ocean!

We just got back from the ocean! Such a fun trip. Brant and I drove down with the girls on Wednesday morning and spent the afternoon napping in the hotel and shopping at the outlets across the street while we waited for some showers to pass. Then we got some fried chicken and walked to the beach for dinner in the sand, watching the waves crash. The beach is so empty at dinnertime--loved it! Then Thursday morning my brother, Thomas, and his wife, Caroline, drove in from DC, as did my parents. We spent a wonderfully long and leisurely day at the beach, swimming in the crazy strong waves, while the sun never even peeked out from behind the clouds! Mabel took about a two-and-a-half-hour nap in our little sun tent. She was content, and thus, so was I. That evening we ate at our traditional boardwalk spot--Obie's By the Sea. It's a Quinn tradition; we've been going there since I was a little little kid. I can't begin to describe how beautiful the weather was that night. Not the slightest bit hot or humid, with an ocean breeze to beat all ocean breezes! My mom snuggled in bed and read books with Annie and Mabel at the hotel, while the four of us walked down the street to get some Rita's. Ooo let me tell ya, key lime & mango ice plus vanilla custard. Delicious!

Friday morning we all woke up and played a sporting game of miniature golf. I got a hole in one and WON! hehehe, gotta' brag. We all did really well, though. Especially Mabel, who chilled in her carseat the whole time, playing with my brother and cheering him on. Then, the Joneses and the Greens rolled up and we all headed back down to the beach and spent a very sunny day on the water. The waves were much calmer and more fun to bounce around in and dive through. I never wiped out once, although Brant did catch a pretty bad  one, while he was trying to ride a huge wave in to shore. His head is still a little bruised. :-( Mabel again took a lovely, long nap inside the tent, so I got to spend a lot of time splashing through waves. We said bye to my parents that afternoon and then went out to eat at a fancy Japanese restaurant with the whole crew, kids and all! Mabel obliged by sleeping through the whole delicious meal, and Annie ate all of Caroline's miso soup--tofu and all! She loved it!

Possibly the best part of the trip was how well Mabel slept. She pulled two 12-hour nights, both nights we were there. She only woke up once to eat each time, at about 6am both mornings, and then went to sleep again til 8. Lovely! The beach life must agree with this chica. Also, Annie got to sleep in her own double bed in our hotel room. She couldn't have had more fun with it. She would sit up in her bed and read and sing songs to herself while Brant and I sat in the other bed, reading and watching TV. Then, after about an hour of winding down, she'd say to herself, "Okay, I need to go to sleep now." And she'd lie down with her baby and fall asleep! It was so cute to watch. And when I woke up in the morning, I'd see her silently peering at me across the nightstand, waiting for me to wake up. :)

We left Saturday morning after an impromptu breakfast with everyone gathered in our hotel room as we packed, and we immensely enjoyed our beautiful drive through countryside the whole way home. It feels so good to be home and no longer sandy and damp . . . however, I am already starting to plan next summer's beach trip! Who wants in? :)