Guess where we went last weekend. Here, let me give you a hint:
Need another one?
You guessed it! We got to go back to the beach! Ken announced several weeks ago that he had a sales meeting in Pensacola, and before I even had a chance to guilt him into taking the kids and me, he invited us along. I didn’t even have to beg. We are just that lovable, I guess.
We had such a great time, and once again, I left with the same feeling as before: I love this stage in our family’s life. I enjoy my kids now in a way that I haven’t been able to in the past. Roark is finally old enough to be in on the fun, as oppose to being a lump of dimpled thighs and chubby cheeks that tags along in a stroller. I think part of the reason I have enjoyed my kids so much this summer is because for the past several summers, I’ve been the one lagging behind, pushing the stroller while I watch Ken creating memories and playing with Edie. But now, those stroller days are over, and Roark and I finally get to join in on the fun.
We arrived at the beach on Thursday afternoon, and of course, the kids where in the pool within thirty minutes of our arrival. We stayed in the same Hilton that we were in when we visited last May, and I must admit, we will probably stay there from now on. We really love it. Ken and I love the fact that we can stay there on Hilton points, and the kids love their pool and easy access to the beach. So everybody’s happy.
After swimming, we went to eat dinner at a place a couple of buildings down from the hotel. The food was so-so, nothing to brag about, but that didn’t matter because we happened to get there in time for the Hermit Crab Races. This was a new sport to us, but then again, most sports are foreign to us. It started with a crusty, old beach bum calling all the kids to join him at the outdoor stage and to circle up around the wooden table. Then the kids each got to choose a hermit crab. Roarkie named his “Mater.” Big surprise for a kid’s whose favorite word these days is “Dad-gum!” I can’t remember what Edie named her crab. It was something that sounded like she made it up on the fly, like Magenna or Madeena, but the beach bum just acted like it was as good a name as any. Each of the kids chose crabs that had shells painted like ladybugs. There were only two in the crab pile that looked like ladybugs, and for some reason, both my kids thought ladybugs meant “speed” in the hermit crab world. Sadly, they were wrong, and neither of them were anywhere close to winning the the race. But I love the memory I now have of each of them cheering and clapping for their crabs because the beach bum told them that their crab would move faster if they yelled at them.
The next three days were spent building sand castles and swimming. There was a red flag flying on Friday. So we weren’t able to play in the ocean. It was just the same to me. Since Friday was the day Ken was at his meeting and I was manning it alone, I’m not sure I could have handled both the kids and the waves. So we played in the sand and then headed over to the pool.
The kids did learn a valuable lesson about oceans that day. I spent our entire beach time saying every two or three minutes, “Don’t get in the water past your ankles!” Even though I had explained over and over that this was for their safety, somehow they still just thought it was another one of my mean rules like no jumping on the bed. Well, I got the last word on the matter when we were cleaning up our stuff, and I stepped into the waves to wash off our sand toys. I didn’t realize that I had been followed until I turned around just in time to see both of my kids being tumbled around by a wave. They now know what it feels like to be a pair of underwear in a washing machine. Both of them immediately stood up SCREAMING at the top of their lungs, covered in sand. Roark looked like he had a sandy comb-over. You’ll be happy to know, that I saved the “I told you so” speech for later and spent a good five minutes calming them down and comforting them. They now understand why that flag was red.
Saturday, the beach authorities downgraded the flag to yellow, but it was still just a little too rough for us. Edie tried some body surfing with her father, and Roark laughed his head off as he jumped in the crashing surf. But after awhile, we decided to head over to the bay side where things were just a little bit calmer. Before we left, I had bought Edie a snorkeling set, and she had been dying for her father to show her how to use it. We got to the bay a couple of hours before sunset, and honestly, it was just one of those perfect moments. Ken and Edie snorkeled, while Roark and I played boats, and after awhile you didn’t even need the snorkels to see the fish. With it being sunset, minnows and fish were swimming all around us. It was like National Geographic, and our kids ate it up. We watched the birds diving for their dinner, and the fish jumping to get away. All the while, the sun was setting, and everything just seemed peaceful. It felt like vacation.
We had to check out on Sunday, and as luck would have it, the flag was finally green and the water perfect for swimming. So we packed everything up except our swimsuits and beach chairs and decided to drive home afterward. It has been a long time since I’ve seen the water that perfect: crystal clear, no sea weed, and small, relaxing waves.
Of course, no beach trip is complete without someone coming home with a sunburn, and unfortunately for him, Ken drew the short straw this time. He got FRIED. Now as the mom of our little family, it’s my job to put sunblock on everybody, and I accept it. But really, I’ll just say it, this is a bad idea. You see, I don’t really get sunburned. I’m one of those that fair-skinned people love to hate. So thinking about reapplying sunscreen just doesn’t come naturally to me. Now, I’ll remember to slather everybody before we go out, but once the fun in the sun begins, I don’t really think about it again. So why Ken got burned and little snow white Roarkie didn’t is a mystery to me. Both got SPF 55 applied to them at the start of the day, but came out with very different results. Ken’s burn is just proof that I’m not a perfect mother/wife. Of course, I was fully aware of this before the sunburn, and still maintain that I did not ask for the job of “Sunscreen Queen” and don’t argue with the fact that I suck at it.
All that being said, we really had fun. Of course, when we got home, Ken made a point to tell me to stop talking about how badly I want to go on a vacation. And I plan to honor that request…at least, for the next couple of months.
