I Love The Beach

As a child, I have so many fond memories of going to the ocean with my family. Grandma and Grandpa Oakes lived in Charlestown, RI, so we would go visit them all the time and it almost always included a trip to the beach, whether it was to spend the day there or just for a chilly walk on the shore. My great Aunt Eleanor has a small cabana on Misquamicut Beach and we used to go there so often as a kid. I have tons of pictures of us sitting on that beach, and when I think of Grandma and Grandpa Oakes, I tend to think about here.

I haven't been in years and now that Hayley is getting old enough to actually crawl around a bit, I decided to take a trip there. We went on Tuesday. We went with my friend Shah, her 2 year old Aurora and her 4 month old Morrigan, and a mother's helper, Stephanie. We left at about 8:30 in the morning - stuffed us all into the car. It was packed, but everyone was comfortable and it worked out pretty well. We got to Aunt Eleanor's around 10 a.m. to get the key, and were on the beach before 11. It could not have been any more perfect of a day to go to the ocean. There was no humidity, the sun was out, it was about 80 degrees, the waves were strong, the sand was warm on our feet, and great company to boot. Hayley loved the sand and she loved sucking the salt off of the shells (trust me, I tried to stop this over and over again, but finally I just gave up. Now I know she's not allergic to shellfish I guess). Aurora loved running in and out of the ocean, chasing the waves, and Shah and I even got a nice walk in up and down the beach. We stayed until about 3 o'clock or so, and made it home by 5. Amazingly, there was very little traffic. It was so much fun, when we got to my house and all got out of the car I said, "That was so much fun, let's go back tomorrow!" I honestly think I could have. I love the beach.

Here are some pictures we took of the day:

Hayley with her two favorite things - a doll and a water bottle. She was in heaven.

The only nap of the day she got. It lasted for maybe a half an hour. I can't imagine this is comfortable, but she was exhausted.

I think she's saying here "Stop taking pictures of me!!"

What Stephanie did all day.

Climbing in the chair.

The Big 3-0

Well, the second half of our Staycation was wonderful but went way to quickly. Mystic turned out to be very hot and slightly disappointing. We wanted to stay longer and head over to the Seaport, but Hayley was exhausted and cranky and badly in need of a nap. So we headed off back home instead so she could get her afternoon nap in. She did really enjoy looking at all the fish in the indoor aquarium, but I think didn't really know what she was looking at on the outside. She just looked around and stared at all the people. Because like Six Flags, the Aquarium was packed full of people. Dave said it perfectly - this was a bad week to go to stuff like this because everyone is trying to get in their last bit of fun before school starts. Oh well, we still had a great time together as a family.

My birthday was on Saturday and I woke up to french toast and bacon - yummy! Yes, I am officially 30 now, and feel great about it. Not a bit older than I did last week. It helps to have a husband 11 years older, I never am the oldest one in the room! Hayley and I met Mom and Pops at the East Haddam Town Beach and went swimming and had a bit of a picnic and swung on the swings earlier in the day.



Then, we went out to dinner at Esca, a new place downtown Middletown and it was fabulous! Here we are before the big night:

Mom and Pops joined us, which was a lovely surprise, and then we all came back to the house for delicious homemade ice cream cake, made by Sarah, of course, with my favorite flavor of ice cream - Butter Crunch from Friendly's. It was a perfect day and I was so happy when I climbed into bed that night, I couldn't have asked for a better day.

Now it's back to the everyday and Dave is back to work. Summer is nearly over and I feel like we're just getting started. So much to do, so little time.

Staycation

Since Dave has so much vacation time and never seems to be able to use it all, he decided to take off the 15th through the 23rd for some much needed time around the house and quality family time. Though I was very excited and extremely ambitious in planning local fun things to do and renaming his time off a Staycation, he took be back down to reality and reminded me he took the time off to relax and get some stuff done around the house. Therefore, we planned a couple things here and there instead.

On Saturday the 15th, a trip to upstate NY had been planned for quite some time to see John and Courtney and the boys and then spend the night at Steve and Sandy's and get a double visit in. The overnight fell through and then it became a quick day trip, 3 hours up, 3 hours back. Hayley got a fever earlier in the week and was very irritable and fussy so I took her to the doctor. Not much to say, really, except the only thing it could be was Roseola, which is a 3-5 day virus with a rash the last day. Needless to say, fear of giving this to another child, plus traveling with a cranky child nixed that trip pretty quickly. Oh, also, my Dad arrived for a weekend visit with Grandpa on Friday, so we got to see him, too. So instead, Dave got a door hung in the basement with the trip, etc, and it looks fantastic and I am so proud of him. This basement will be finished by the end of the year, he says. And I think he just might do it.

Sunday we went to Deep River and had lunch with Dad and Grandpa and then brought him back to the airport in the evening. We went to bed pretty early in anticipation for our trip to Six Flags planned for Monday.

So yes, on the hottest day of the summer, we actually trekked our way to Six Flags and oh my gosh, it was hot hot hot hot! Not to mention the place was absolutely packed and well, it was just too crowded. You couldn't get on any of the rides because the lines were so long and the "Flash Pass" turned out to be a waste of money because it didn't help. But Hayley got to ride on a couple baby rides and she seemed to really enjoy it. They also had fountains that sprayed water up in the kiddie areas, and she loved to walk through that - of course, I had to go with her so I got soaked as well. I think I was dry again in 5 minutes! It felt so good! Mom came with us and so Dave and I got to spend some alone time while she took Hayley around, which was very nice, too. Overall, it was a fun day, but exhausting. She was such a trooper. No afternoon nap, and didn't whine, cry, or even fuss all day. We are so lucky to have such a great baby. We managed to get a few pictures of her on some rides.

