1/2 hours ahead of me.It took me a few days to recover from my "day trip", but I would do it all over again.
I can always capture my sleep, but not the Summer of '09.
"Let's get up early now,
7 comments:
Ohhhhh Janelle! You are such a great mother......creating memories for you kiddos even when it is ALOT of work!
OCNJ in July??? We were down in July. You should have came when we were there & spent the night. Scott's parents live on Brighton St. (really close to Oves-where you get the Italian Ice)
Cheers to the memories of Summer 09!
Love this post! Someday we must take our kiddos to the beach together! :)
the pic of tyler posing looks like jake even more than normal!
You are courageous my friend, and a bit crazy. But, you sure do have a beautiful family and you have created some special memories. Love seeing pictures of your children growing up, in each stage.
I'm sure you can guess how excited I was when I got on and saw the title of your post!!! What a day we had! It was such a lovely day... One that I will treasure for a very long time.... We both had so much fun with the the boys! And the Stoltzfus Ladies, of course!
Love the pics! Your ride pics turned out great! Loved the blend of yours and mine, ours.:)
Paige and I had such a great day. And Popa loved being the "cabana boy"! Lol! Both Grammy and Popa were glad to open their home! Gram really enjoyed her time with Paisley on the porch! So many memories... Can't wait to do it again! Next year, we'll have to bring Paisley down to the water to get her feet wet! :) Haha, already ready for next year!
Lots of love,
#1 babysitter <3
Love, love, love your photos...and your bravery! :) I did a short beach trip with the kids in June, and I definitely could have used a helper. You're one smart gal! :)
When are we all getting together again? A fall evening of talk and coffee or hot chocolate sounds nice right about now. :)
Hey Janelle,
Thanks for yesterday...I left feeling blessed and Mark was very excited about the MEAT! Sarah talked about you all afternoon yesterday "janelle this and janelle that..." Thanks for making her feel special!
I would love to do it again sometime!
Have a blessed day!
Heather
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