Summer Travel Series: Part 2 - OCMD

This vacation took place back over 4th of July weekend, so I'm a bit behind, but trying to catch up before the memories slip away...

Remember I used to have a Prius :(

For years we've talked about how excited we were for one of our sisters to have a baby so we could vacation all together - cousins' style.  It turned out to be a great time with our niece, whom I'll call Princess Poozers from now on (before she was princess girl i think, but Poozers is a family name for her :), so hopefully this will be the start of many vacations to come.  Of course her parents weren't so bad either, but having travelled with them before we knew what to expect!

Sister-in-Law happened to be renting a huge three bedroom place the weekend before 4th of July for her bff's bachelorette party, with Brother-in-Law and Poozers to be joining when the girls went home. Since they had the space, they invited us along and we happily obliged.  Normally for this holiday we play it cool and go to the local parade, but it was nice to be able to get away since we we're short-timing in this town anyway.

Seriously HOW did I not write about this last year?? Best Parade EVER. I dropped the ball!

So, Tuesday the third we headed for OCMD, somehow escaping a massive traffic onslaught and uncomfortably screaming kids.  By the time we got there it was late so we all got to bed pretty early with anticipation of early-waking kids. In fact, I think the whole week we were in bed before 10, just because Gobbles had trouble napping in a strange room with a bunkbed (therefore we were exhausted from our lack of nap), the Lil Lobster Roll was fussing because her pack and play was inside a closet.  Well that and she was nursing her first cold / cough, and we were trying to balance nursing, weaning, drinking, and pumping.  Oh my poor girl. 

Yep - pack n play IN the closet! 

You mean this isn't for me?

The place was in a little gated community on the bay, so we decided to stick around on the 4th thinking there'd be activities and such.    First thought, we took the kids to a little beach in the community on the bay.  It was a little icky in the bay, but the kids enjoyed it (well, Gobbles enjoyed it - the Lobster and Poozers were VERY hot so they fussed / napped in the tent the whole time).  Hubs didn't have as much fun because he kept having to wade out into quicksand / muck to retrieve a ball that Gobbles made him fetch.  On the way back from the bay beach we stopped at the interactive fountain too cool off and let Gobbles play a bit.

My first time in a bikini - ohhh!

Just floatin in the bay....

Hey Poozers - Can you BELIEVE my daddy made me put this shirt on over my bathing suit??

Loves it!

No fountain for me... I'm fine in the stroller thanks!

I didn't even have a choice! My parent's left me and my stroller on the sidewalk so they could play in the fountain themselves!

And it seems our attempts to be patriotic flustered because there was a little parade that we missed completely and an "ice cream" social we attempted to go to but felt like it was a block party we weren't a part of, so we ditched out for coronas on the porch until it was time for fireworks.

All dressed up and nowhere to go...

They're having as much fun as they appear

A parade please?  And Ice Cream Social?  Something??

Luckily the night was (somewhat) saved with views from all over the island of fireworks, which were far enough away that Gobbles didn't get scared but close enough that he could see and wonder in amazement.  So all in all a good day.

The next day, we decided to forgo the sweltering outdoors altogether and use the indoor pool included in the facility.  Folks, my son is a fish!  He LOVES to swim.  As soon as we are moved and settled, swimming lessons are on the agenda.  LONG overdue.

Don't forget about us - we're ADORABLE!

Bitch- your hair's in my face!

Just floatin along...

LOVES IT!

Hey Gobbles, you're right, this is pretty nice!

That night, we decided to brave the OCMD boardwalk with two strollers, three kids, and 4 hungry adults.  I think I'd call it a FAIL.  It was beyond crowded so it was hard to maneuver through the crowds, and we decided to eat at a dough roller because the kiddies were a bit fussy, and it was hot and packed beyond belief.  But, we survived, and lesson learned for next time.  I did love the fact that my double stroller was a force to be reckoned with plowing down the boardwalk.  No one got in our way.  Well at least not intentionally!

And Gobbles isn't even buckled in!  What is this a 1985 station wagon?

Mommy - don't be so negative- there was one great thing about the boardwalk!  I learned that I LOVE ice cream!

The next day we decided to brave it and go to the real beach and loaded up everyone with as much as we could carry and off we went.  The girls had a bit more fun since the cool ocean breeze allowed them to take little naps in the beach tent, but Gobbles was a bit out of sorts with the ocean, as the beach down there is more like a cliff, causing the waves to crash violently against the shore.  The noise and force of the water kept him under the umbrella playing in the sand with a bucket of water, only rising to demand one of the adults go down to the ocean for a refill.  We all took turns playing water mule because that little cliff was steep, and we were busy enjoying our coronas to make it a true beachy fun time.

Unplanned matching suits!

It's like a Kelly / Brenda moment!  But I get Dylan!

King of the beach!

YOU get the water!

This is WHY i need all those buckets of water!

Hey Poozers, can you believe they just throw us in this tent and have some beers?

Yea but wait til we're 16 and stealing the stuff out of their fridge Lobster - we'll get them back!

STOP taking pictures of me!  Do I have sand on my chin?  No?  Not right there?  Hmm..

I can still see you!  Don't take pictures from far away either!  But can you fill this bucket while you're down there?

Ahhh this is the life!

 

Ok Momma, Gobbles has it right - ENOUGH with the pictures!

This trip was a lot of fun and would have been that much better had I been done with nursing completely, because trying to find the balance was a little tough.  And nursing in a tent on a beach in hundred degree weather isn't comfortable for mom or baby.  But, we survived and I'd say the hardest part about this trip was the traffic-filled ride home, which took over 4 hours, 2 of which the Little Lobster Roll screamed nonstop.  I'm sorry girl... next up in the travel series is a bit closer locale - the Jersey Shore.