How funny to see a wee thing on such a big horse, but she loved the carousel. My mom stood beside her and held her the whole time, of course, but she did well!

Don't think she was a fan of Pepe Le Pew!

This is the three of us in one of those old fashioned cars. This was the only picture my mom got, and I know, it's terrible, but still thought it was so funny. My goofy smile and Dave slouching to fit into it.

Splashing around in the fountains

Mom and Hayley riding some kiddie ride

As for the rest of this week, this afternoon we will swim in our little pool in the yard, or possibly go to a town one. Tomorrow we are heading to Mystic Aquarium. Friday is a very full day with Sarah and I getting our birthday mani/pedi's and then Dave's work picnic. And then comes Saturday...bum bum bum...I turn the big 3-0! I am so ready! Dave goes back to work on Monday, and I'm sure Hayley and I will both be sad and miss him so much. And vice versa. We'll enjoy it while it lasts, though!

Hayley Meets Tyson

Erin and Todd got a puppy, a Boston Terrier, about a month ago. His name is Tyson and he is totally adorable! She was home this weekend and we went over to her mom's house to visit. We got some really cute pictures of the encounter. Laura and Peter were there as well with Truman, their Golden.

Later that night Erin came over and Josie and Tyson had a blast together. I got a great video of the two of them chasing each other around the house! Don't get too dizzy.

Josiah James Oakes

Congratulations to Jacob and Asha on the birth of their new baby boy! I haven't met him yet, but my dad sent me a couple pictures.
He weighed 9 lbs 4 oz, the same as Jacob, and was born yesterday at 7:04 p.m. I am so excited. We go down in September to see them and it will be great to meet my new nephew. Asha said her labor was more painful then with Nora, but easier. She pushed for 15 minutes!! I can only hope it is that easy for me when I have my second.

Congrats!!

Stragglers

The end of July has past us now and I sorted through some cute pictures I hadn't posted yet. So here they are:

Enjoying the sun in her panda chair.

At the lake. Antina was actually in labor this day. We took Hayley and Nova to the lake since it was so darn hot!

Loving Zakk

Walking in the yard with Daddy

Hayley has become very stubborn with eating lately and doesn't want us to feed her. So I gave her a spoon and her yogurt and she went to town. She gets better and better everyday, but this was the first time, and she was soooo happy she got to do it herself. I didn't even care about the mess!

Weekend At The Shore

Last weekend we took off for the Jersey Shore. We went to visit Lisa, Rob and the kids, who live about 15 minutes from the beach. We left Friday morning and caught very little traffic on the way and made it there about 1:30. We met Lisa there and hopped in the car and took a ride over to Cheer Gym where Carly and Megan were cheering and got to see the place. Hayley loved all the trampolines and loved climbing up the cushiony walls and crawling around everywhere. It was really fun.

Here she is jumping with Dave

Saturday we got up early and headed to the beach. They got a boat last year and the plan was to take the boat out to the sandbar, or as Lisa calls it, "my own private island". Therefore, we had to put Hayley in an infant life jacket. It was hysterical. The thing was huge and she hated it! It was so tight around her neck she pretty much cried the first 5 minutes she had it on. Then the wind was much more bothersome for her and I think she conceded to having to wear it and muddled through the remaining 10 minutes boat ride. It was fun for us though! We docked at the sandbar and the place is gorgeous. It is literally a beach in the middle of nowhere. The water is calm and shallow and it was so warm! Hayley loved playing in the water and wading along the shore. Dave, Rob, and Robbie played whiffle ball and Megan and I attempted to play whiffle ball with them. We just relaxed and hung out for the next 5 hours. Some friends of theirs joined us and cooked steak on his boat grill, someone brought homemade guacamole, there were tons of snacks. Man, Hayley was a trooper. She woke up so early in the morning that her morning nap ended at 9:30, and didn't nap again until she went down for bedtime at 7:00. Poor thing! She was so tired! But she slept good that night, that's for sure. She still woke up early though. We all slept in the same room so she woke up and saw us and Josie in her room (yes, we brought Josie with us. This worked out much better then expected with the one exception that one of their 2 dogs didn't like her very much and they fought a couple times) and she was too excited to go back to sleep. So we all got up at 6 a.m. each morning.

Hayley with Megan and Carly

Enjoying the beach with Lisa and Carly

Hi Mommy!

Lisa and Megan hangin' out

Rob

She actually fell asleep on the boat ride back - even in this silly life jacket! She was pooped!

Sunday we were so tired we planned to go to the beach, but the weather was bad anyway, so we just hung around the house for the morning and took off around 1. We knew we were going to hit traffic, and man, it sucked. The 3 1/2 hours trip took us over 5 hours! About an hour into the trip we decided to stop for gas and bathroom break. It started POURING as we were sitting at the gas station, and almost didn't stop, but then we got a good parking spot so decided to make it quick and run in. Of course, no umbrella, so I wrapped Hayley in a blanket and put her over my shoulder and bolted for the door. On the way out, we figured we'd try the same procedure, and I go running toward the car and I hear Dave scream at the top of his lungs, "Watch Out!" I froze and the car that was heading toward me and my child stopped and I nearly was hit. It was so very scary that I got in the car and could barely hold back the tears. That was completely horrifying. The woman was not even looking and almost hit us. Anyway, other then that, we got home safely, though exhausted, in one piece.

The picture is a bit blurry, but here are both my babies, fast asleep in the car on the ride home.

We had such a great time, though it could have been one more day longer I think. Hopefully we'll get to see them soon and another visit will soon be in the works.