OCNJ 2016: It Doesn't Get Much Better Than This

The Stefany family typically vacationed in OCNJ the middle two weeks of July.  Due to VBS and Jason's busy work schedule later in the summer, we have shifted our vacation to the end of June.  When I looked at the forecast for our week in OC, the highs were in the upper 70s.  I wondered if that would be too cool for the beach.  Wrong, the weather was absolutely perfect for the beach.  No exasperating humid and heat walking to and from the beach like those July days, no green flies thanks to an ocean breeze, and hardly any sweating, yet we all went in the water and had a blast.  

Here's the photo dump from our beach days:

We're back in Oean City!!!
(Sam is reading "This is Awkward")  :)

Uncle Jason is back at work digging holes and enteraining the kids

Daddio created Ariel the mermaid for Evie

The endless bucket runs to and from the ocean

Drip castles

My precious Evie getting dirty in the sand.  

Do we need a reminder of Evie's initial thoughts on sand?

OC 2013: The year Evie would not touch the sand until the
last day and I am pretty sure this is as close to the sand as she got.

The ocean was a big hit for all the kids this year.  I am so thankful for Daddio's willingness to brave the cold ocean to take the kids in.  I even went in up to my thighs!!  Cold water means less ocean life (ie Jellyfish and sharks)

My little daredevil

Happy boy

Evie giving the boogie board a try....

And that's a wrap.  Girl, I feel ya.  Why do you think Mommy
doesn't get in the ocean?  (besides sharks, jellyfish, crabs,
kids and adults peeing all around me...) Getting taken under by a wave.

Daddio/Uncle Jason kicks it into high gear at the beach.  He is the family MVP when it comes to kid entertaining.  I actually felt like I was on a vacation this year!  I read an entire adult book in 4 days!!  You know what else is a vacation?  NO diapers.  Wohoo!!

Two mamas walking to the beach with NO kids with us and
hardly any loot.  THAT is a vacation.

Besides our MVP Jason, the morning low tide created a tidal pool, hours of bliss for all generations: kids hunted for hermit crabs and other sea life, parents read books or had uninterrupted converstaion, and grandparents watched their grandkids loving their beach vacation.  I'm pretty sure our clam of kids collected around 100 hermit crabs over 3 mornings.  No fear, most hermit crabs were returned to the sea after they tormented for a few hours.  Cole also found a live horseshoe crab!  We promptly helped that fella get back to the ocean before it ate a small child.  

Poppop using his sand crab digger 

Cole 5, Braylen 3.5, finally friends :)

After all that swimming and digging, the little guy still needs a towel wrapped around him and some mommy snuggles.  

A rare photo of the 4 of us.  Good work G :)

Our only day of less than stellar weather was mid-week.  I think we all enjoyed a day off from applying sunscreen and the tasks involved in taking 10 people to the beach.  The day wasn't a complete rain out though.  We took our team to the beach for a rousing game of wiffle ball.

The slugger at bat

G rounds third for a homerun!

Life might "be great in 21228" (home), but it really doesn't get much better than Ocean City, NJ in the summer.