Enter Clever Blog Title Here: August 2008

We arrived back home on Saturday in the late afternoon. We had to get up early and pack and then clean the house we rented. It went pretty smoothly, more smoothly than I would have imagined. The kids were great helpers as in helping us to be able to clean and pack by staying out of the way and keeping themselves amused and not by actually helping us pack or clean. Fine with us. We bid our goodbyes to the owners of the home we stayed in and returned our bicycle rentals and started the trip back to our blue house back in CT.

Cape May, NJ has to be one of the most beautiful places I have ever been too -- probably THE most beautiful. CAPE MAY is an national historical landmark and has to be the number reason to even enter the Garden State. Filled with gorgeous Victorian houses and beautiful white sandy beaches it is a perfect family destination as well as a romantic couple getaway location. The ferry is right there to take you over to Delaware or you can drive about 20 minutes to the boardwalks of Wildwood for rides and games and Morey's Piers.

We went to the beach for 6 days in a row. The kids protested a bit towards the end but even after we ~~dragged~~ ~~bribed~~ two adults made the decision to go, they all had so much fun once we arrived. We biked to the beach everyday and lugged our set up down to the waters edges and laid our perfect little spread of beach paraphernalia out, we sat and watched the kids or the dolphins or the waves or the people and basically just relaxed. I cannot even remember the last time I just sat and did nothing like reading or sewing or listening to my ipod or surfing the Internet or watching TV -- I just sat. It was like a spiritual awakening.

We are at the stage where there are no diapers to change, no babies to hand feed, no strollers to lug, no portacribs to set up, no bottles to bring and no persons who without your total attention are moments away from a horrible accident or maybe eating some sand. So I guess maybe I am romanticizing this past week we spent in paradise but please sign me up for another week or two or twenty.

Trying for one of those alliteration type titles like Harry's Hurricane or Charlie's Chips that are so very reminiscent of many many restaurants, bars and stores here in Cape May, NJ. EXIT ZERO BABY! The furthest southern point of the state -- beautiful sunsets and gorgeous beaches abound here and we are lucky enough to be spending a whole week here.

We are having the most awesome beach weather so far this week. We are here from Saturday to Saturday and everyday has been perfect. Not to humid and lots of blue skies and warm temps. We are riding our bikes to the beach everyday and spending hours right at the waters edge -- or as close to it as you can get without having your chair sink down into the sand with the tides help. The kids are having a ball -- Daniel is in the water all day, Stephen is in and out of the water with some breaks to play with Margaret in the sand and to read his book or listen to David Sederis on my Ipod. Margaret will only go into the water with either Daddy or I and then we just stand ankle deep and let our feet get buried in the sand.

Margaret has been so very excited to come to CAPE MAY even though she had no idea what it was. We have been telling her for a few weeks that we were going and she was just excited to be going anywhere -- the girl is a dirty stay out. She will go anywhere you take her to just as long as it is not the 'blue house' which is our home. On the way here she told us 'I smell Cape May' and I am sure Cape May has a smell, perhaps the smell of suntan lotion and fish, but we were much to far away for even those lovely scents to be filling her nose.

Daniel fell within the first few hours we were here. He took a header over his handlebars on his bike and is still limping three days later. He has the worse black and blues that I have ever seen and his cuts are huge on his knee and elbow. The poor boy got a bad sunburn on his neck as well - so really we cannot touch the kid anywhere on his body without him being in pain. He is so stinking cute in the water though -- all you see all day is his head bobbing in and out over the waves. He hardly comes out and that is how he got such a bad sunburn -- now we are forcing him to come out and get a reapplication of sunblock.

Stephen is being so helpful and grown up. I don't know if he is just realizing how much easier life is if we work as a team here or if he just wants some extra quarters for the arcade. Anyway -- I will take it. He is being so helpful with Margaret and carrying stuff down to the beach and back. He loves playing with Margaret and will fetch her buckets of water or dig holes for her or help her bury my feet. He will keep his eye on when I ask him too and is always, always making sure she is safe and sound.

Daddy and I are having fun too. We are getting alone very well so far (knock wood) and really working great together. Usually we work separate of each other to accomplish almost the same tasks and we always get into arguments or at the very least steam quietly at each other. We got to stand arm in arm together tonight and watch the water and the sun going down over the horizon. We laughed and joked and kissed! Imagine that! The kids were all busy eating chips in the beach chairs to be bothered with us. He is listening to the Yankee Game in the car while I am inside typing this and 'watching' Indian Jones with the boys (Margaret is asleep).

So I must get back to my vacation. Big things are happening when we get home and I want to enjoy every minute here in fantasy land.