Happy Independence Day!

We decided to take the boys to Ocean City, NJ this weekend to celebrate the 4th with my parents. They're in a new house on the Bay, and don't yet have the window treatments in - which means we were all up very early each day. We'd go out on the dock to give my brother a little peace and quiet. Here the boys are testing out their new life jackets, and watering Noni's plants - it's about 7:00 in the morning:



We had a terrific time, and despite the lack of sleep the boys did really well. I didn't get any pictures of Little C at the beach, but we were amazed at how much he liked it. I really thought he'd have issues with sand on his feet, but he jumped right in and filled buckets and stomped castles and played with the ball roll like an old pro. He was so exhausted that he fell asleep on the walk back to the house before we got off the beach.

By far, our favorite part of the new house is the beautiful dock on the bay. We had all of our snacks out there and loved hanging out all day. When we get ready for bed every night we do something called "Favorite Parts", where we all list our favorite parts of the day. It's a great way for us to share as a family and to get a little insight into what the kids are thinking. Each night we were there, each of our favorite parts were kayaking! It's so much fun and great exercise. Big C learned how to paddle this weekend, and was a great help, here he's letting Pops relax a bit: