Adventures in Jersey

Being on the Ocean shoreline has definitely given us alot of adventure so far this week.

The waves were perfect the first day out, and the kids were jumping in them as soon as their feet hit the water. Since we brought my 2 great nieces, and great nephew with us, I am trying to watch 10 kids in the water, plus my 3 precious grandsons.

Grandson #1 is hitting the waves on a long board!! Amazing. He's not even 5 yet!! He impressed me immediately with his agility and drive to catch the perfect wave. Gnarly, dude!

Grandson #2 played for hours in the sand, found shells and special rocks for me to take home, and chased the sea gulls. He is the shy type, but can melt my heart with one dimpled grin. I love watching his almost 3 year old creative mind while he played on the beach.

Grandson #3, at 10 months old, has eaten his weight in sand. For sure. He is the blondest, blue eyed beach bum, and loved stomping in the water while holding onto his momma's fingers. Between he and his older brother, they had PaPa on his back in the sand, showing us exactly what this beach life is like! Adorable!

I was a bit worried when my 10 month old great nephew was shoving his mouth full of the wet sand, but my grandsons have all done it too, and they are healthy, happy guys. And, like the old saying goes, "It all comes out in the end."

My great nieces had totally different reactions the first time at the Ocean. Nila, the oldest at almost 5, ran to the water and couldn't get enough of the waves. Macy, almost 3, was much more timid, but once Britt took her into the water, she loved it and couldn't stop running in for more. I was able to take several photos of them all, 13 kids, 13 years and under, enjoying God's beautiful creation.

The beach and Ocean are always changing. On Sunday, the beach was literally covered in washed-up jelly fish. I had never seen anything like it. Mere, Tom and Kaiden ran up and down the shore collecting them, and by days end, they had amassed at least 100! They collected them on a boogie board and in sand buckets, hoping to take them home to show our oldest daughter, Ashleigh. It looked like tons of slimy, clear pancakes had been strewn along the beach, almost sticking to the wet sand in hopes that some curious child would come along to collect them. So they did! Of course, they had to be put back in the ocean!! But we were able to get pictures and they are worth a thousand words.

The next day they ran to the beach hoping to collect more, and there were none!! However, this time they had big brother Scotty with us, and the surf boards!! We found out Tara is actually very good and was able to get up on the board several times and ride a few waves in. With her blond hair and deep tan this summer, she looks like she fits in very well with the surfers around town! Tyler took his turn on the board, enjoying the deep water with his big brother. It sure wears them out and helps them sleep good at night.

After being on the beach for about an hour, I was snapping pictures for our memory books, and trying to get shots of all the kids in their worlds of play, when I saw Britt come limping out of the Ocean. As she got closer, I realized her knee was bleeding, and within a few minutes, my EMT son had determined it would need stitches. Three hours later, as the kids were melting down from exhaustion, we returned to the camper, three stitches and a bruised knee later, to a crockpot dinner that we had started much earlier, and an early bedtime. I won't go into details about the neighbors we have to one side of us, but let's just say, East Coast folks are pretty brisk and that's only the nicer way of saying R.U.D.E.
Momma's, don't let your children grow up to be like them! I am sure there are nice folks here, but we haven't met any yet.

Today we spent the afternoon at Britt and Scott's house. They have moved into a large home with alot of yard, so there is plenty of room to run and play. The kids played in Kaid and Keegy's pool, and even baby Keane was having a ball sliding over the edge and into the water! Baby Liam was less impressed with the water, but sure enjoyed sitting next to Keane later and eating tomatoes!! The boys are cute together and it's interesting to hear peoples comments about them being twins. We just say, "Nope, cousins." It's fun to see them together.

We went to Sunset Beach for dinner on the deck, and was able to take part in the Ceremony at dusk of the lowering of the American Flag that had been donated by a Veteran's family. Tonight the man we honored, along with all Vets, was named Larry. He passed away two years ago, and was 91 years old. It's hard to explain to the kids just how important this ceremony is. It means so much to honor those who have served our country. As the music to the National Anthem played, Nila turns to me and says, "Why are we singing so many songs?" I hope one day they will have a small memory of the time we stood on the beach with our hands over our hearts, and remember just how special it was to be a part of a nation that honors those who give us the freedoms we enjoy today. The ceremony always brings up questions from the kids, and is a highlight to our trip.

At one point tonight, Kaiden looks up at me and says, "Grandma, I am glad you are here." Oh Kaiden, I could never explain how much I miss these days when we are apart. I am so glad to be here too. My favorite days are the ones with Kaiden, Keegan and Keane.

On a lighter note, as the ceremony began tonight, I was watching the sun disappear into the Ocean when the announcers voice came across the public address system. Mere looks up at Britt, standing just to my left, and says, "Where is that voice coming from? Is it Santa?" She seemed to be a bit confused about the whole ceremony, but it gave us a chuckle as we packed the van to head home.

We have been able to visit the firehouse where Scott works, get ice cream and smoothies, do 6 loads of laundry at the camp laundromat,surf, eat and play, so tomorrow, when it rains the men will stay with the kids at Scott's house while Britt and I go do some serious shopping. Not bad for our first few days in Jersey...

And, just maybe, we will get to see Keane start to walk. He's so close, and tries harder every day. It is just one of those things that makes the long ride sooooo worth it!! The rest of it is just icing on the cake.