The beach bums

Ah, the beach. Sun, salt, sand, splashing in the waves. Miles did it all this year and loved it. Last time we were at the beach he was just starting to crawl, so he didn't get much sand time, and just a toe-dip in the waves. This year it was all we could do to manage the full-speed tear across the sand to splash through the surf. He went out to some bigger waves and only got knocked off his feet once, closer to shore. He went under (which cleared out his sinuses!) and was startled enough to not charge the waves the rest of that day. But the misstep was forgotten by the following day. Thankfully we could distract him easily with a shell hunt or digging in the sand.











Our friends Robb and Yen joined us for the first couple of nights. Miles entertained them with his silliness and choo-choo trains, and while they were there he discovered his new love for games. While we played Scrabble, Miles became the tile dealer; during Backgammon or Yahtzee he was the designated roller for all players. The tile dealing worked well and he showed off his counting skills, but the dice rolling was trickier... he wanted to grab them all back as soon as they hit the board. But Yahtzee turned into a great way to get him to clean his plate: "Take a bite, then you can roll again."







We all fell easily into the relaxed beach atmosphere. Miles still slept great at night and for naps, and we even kept up with the potty skills while there. (I think Robb was wowed every time Miles said "No pee-pee on floor!" or "Still DRY!") We ate out at some great places: The Eggs Up Grill had fantastic French Toast that Miles stole from me; Fish Camp served yummy she-crab soup on the back deck, right next to a playground; and of course we went back to Kudzu. This place freezes gourmet entrees so you can cook them at home - great when your little one won't do so well in the fine dining arena. We enjoyed the Cajun Snapper, Crab stuffed salmon and Chicken Saltimbocca. That plus some basic beach fish and chips and I think I hit my omega-3 quota for the week!

We ended up coming home a day early. Some storms were rolling through and we spent Thursday doing indoor stuff - library, shops, ice cream - but decided we might as well drive a day early rather than sit around for another rainy day. Since we came home early we got to celebrate Eileen's 1st birthday! Sadly I forgot my camera, but never fear, Erin took plenty. Just click on Eileen's blog link to see the fun! Miles helped open her presents and then pushed her around on her new Pooh car. What cutie-pies!



Now we're back to reality. Miles was so glad to see his buddies at school again. The night before as he went to bed he told daddy, "Miss Rory" - meaning I miss my pal Rory. Awwww! When I took him into school the kids were already outside and Rory came running over as soon as he saw Miles. Sweet kids.