Beach Adventures

We went to the beach yesterday.  We are now exhausted after three straight days of non-stop fun.  We need a vacation.  Oh...wait....this IS our vacation.

Miss Zoey (and mom) forgot to bring her extra leg so she didn't have as much fun as usual.

We tried a different beach which resulted in mixed reviews from the kids.  This beach had almost no sand but there was a lot of shallow water for hunting crabs.

Or just shells, for those terrified of live crustaceans.

Soothing scenery

Collecting empty snail shells

Katie-bug was very serious about finding them.

But then...wonder of wonders, SaraGrace spotted a live, baby crab and managed to catch it.

Jordan admires the discovery

The transfer of goods

Just then, Chloe and Jillian discovered clams...or mussels.  No one was quite sure what they were--even the local beach goers.

They SQUIRT!  They actually squirt like a little boy going potty.  Gross!

If this disgusting thing was a clam, I'm never eating them again.  Ewwwww....

More squirting.

But then.... A nice man started finding crabs for the kids to play with.  SaraGrace and Jordan were all over that!

J-Man has no fear!

SaraGrace gets up close and personal

Studying it carefully and very impressed.

The other kids found more snail shells and found to their delight that they were still occupied.

Cool, huh?

The next series of pictures tells a hilarious story of SaraGrace attempting to go potty in the ocean.  It seems she had just about finished going, when to her horror, she saw a large crab skittering past her feet.  She jumped up and started shrieking, dancing, skipping, shuddering, and screaming her way to shore.  We were dying laughing at her.

The nice man came back with three crabs and told the kids how he used to have crab races when he was a kid.

Setting up the race course to see which crab could make it back to the sea first.

This one never found the ocean. Since it was the biggest, SaraGrace and Jordan wanted to see if it would grab onto a shell.  

It did.

One crab had disappeared during the run to the sea, but the other two were played with for quite awhile.  Jordan wanted to take them home but we knew they would die, so he sadly agreed to leave them behind.

Kate abandoned her collection of shells when she realized with disgust that they were still inhabited with slimy little creatures.

After that it was time for fish and chips at one of the local restaurants.  SO YUMMY!

The kids still had their sparklers so we thought it would be fun to light them on the beach.  

My Datong cuties pose in the pretty sunset

My Treasures

More Independence Day Fun

Thankfully, the kids all slept in after our 1AM arrival home the other night.  We didn't really have plans for the actual 4th, so I had to kick it into gear and come up with something.

Food.

Yeah...that always helps.  The big girls and I headed to the grocery store and pretty soon our cart was full of colorful, yummy 4th of July food.  Corn on the cob, watermelon, chicken, stawberries, pea pods....

It is so rare that any food I have anything to do with looks this good that I had to take a picture of it.

My four big girls.  I heart them!

Then there were some bubbles...

And a box of Pop-Its for everyone!  The driveway looked like it had snowed when they were done--but they sure had fun.  All except Zoey.  She hates the sound of them and gave hers to SaraGrace.

Jillian made this for Ryan and texted it to him.  We love you, Ryan!!

Jeff rotated the tires on my van.  Yippee....how fun for him.

What else could we do?  

Well, we just couldn't get enough fireworks so we decided to go again.  Jeff found out there were going to be some fairly close to our house, so we headed out last evening.

And for family and friends who didn't get to have Fireworks this year....here is a second attempt at photographing them.

Grand Finale

Surprisingly, this small town firework display was much more impressive than the one in Bristol.  We thoroughly enjoyed it--which made the absurd traffic jam afterwards a little more bearable.

The kids didn't get to do their sparklers because no one else was doing any and we didn't want to bother those around us--so maybe tonight we will do those.

We are heading to the beach today because Jeff took today and tomorrow off.  We are doing a Stay-cation instead of vacation because it costs a ridiculous amount of money to take this crew anywhere.  The little kids are quite confused by all the extra activity and Zoey keeps asking, 

"Why are we having all dis fun?"  

Ha.

You would think they never get to have any fun around here.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Birthday to our "Yankee Doodle Dandy," Ryan!!!  His surgery went well, he has been able to go back home as the fires are a bit more under control, and....drum roll....  He is spending the day with his birth-family!  Only God could have written this story of how Ryan and his birth-grandma ended up in the same town.  Ryan with the Army and his grandma needing to be there for health reasons.  And now...his birthmom is visiting and Ryan is spending the week getting re-acquainted.  We have seen them occasionally through the years as we were able--but we lived far away so trips were few.  I am rejoicing as I picture them enjoying this day together!

Yesterday we decided to make a drive to Bristol, RI, to see their fireworks.  Bristol has the longest running 4th of July celebration of any place in the country--226 consecutive years.  This town takes their Independence Day celebration seriously.  They start on Flag Day in June and continue through the 4th.  We arrived into town around 5:00PM and scouted out a place to watch the fireworks (with a little help from the locals who knew where to sit!).  I prayed we would find a great spot and wow...God delivered with a perfect section of beach.  The kids had a blast playing in the rocks, finding beach glass, shells, crab skeletons and digging up mussels.

This town is serious about the 4th.  Even the lines down the middle of the streets are painted red, white and blue.

Exploring on the rocks.  Lifeguards at our favorite beach do not allow this, so it was fun to have the freedom to jump around and dig stuff up between the rocks.

Digging....digging....Digging mussels (blech).  Midwest amateur that I am, I thought they were clams at first.

The mussels were alive in there so I only let the kids break open a few shells.

Crab skeleton

Our beautiful view all evening

As the tide came in, the kids had to go to higher ground

Suddenly, Jordan spotted a hermit crab walking on the bottom of the ocean

Jillian got a stick and started dragging it toward shallow water

SaraGrace makes the grab

And suddenly realizes that its....ALIVE and squirming.  But manages to resist the urge to throw it.

Say hello to our leetle friend

Since Jordan was the 'finder' and SaraGrace was the 'rescuer' they are sharing ownership of said crab.

Checking to be sure it's still moving around after being housed in a slightly leaky ziploc bag

Moving on....SaraGrace and Kate pose on a canon while Zoey apparently missed the memo

Not necessarily entertained by the little kids, father and son scan the horizon for signs of firework activity (and discuss the long lines at the bathroom).

Our heart babies entertain the rest of us while the sun drops lower in the sky

Beautiful sunset picture taken by Molly while Mom herded several little ones to the bathroom

The show finally starts....WOOHOO!

I must say...fireworks over water are VERY COOL!!!

There are special ways to photograph fireworks.  Obviously, I have not mastered a single one of them.  Sigh...

We didn't get home until almost 1:00AM, but it was totally worth it!  SaraGrace thinks the 4th should be every day and said it was her favorite holiday.  

Thankfully, the kids slept until 10:00AM so hopefully, they won't be too grumpy today. 

Jillian made a little house for the crab.  Not sure how we will keep it alive but it came home in a Gatorade bottle with lots of ocean water which they plan to save.  According to Google, they eat grapes and raisins, so he has been fed this morning.

Hopefully we didn't break any laws by bringing it home or crossing state lines with a live crustacean.  Bahahahaha

Jillian assures me it cannot climb up the plastic sides of this enclosure and escape to places unknown in the kitchen.

Yeah.

That's what Taylor said about the frog a few years ago that we later found hopping around in the family room.

Happy Fourth of July everyone!!!