Beach Weekend

Alright! ALRIGHT! Finally! A nice weekend-- in June! You could tell the shore was hurting for visitors-- the roads were packed, the beaches were a bit crowded, and we went there ON A WEEKEND. This shows how desperate we really were! But it was essential to have Jim there-- I wasn't able to do a number of things that have become part of my 'beach routine' without him.

Having two adults was totally a good thing. Whatever inhibitions Trenton had last year regarding the water have totally disappeared (possibly due to those three swim lessons?) He loved being ankle-deep in the surf, so long as Jim was close by. Below, this picture shows some of the "splash art" that he made (look closely at the patterns in the sand).

Oliver, however, was a different story. He totally freaked out the two times when I let him put his feet in the incoming waves. He did like the little pools of standing water near the rocks, though. And yes, he ate another fistful of sand. Still teething, we had plenty of clean toys on hand for him to gum.

These pictures were actually taken over the span of two days... seeing as everyone has the same clothes on, though, I thought I'd mesh 'em together. Above, our set-up on Saturday. Below, Sunday. I decided that less sand toys was an OK idea, we didn't really use the two blankets, and that packing a lunch and eating it there was insane-- too much stuff, even for the Wonder Wheeler. On Sunday, we just got subs at Bing's.

It is nice to be able to arrive before nine and leave around noon. The sun was definitely hot by then and we were all ready for naps.

Now on Sunday we started off in Asbury Park at the bike shop. Trenton got his new bike fitted with training wheels and took his first bike ride (!) on the boardwalk. He rode really well despite all the crowds of people around him! After about a half-hour, we packed it up and headed to Avon again.
Can't wait to go back. Nice weather-- don't leave us!