The Beach!

Ahhh, The Beach.  Too many pictures here.  I actually thought Elliot was going to explode from excitement.  Living with Alex & Zoe for a week?!  Sleeping in Ami & Papa's room?! Alice and Sam and Harry just down the beach and in the pool?!  TV in the minvan?!  Poor thing was literally spinning for the first 2 days.  This was also good since it resulted in 3 hour naps from sheer exhaustion.  Check out Hello Harry & Two Little Tidbits for more cross-over pictures - since it seems my camera was always at the bottom of the bag when it was time for group photos.   Samantha was a trooper too - especially considering she is too young for chlorine, sunscreen and sun!  She held her own though with plenty of pterydactyl screams.  

Elliot on the path to collect shells.

Elliot contemplating Ned the Nice Crab in her Baywatch moment.

Our almost patented (thanks Isis) star-formation photo of the Heywood cousins.  Clockwise from Zoe:  Zoe, Samantha, Baby Alden, Alex, Elliot.

Salt water is not on the list of "Don'ts" for babies under 6 months.  Samantha was cool with it, until it touched her - cold!

Sam & Ellie lounging at the base of the dune stairs where mommy & daddy were cocktailing with cousins.  See Sammy J's hand in the sand?  Swiper pulled a fistfull and then dropped it on herself & Elliot.  

One of my rare photos of Elliot & Alice.  This is at "Alice's Beach House".  Oh yes, they were right on the water with this gorgeous deck.  See what you all were missing?  You can have it too if you come to the beach with us next year!

Elliot keeping watch from her perch in the sand.  Nena - is that your mom's towel you couldn't find?

Don't miss Sammy J in this picture.  She is the little hat in the Bumbo seat between Ben & me.  How about my Mrs. Roper swim cover?  I wore it all the time because I thought it justified cocktails.  I am sensing a theme here.

Owen, Zoe, Alex & Elliot on the whale Uncle Jamie built.  Below, Elliot says Bonjour to the Butterfly.

Above Ami & Elliot "surf".  Below, Samantha & Alden entertain each other with fascinating conversation.  Sammy is all, "why you interrupting with a picture, dad?"

Who can put a T-shirt on fastest gets a cookie --- oh, but you didn't know Auntie Sherie froze the shirts and you couldn't unfold them.  Alex won the contest.  And below he & Owen celebrated like raging bulls.  Oh parents, you must be so proud!

Ahh!  Our Ellie Isabelly's very first performance.  On Talent Show Night, Elliot rocked out to B-I-N-G-O thanks to the help of the singing crowd.  She was high on the applause afterward.  Below she is mid-dance getting the crowd involved while Daddy, the emcee, looks on.

Mrs. Roper and Sammy J again.  I just can't get over her in the Bumbo at the beach.  At least in this one you can kind of see her face.

Elliot really got into the waves after the 3rd day or so.  And then she was all about "Big One! Big One!"  Until a Big One splashed her face.   And got her swimsuit wet.  She does not like getting her swimsuit wet.

Samantha was more into the shade and the napping side of the beach.  We should all have beach towels that are approximately 4 times our height, like Samantha's (thanks Amy!).

Elliot and Lily had lizard tatoos on their arms.  These girls are serious observers.  And when you get 2 serious observer 2-3 year olds together, you get some pretty funny stare-offs. And of the 10 photos, this is the most excitement captured - though both girls continued to talk about their tats for the rest of the week.  Where did we leave our extra tattoos???

Crab Night!!  The highlight of many a beach night.  So many hammers, so little napkins.  So much thanks to the Cheevers, Bishops, Kresinas, Vandergrifts ... 

Alice needs a hammer above, Lach is not so sure. Below, Oscar the wiener dog is hoping Rob & Harry are not so careful.  

If you see the pic below up close, you will laugh like me.  It sums up my nuclear family.  Ben, mid-bite of some luscious crab he was supposed to be picking for me.  Elliot swinging a hammer saying "Elliot do it SELF!"  And Sammy J on the floor in the back ground wondering when we will remember to give her some more solid food.  (We finally remembered.  When we got home from the beach). 


Packing up to go home.  31 hours to get home - but that includes a semi-planned overnight in Philly and a delightful lunch stop in NYC Central Park!  Thanks to the Harris' for hosting our flighty selves!!    

So, next year - who's coming to the beach with us??