August 3, 2018, at 11:12 pm | After we got back from Ocean City and finished up school, we got down to business with enjoying summer! We had a few wonderful days with Aunt Julie and Uncle Jon before they headed back to Arizona:
  
And then we spent almost three wonderful weeks getting to hang out with Jon and Kate, and we loved every minute of it! I’ll post more pictures of our adventures soon!
   
Here are the big kids playing Alli’s “Pretty Pretty Princess” game from years ago. It apparently stands the test of time! 
Don’t ask me what was going on in this picture – they were being quite dramatic! 🙂
August 1, 2018, at 8:45 pm |
July 30, 2018, at 11:11 pm | The next day, we took a bike trip to take in some of the beautiful homes and beaches we don’t see along the boardwalk:
 
We even discovered an interesting creature! I think it’s a horseshoe crab? 
And then Jim, Jon and Uncle Rob took the kids to an escape room for the first time. It was quite an experience for them – a little more intense than the kids expected, but I think they’re game to try it again next year!
And then we got suited up for some swimming:
The Pennsylvania gang:
Tazie got into the whole beach-relaxation thing:
Then we took the kids mini-golfing:
And finally subjected them to pictures:
Before the rides! Susie conquered the Double Shot for the first time – I was so proud!
They look so good all dressed up!
And since I didn’t take too many pictures on our last day at the shore, I’ll end with those. We rented surreys and raced each other down the boardwalk (I’ll have to see if I can get someone else’s pictures of both surreys together!):
Three Jims:
Then we took the kids into town to walk around:
And we visited a very yummy bakery:
Later that evening, we bid farewell to the shore and our PA family. It was such a wonderful week!
July 27, 2018, at 11:10 pm | Next up, it was the girls’ turn for breakfast with Pappy (he’s a generous guy!):
While Jim and I took the boys and Tazie to Brown’s for donuts:
And then later Julie, Jan and I ate at our new favorite lunch place, Playa Bowl (who knew a bunch of berries and granola could be so good?):
Jim put in a little R&R time at the beach:
While Danny learned how to ride waves from his Bubba and big sisters: 
Max kept Tazie entertained:
And then we had to do more rides!
  
Becky’s new favorite thing in life is the Gale Force rollercoaster, an insanely high and fast coaster that left my knees knocking afterwards! I convinced some of our relatives to take Becky on it when she begged for a second ride, because I wasn’t up to handling the G-forces again!
We ended the night with some new toys:
And yummy ice cream at Prep’s (not pictured: the world’s best Waffles with ice cream. Oh boy I want to go back!):
Oh, and I’m not sure where this picture fit into the continuum of the day, but it just cracks me up! 🙂 . 
July 24, 2018, at 10:40 pm | The next day, we started the morning off with a girls’ walk:
And a boys’ breakfast at George’s restaurant:
Then we hit the water park. It took Tazie about a half an hour to figure it out, but she eventually realized that slides with water on them are even more fun than regular slides!
 
Then we hit the beach, and Tazie’s best friend Max was such a big help with her!
That night, we did go-karts with the whole gang:
    
 
And the kids even had a chance to do some shopping before we hit the rides:
Pappy loved taking Tazie on the carousel!
    
We ended the night with Bubba’s favorite activity (next to wave-riding): Ten-cent skeeball!
July 23, 2018, at 3:59 pm | Our bike riding crew!
What gets us motivated enough to pedal/walk down the boardwalk in the hot sun first thing in the morning? Brown’s Donuts!
Oh, and of course Ocean City coffee!
Then we hit the beach! Tazie was much more of a fan this year than last, especially when the temperatures were cooler and the sand didn’t burn her little toes.
Chloe was such a big help wrangling my little one!
 
Becky the sand-castle artist:
Then we cleaned up and played shuffleboard:
This was a serious game!
The rides were just as awesome as we remembered them!
And Tazie was definitely excited to be able to start riding them. The only problem was that I wouldn’t let her ride them all again and again!
  
Sun-kissed faces!
  
During our nightly ladies’ walk after the kids are in bed, we decided to try the rolled ice cream. It was pretty, even if we didn’t care for the texture. But hey, at least the ice cream makers put on quite a production!
 
July 20, 2018, at 10:31 pm | At long last, our Ocean City pictures! We had an amazing time, as always. We made sure to do all of our favorite activities and added a few new ones too!
The girls (minus Alli – we missed her so much!):
Tazie was pretty amazed by all the sights and sounds of the boardwalk:
The boys:
Tazie’s first taste of Kohr Bros ice cream this year:
Susie and Katie off to the beach. When did they get so grown-up?  
Danny came prepared!
Jon is so good at hanging out with our boys:
The kids trying out our newest beach chair:
The family reunion pizza party:
So glad to be here again at long last!
   
July 19, 2018, at 10:29 pm | I am so far behind on going through my summer pictures that it’s embarrassing! But things have slowed down a little around here (temporarily!), so I’m hoping to catch up a bit. Here are the pictures from the boys’ class parties at the end of the school year. They both had such fun classes!
Here’s Danny’s Kindergarten party:
  
And Jimmy’s first-grade party:
   
And I also wanted to throw in these pictures from the days after the parties. Here’s Tazie and I at the park relaxing with some McDonalds. Yay for life’s simple pleasures!
And yay for decks that we can finally use! We had our wooden deck replaced with composite decking, and we couldn’t love it more. The kids are thrilled to be able to go barefoot on the deck!
July 11, 2018, at 11:38 pm | Danny has been MUCH braver on the boat this year, even adding kneeboarding to his list of accomplishments this summer. I’m so proud of my little brown-eyed boy!
July 8, 2018, at 10:16 pm | As per usual, we hit the ground running with the cousins this summer, and have been busy vacationing at the Jersey shore, hitting up parks and local attractions, and of course spending lots of time in the pool and on the lake. Now that Tazie is two, she’s able to participate in a lot more of our activities. We’re keeping this busy girl even busier than normal!
    
Every once in a while, we succeed in wearing her out!
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ABOUT US I'm blessed to be saved by the grace of God, loved by my wonderful husband Jim, and embraced by my twin girls, Rebecca Faith and Susanna Joy and my sons Jimmy and Danny. I started this blog in May 2008 when I was hospitalized for pre-term labor at 24 weeks gestation. The Lord allowed me to keep the girls inside until they were 34 weeks along, and on July 27th, Rebecca made her debut, followed by Susanna, five minutes later, on July 28th. We ecstatically welcomed Jimmy into our lives on April 25th, 2011, and Danny on August 31, 2012. This blog has been a personal journal of faith and motherhood and the only way I can remember which child did what and when. Thanks for stopping by to share in my Faith and Joy! Feel free to e-mail me at: [email protected]. |
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