Birthdays at the Beach

 

Since we all had such a good time in Galveston during our last vacation, Granny decided to rent a beach house and invite the whole family to stay for the weekend to celebrate the kids' birthdays and Granny and Grandpa's 39th wedding anniversary.

We left early in the afternoon, but it was a LONG drive down.   Heather and the kids were basically in the car from 2:30 until 10:45 and we all got a little stir crazy and impatient toward the end.  When we could take no more, we stopped to get something to eat and allowed the kids to run around on a playground.  Justin vowed to be "brave" and climbed all the way to the top of the playground, eventually even luring Norah to stop being timid and chase him to the top. We finally arrived on Bolivar Peninsula very late in the evening.  The destination was worth it as we sat out on the deck with refreshments, chatted, and watched the moonlight reflected off the waves until bedtime.

SATURDAY
We all got up reasonably early and ate breakfast on the porch.  The daylight view seemed to really excite the kids as the beach was in plain sight.  We soon acquiesced to their requests and headed to the beach to collect shells, splash around, and dig in the sand.  The morning quickly escaped us and we realized it was now or never to head to Galveston for the American Institute of Architects (AIA) Sandcastle competition.  Aunt Sara and Uncle George offered to stay behind and hold down the fort so dinner would be ready when we returned.

This was our first encounter with a vehicle ferry.  It seemed like a good idea at the time, but the wait dragged on and patience ran short.  Both kids reached critical meltdown until Gramps saved the day with Shaved Ice from a nearby stand.  Everyone's frowns turned upside down as we enjoyed an array of colorful flavors, which carried us for the remainder of the outing.

 The sandcastle competition was very well attended by people of all shapes and sizes.  In true Galveston fashion, many swarthy attendees really could have used more coverage.  Our eyes are still burning.  Justin liked the Avengers Superhero themed entries and Norah liked the castles.  Norah was eager to compete and was very disappointed when she found out we were merely spectators and would not have an official entry in the competition.  Her disappointment quickly faded as the kids answered the siren call of the waves and splashed about enthusiastically.  Both kids made fast friends as Norah engaged a little girl and inquired about her age.  Justin tried his best to talk a little boy out of his squirt gun (to no avail), then got chummy with a little girl who boasted to have caught a small fish in her cup.

 This beach had better sand and less seaweed, so the kids really cut loose, running here, there, and everywhere, sometimes venturing surprisingly far from shore.  It's been amazing to watch their comfort level increase with additional trips to the beach.  We must now keep an especially keen eye on them as they push the boundaries.

Eventually we returned to the car, dusted the sand off everyone's feet, and headed back to Crystal Beach.  The 90 minute wait for the ferry provided a great opportunity for both kids to sleep, and even Daddy got a brief catnap.  Upon our  return to the beach house, Aunt Sara and Uncle George greeted us with a surprising yet delicious pairing of lasagna and egg rolls.  With full tummies, we all made it to bed a bit earlier, but still didn't fully retire until after 11.

SUNDAY
After breakfast and goodbyes we stopped briefly at the Anahuac coastal marshes.  The kids finally got their previously elusive Coastal Marsh Wilderness Passport Stickers.  We hopped down the boardwalks and surveyed spiders, turtles, and fuzzy caterpillars everywhere, and the kids happily snapped photos with their new cameras.

As Justin got more and more tired, we revisited the same conversation over and over.

"After Norah's birthday, is it my birthday?"
"Yes, tomorrow is Norah's birthday, but your birthday is 12 days after hers."
"That's too long!  I don't want my birthday to be then!"
"It's not that far away, it's just a few days.  Our birthdays are in November, THAT'S a long time away."
"BUT I DON'T WANT THAT TO BE MY BIRTHDAY!"
"WE didn't pick your birthday, YOU DID!"
"Don't say that to me!"

Somewhere along the way we encountered 40 acres of sunflowers in full bloom and had to stop for a better look.  Trust us, it was much more impressive in person.