Too much vacation???

We just got back from a week long vacation at the Jersey shore. Every year Papa and Mimi rent a house in Avalon, and the whole O'Reilly crew heads down. We had a great time. The house was beautiful. It had a pool in the back yard which provided many hours of entertainment for the girls, and many minor heart attacks for me! From the top deck you had two beautiful views of the ocean. It was just a short walk to a nice wide beach. We were even close enough to walk into "town"... it was just great.

The kids had a blast. It was non-stop stimulation from the time they got up (at crack of dawn-thirty) until the time they went to bed (at way too late). They had so much fun playing with their cousins, from doctor, to house, to Olympic races. They really were non stop. B loved, loved the beach. She enjoyed playing (and eating) in the sand. She loved running toward the waves and chasing the seagulls. The first day we got there, Mags was a little afraid of the water, this wore off by the time Sean got to the beach 20 minutes later. Maura even rode a few waves!

We stayed around the house most of the time, and that was just fine with the girls. They loved watching the sun set and the moon rise from our deck. All the kids would chant together to get the seagulls to fly away. B was fascinated by the birds! B also learned to screech this past week. The first day she did it, she did it pretty much non stop. It was not fun, nor cute. Luckily she is! It has seemed to calm down a bit.

We went to the board walk one night. The girls loved the rides. We went in the huge feris wheel. I was a little nervous (okay real nervous) at the top, but they weren't. From the top of the ferris wheel they saw the log flume. It was a pretty big one, but they wanted to go on. Pat went on with L and C. Sean took our girls. As it was pulling out, Mags started screaming that she wanted to get off. We tried to get the operator's attention, but of course, he was not paying attention. Finally, Sean just put her on the platform, and we eventually got the guy to hand her over. She was flipping out. It took her a while to calm down, but all was well after a merry go round ride. The other kids loved it so much, they went back on it!! What dare devils! After some Kohr Bros ice cream, we headed home in a quiet car.

Mags napped most days. There was one day when she must have been either talking or moving, or both, at all times during the day. She did not stop at all. She was hysterical. I was waiting for the monster of melt downs that night, but surprisingly, it was not too bad (at least in my world). Mo did not nap at all. Well she fell asleep about 15 minutes from ocean city. When I was on the phone telling Sean she was asleep, she, with her head slouched over and her eyes closed, said "no I'm not." The wake up from that was not a pretty sight, but she eventually came around and had a great night. She really was non-stop. While all the other kids napped, she either swam, played with her toys, or went on errands (aka shopping) with Mommy or Mimi. She usually sleeps in in the morning, but did not this week. It was pretty hard to sleep in with all the people in the house. She really got by on much less sleep than normal. I am wondering if tomorrow will be the day she crashes until 10:00 am (or maybe I am dreaming!). Somehow, she really needs to catch up on sleep.

It is always sad when vacation is over. Packing up makes me sad, but it was nice coming home. Maura said last night... "I think I had too much vacation. I am happy to be home." I was happy too. The girls got along great last night. They gave a gymnastics/ballet show on thier stage (aka bench). We played on our bikes and scooters, and went for a walk. Bed time was a cinch (it wasn't always at the shore). And this morning when they woke up (still way too early) they just headed downstairs and read books. When I came down Maura said "See mom we came down stairs and stayed quiet so you wouldn't yell at us." Yell at you??? I never yell!

Welcome Home!