Winter at the Beach

Most people go to the beach in the Summer. We go in the middle of winter when we can have the whole place to ourselves. Nate loved running up to the surf and pulling back before it could reach him. Eventually he lost. We had to buy him a new pair of shoes because the ones we brought were soaked.



Sean was less thrilled. He loved walking around the boardwalk and swimming at the indoor pool at the hotel, but he wasn't very happy with the beach itself. Mom and dad had to carry him around over the sand. When we asked him about the ocean his answer was "don't like!"



We walked along the boardwalk beside the ocean. Here, dad and Nate pose by some of the sea grasses that have been planted to prevent erosion. Narrow paths cut through the grass allowing access to the beach.


We also went to a shipwreck museum. Sean like this much more. Here he peers through a porthole at a pirate treasure. No, the little creature on the other side of the window isn't real.

More Winter

There's not much going on in the middle of winter so we haven't posted much lately. It's not been particularly snowy this year, in fact it's been unusually warm, so we've barely gotten enough snow to make a decent snowman. We got a few inches a couple of weeks ago and a dusting several weeks earlier, but nothing else.


Nate and Sean were ready for Mardi Gras last week. Here, Sean tries on the festive glasses that Nate made. Later they rummaged through the big pile of beads collected in years gone past.


This afternoon they went to a birthday party at the home of their friend. The parents hired a face-painter to help keep the kids entertained. We were surprised that both of them wanted their faces painted since neither of them had ever wanted that before. Nate got a large snake put on him. You'll also notice that he's now lost a second tooth in the last week!



Sean got painted like a dog. He kept rubbing his face though, so by the time he got home it was mostly smeared.

Minivan Mama

Thanks to an advertising program by Dodge and Matchstick, I got to drive a 2008 Dodge Caravan for a week. Those of you who know my husband, know that a minivan is highly unlikely in our house. And, honestly, even though I did like the van, I now agree that I don't really need a minivan. The kids, on the other hand, would have liked to keep it.

Sean may not look happy here, but what you can't see is the TV screen that was playing the Disney channel via satellite. He's mad because he'd rather be watching that than looking at the camera.

Nate figured out how to look like he's looking at the camera, but still watch the show at the same time.


After I pried them away from the tv, they checked out the table and the swivel option on the chairs. It's a pretty neat little set up.

Even more fun was the "tailgate option" that flipped the back seat down for tailgate parties at football games and such. Nate thought that was pretty cool.

All in all, it was a fun week. If I were going to buy a minivan, I would certainly take a closer look at this one. My "green" side is winning though, so the old Jeep will likely be replaced with the smallest three row car/SUV/station wagon I can find.