beach day!!!

***WARNING: procceed at your own risk...way too many details in this post, most likely will be hard to maintain concentration. get a snack or a cup of coffee.

so, the mercury is supposed to hit 90 today....wow, we've been waiting for summer & it came with a BANG this week!! one thing i've always loved to do is go to the beach, but with little ones - it was quite a chore! now that the boys are older, i want to try to get out there more.

when i mentioned "beach" this morning, the kids were so excited!! let me tell ya, it was easier to pack for 5 & 7 year olds...so, we packed a cooler & a few other things, and we were off!

we arrive at 11:00...this is a little late for the family-beach bums...cuz you want a spot RIGHT on the water, so as to have easy access for the kiddos to play on the beach/water...easy for the mommas to keep an eye on them!

so, i park my sled (more on that later) in a nice 12x12 area. on one side,2 mommas who never ever quit talking, one of whom "freaked" out when dodge accidentally splashed her - i apologized, and i think she realized she was being a little silly - she was sitting 4 feet from lake michigan ;) and on my other side one momma with four kids - betweeen ages 1 and 6 - she looked all of 20. but i'm sure she was a little older. i dont know how she did it, but she stayed out half the day & she was pretty entertaining. on a side note, she forgot sunblock for her baby & she didn't have an umbrella...so i lent her mine.

if the above episode would have happened a few years ago, i probably would have been very envious of that "mom with 4 kids"....but happily, after watching her, i realized (again) that i rather like this stage - thank you very much!

so, the boys happily spend most of the day digging a hole...after awhile, dodge gets antsy and wants to walk the pier. so, we go. i have a funny feeling about leaving our "campsite" especially now that my mom friend of 4 is gone. so....we walk, my boys see more skin today than they have their whole lives. i realize that the world is made up of all shapes & sizes. we watch a bunch of crazy high schoolers jump of the pier. we come back to our "site". of course you know what happens....3 adults & 4 kids are camped out between my blanket and the lake. yes, i had 6 feet between my blanket and the lake...most of which was the previously mentioned hole.

ok, i had to take a pic (sorry if this is your family or friends) that guy & kids are sitting in the hole. thats our yellow shovel. i thought my boys were gonna bawl. that other guy is sitting in my chair....ok, kidding.


dodge...yes, we're digging another hole.


teamwork...my boys did not fight or argue all day....it was beautiful.

we went to the general store to look around...they have every kind of candy under the sun...and the very best ice cream - yum!

you always pick up on some good ideas going to the beach, here are some things i've learned. let me know if you have any to add!

must haves for the beach:

1. mode of transportation for all the STUFF. some of you beach mommas have those big wheeled carts - they rock. but they're also a little pricey! today i used a sled...ya know, the cheap plastic-type that you pull the kids around in winter. it goes pretty good on the sand. it doubles as a kiddie pool if you have little ones.

2. baby powder. you'll need this for going home - it removes all sand. awesome.

3. umbrella. shade for your cooler, little ones or your neighbors baby. also comes in handy when there are like 5,ooo people around you...you go to the bathroom, and you will be able to find your spot back!

4. rubber mallot. to pound your umbrella in - genius.

5. a plastic bag for your garbage. there are NO garbage cans at the beach, to keep those annoying seagulls at bay.

6. a sheet. sand doesn't stick to it.

i also observed a few things at the beach:

1. you must roll down your window 1-2 miles before you hit the beach. even if it is an oppressive 90 degrees, nothing smells as good as the beach ;)

2. be prepared to SHARE your stuff. the beach is full of moms that forget sunblock, kids that lose shovels, and yuppy families that want your hole. which brings me to my next point...

3. if you go to the beach to avoid your neighbors, you will surely pick up new neighbors.

4. to all the 18-22 year-old girls wearing bikinis & lookin' HOT. enjoy that bod while you got it, girl. pregnancy, c-sections, varicose veins, wrinkles, cellulite, and gravity WILL EVENTUALLY HAPPEN!!!!!

5. watching teenagers flirting with each other, barely dressed mind you, makes me queezy thinking that my boys will some day be that age.

6. a spur of the moment trip to the beach, eating ice cream for supper, forgetting about all the things "to-do" at home is sooooo much fun!