Wildwoods

Vacation week at Wildwood Crest!

We were about a mile from the boardwalk in Wildwood, which was nice. Or should I say, thank goodness, because otherwise I'd have eaten Kohr's frozen custard at every single meal.

(note the blue lips below. Polish water ice)

I could just say the girls had fun. Not true. They had FUN!

Amusement parks, swimming in the pool, body surfing in the ocean, biking (OK, that was me having fun with that one), water park, Ocean City NJ for putt putt (We went to OC to visit friends, but once we got there we realized there was no mini-golf in the Wildwoods, but a mini-golf about every 15 feet in OC), ice cream, cousins, cousins, cousins.

Did I forget anything? Pictures. We forgot the camera. So we have a few pictures from the phone and M43 and ME66.

On the flying galleon!

On carousel (Q6 rode this 10 times in a a row. The operators stopped making her go around to get in line. They'd just grab her wrist and scan it.). Q6 has been cautious with rides, and won't try new potentially dangerous rides. So when we were in OC she went on the carousel ... but it was broken and went around twice, that's it, it was so slow. So eventually she tried the swings. And did them 4 times. Afterwards, she told me: "I tried to be scared, but I couldn't! I loved it!"

New beach cover ups on the older girls. Q6 looked at her dress and immediately loved C7's more but we convinced her that hers was great and that ha ha ha, she'd be getting C7's soon, anyway! She realized we were right and has worn it every day since. I described the dresses as C7's being daybreak, K8's as being moonrise, and Q6's as being a party. That helped, too.

The girls biked to the park a few times, biked with Pep, biked with me on the boardwalk. K8 and Q6 were biking too close together. Going North Q6 swerved, K8 swerved to avoid her and hit a baby carriage. All were fine, baby surprised, but not hurt. But then, going South on the boardwalk ... we hit the SAME FAMILY again. Ridiculous.

Boogie boarding ... I think they all loved this, I only saw this a few times because M43 and MM took them to do this and generously shared their boogie boards.

They had fun. They spent by far the most time in the pool at the hotel. A lovely salt water pool. Ahh. Small, but warm and wonderful.

Fireflies

C7 has asked me every night on the way home from the pool if she could stay up and catch fireflies. Tonight I finally said yes, because we were out at the pool late because of the swim-a-thon (C7 did 10 laps as she'd planned), and Q6 had had a nap this afternoon, so she was OK to be up later. And C43 wasn't home yet from his trip. So I figured C7 could stay up and catch him come home, too.

It doesn't look so very dark out in the photos ... actually, it wasn't. But the lightening bugs were just coming out enough that we could catch them.

We'd catch and release, catch and release. Good for a half hour of fun!

Shirley Temples

Q6 requested Shirley Temples ... So, I made them. she pounded hers, and then asked C7 for hers. Since C7 didn't like hers, she handed it over.

First she started by being silly (and, yes, that is a skirt she's wearing for a top)

 

Then she got down to the real drinking. Shirley Temples are strong. She looks depressed and flushed. Like she'd been drinking the real stuff.

And like a girl at a bar. Yikes.

I think she's actually just concentrating on holding the glass so she doesn't spill it (again).

Garden update

Remember the garden about a month and a half ago?

Now look:
We have tons of tomatoes, and they are starting to turn!

The artichoke is SLOWLY growing. Slowly. Don't know if this will produce anything.

We harvested a good chunk of onions and garlics, but all too small. But "we" I mean C7 who just wanted to pull them. Eh. But here is what is left: the bigger garlics! They are wilting appropriately.

My beans look fantastic, but no flowers (or beans) yet.

And the squash is so tiny. What to do? Not enough sun? Water? fertilizer? I don't know! I don't think it is water, they aren't drooping and I mulched. I've watered a nice deep watering once a week if it doesn't rain. I fertilized and watered a few days ago; hope that helps. Flowers, but just little tiny plants. Ug. I want my zucchini!

Pool girls

Q6 asked for a swim cap. Got it.

And here is sweet picture of C6 and MH6 saying goodbye at the pool. They'd see each other less than 12 hours later. But parting is still difficult.

First swim meet

c7 really likes the swim team. Yes, she complains when she is hungry and tired, but she loves it. She was kicked out of practice the other day for not paying attention and it made her cry. Luckily it was only about 2 minutes before practice ended.

But today was the first meet.  We joined the team with the understanding that we did not need to

1. Do any stroke she didn't want to;
2. Wear the team swimsuit; and 
3. Wear a swim cap.

So, all the kids were getting together at the end of the pool for warm up and two boys were complaining about swim caps and C7 told them they didn't need to wear one .... and they insisted Yes, You Did! and she insisted No, You Didn't!

Minutes later I saw her crying because Indeed, You Did!

Ug. This was a dealbreaker for C7. We didn't even HAVE a swim cap. A friend lent us a softy one, but C7 rejected it. Then after much talk from an older swim team member (the older kids are VERY good to the younger kids), we found out that she could just put her hair in a ponytail.

Ah. PHEW. Now we needed to find a ponytail holder. Same prepared friend took one off her wrist and handed a wonderful pink ponytail holder over, which I looped into C7's hair, and off she went.

C7's events were the 25M freestyle and the 25M backstroke. First up, event #10, the freestyle.

First the kid wrangler calls the kids and a kid mover brings them to a faraway corner and wait. It was in the shade, so that was good. As their event gets closer they move up in the waiting area. And then two heats or events out they stand behind the chairs at the end of the lane. Then, when they are next, they sit in the chairs.

 

Then they are up on the end. The announcer says on your mark, get set ... then a beep/light and off they go.

And she finished the race.

Happy girl!

Her next race was the backstroke ... HOURS later. S'OK we brought books and crafts which we did in between races. But then she did the backstroke. My video was lame, but other than the random cement and water shots it is acceptable.

Watch for her false start.

Closed

Forgot to post this. C7's door says:

CLOSED! Due to unknown reasons.

hysterical. And in the car the other day she was mad at us and said "Please do as I wish!" Hahahaha. We didn't.