I wanna go back

I  L.O.V.E. spending a week at the beach in the summer.  I wonder if I would get sick of it if I was eternally on vacation at the shore with the family.  We all have so much fun, we are all in our glory...well, except for Finn.  If she could have chosen her family to fit her personality she would have been an only child living in a NY city loft.  Her parents would push her on the city streets in a stroller, she would never touch a blade of grass or perspire,  she would spend hours in her front of the TV with a never ending snack bowl.  The rest of our crew would surely wither away if we were stuck indoors.  Soon she will have to suck it up and join the rest of us, but we are still letting her play the baby card and she got to spend a week in luxury at camp grandma, running errands, watching Dora, and getting showered with undivided attention.  I'm choosing to not feel like a guilty mom for ditching a kid for our family vacation and calling it a win/win.  But here's photos of our fun family vacation minus Finn :)  

My girl in all her glory.  She could play right here all day, every day.  

 Our favorite beach sandwich..fresh thick mozzarella, tomato and basil...

 The kids favorite must have beach drink yoo-hoo  aka  "Boo-hoo".

 Ty's hair is getting a little bit out of control.  I love his hair, and I don't have the heart to cut it.. I wish I could just transplant it to my head.  It can get so shiny you can nearly see your reflection in it.

 We have a sand castle contest rivalry each year.. It all started with this book, it was Jack's favorite a few years ago.

The premise is of course a sand castle contest but the clincher is the winner gets a "bathtub full of ice cream" .  So we divide up into teams, talk a little smack, and have fun.  Here is this years results:  
 Mommy, Ty & Mina:

 Papa and Jack

 Collin and Kobi

 Collin and Kobi ended up winning... even though you can't see it, they have tunnels with live fish  swimming around...that sealed the deal.

Usually we have a big boat/bathtub to keep with the story for our ice cream reward but this year we had to only pack the necessities as we had to load down the minivan with all of our beach gear, all of Collin's college stuff, and 7 people so we left the bathtub home and just mixed up these bad boys.  The winners always share their prize with the rest of the fam...

 The indulgence looks like this...

 When we talk about our beach trip during the year..  the first things the kids ask..."Are we going to have our sandcastle contest???"  

 I had this visual this year of us in about 15 years, renting a big house,  inviting all the kids, the spouses and families, they each go head to head in a mega sandcastle contest, and I make a ton of these obnoxious concoctions.

 I doubt a year will go by in our family history that we don't relive this tradition.  It's a keeper.

 Ty lost his other top tooth and then dropped it in the water.  I picked up at least 100 tiny white shells before I found his tooth.  I was determined! When I lost my first tooth I dropped it in a gravel driveway never to be found again and of course,  was scarred for life.  So I was on a mission to find Ty's tooth in the waves!

Put them boys to work!  

So long summer!  We miss you already.