Beach week, part 1

The day of our long-awaited beach trip finally arrived. And just as well, because Resli and Lela had been packing for days beforehand. (At one point they ended up with bathing suits, socks and stuffed animals. Only. As it is, even with my input and veto-power on the whole packing process, we still managed to get here without a hairbrush...)

Kennedy was all set for the trip, although she had no idea what to expect.

Resli and Lela were thrilled to have the "way back" of the minivan to themselves. They had books, snacks and buddies and would've been content with a much longer trip than the 1.5 hour drive.

Meliss, Mathias, Atticus and Emmeline met us there, and that was very exciting. We hadn't seen Atticus in almost a year, and we'd never met Emmeline before. The big kids (ages 2.5-6.5 years) got the bedroom with the bunk beds. Atticus is a little in awe of his older cousins, which is cute but it also means he does and says everything they do. (Sorry, Meliss and Mathias.)

Kennedy and Emmeline do better hanging out in their seats.

  

The next morning, after a quick breakfast, we got ready for some beach time. (Mind you, this was at about 8:30am, but when you get up before six, there's only so much morning you can kill. Besides, we wanted to avoid the worst of the sun, so early morning works well.)

Here's Harvey with his three bathing beauties, surprisingly enough, all wearing pink and orange.

And here are all the cousins, ready for some major fun in the sun. 

The beach is wonderful, with lots to do. 

Sometimes, we just sit and watch the waves.

Sometimes, we build sandcastles.

We all enjoyed the water, especially Meliss and Emmeline.

Of course, the littlest of the girls had to stay well protected from the sun - especially Kennedy, who can't wear sunscreen for a few more months.

But the siblings came to visit and bring shells every now and then.

After a long day at the beach, there's nothing better than a delicious homecooked meal with family.

(Emmeline was napping at this point, and Kennedy is in my arms, behind Meliss's head. 

So far, this is an excellent vacation! We'll have more updates and pictures soon...