Kicking Off Summer
We rang in the summer season (i.e. Memorial Day weekend) in true stereotypical fashion – at the beach!
We dashed up to my parents’ beach house near Bethany Beach, Delaware for the long weekend (along with the rest of my family) and it was a wonderfully warm hot welcome to the summer. And although we spent a good chunk of time seaside, we managed to get all of two good pictures of our time there. But this pic pretty much sums it up. It was sandy. It was sunny. It was great.
Although Sherry’s favorite picture is this one of Clara showing off her frilly hand-me-down bathing suit.
But more than sand and sea, the weekend was about quality time with family. There were 16 of us (four under the age of three) which meant there were lots of moments of catching up, eating, laughing and what not.
One evening we headed a couple of towns north to Rehoboth Beach for dinner and fun on the boardwalk. Here’s Sherry and Clara with our niece Olivia (far right) and her best friend Sydney who tagged along for the trip (this was shortly after learning all of the new hip teenage phrases that we referenced in yesterday’s rug post).
And here I am trying to convince her brother Jake that I’ve got enough so-called “swagg” to hang. Not sure I’m pulling it off.
Definitely rocking the swagg are Clara and her cousin Emanuel, who are sporting matching toy trains. They went crazy for them.
The night on the boardwalk concluded by wandering down to Funland (Rehoboth’s little beachfront amusement park). Clara, who currently requests that the calliope track on her music class CD be played on repeat, beelined for the carousel. It gave us flashbacks to the hour or two in the car spent listening to music like this.
Clara loved it (obviously) but I had trouble capturing the joy on film. Fortunately Sherry more than made up for it with her expression.
The merry-go-round was just the beginning of several go-rounds of that night. We were a bit nervous about putting Clara on some of the other kiddie rides, but we gave it a shot and (luckily) she LOVED them. So there were boats (with her cousin John as first mate)…
…fire trucks…
…cars…
…airplanes…
…complete with guns (should we call her Clara The Tail Gunner?).
And in case the sheer thrill of all of this loopdie-looping is lost in photos, here’s a quick video to really bring the excitement to life.
We even dared the swings. The kid behind Clara wasn’t feeling it. And she didn’t totally love that one either (“Too fast. It’s scary” she admitted afterwards). But she didn’t cry.
We were so glad the night didn’t end in tears. And Clara still talks about riding the boat and the firetruck and the airplane and the car fondly.
Funland didn’t hold a candle to my parents new patio though, which hosted lots of toddler (and grown-up) fun over the weekend. Perhaps you saw this Instagram pic of the impromptu ice cream social that we posted?
My parents had a large patio added to the back of their house over the winter, so this was our first time seeing it. It was AWESOME.
The toddlers enjoyed doing laps together around the whole thing. And the parents enjoyed watching them exhaust themselves.
The small wall on one side was like their own personal obstacle course.
And since we were also there to celebrate my parents’ 40th wedding anniversary (!!!) we tried to get some family portraits – like my parents with their six grandkids. This is the closest we got to a decent shot. From left to right that’s Ben (7 months), Olivia (11), John (almost 3 – he’s Ben’s older brother), Emanuel (2.5 – Olivia’s half brother), Clara (2) and Jake (14 – Olivia’s brother).
When we finally gave up on getting a good grandkids shot, a better behaved crew took their places. The kids (aka, me and my sisters) thankfully didn’t wiggle as much. That’s my youngest sister, my dad, my oldest sister Katie, my mom, me and my older sister Emily.
And those are genuine smiles on our faces because we’re all giggling about the unseen photobomber. Clara kind of wandered into frame without anyone but Sherry (the photographer) noticing. But before I could shuffle her out of the way she decided she wanted to squat like daddy – and just like that she disappeared from the picture. She’s hiding right below this arrow, out of view.
So that was our fun little weekend away. What about you guys? Anyone else have a family, sun or toddler filled Memorial Day?
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Rehoboth is my second home!….I’m sure I would have completely embarrassed myself had I ran into you all. So, I don’t know whether to be totally bummed or relieved?! haha Glad you enjoyed a wonderful Memorial weekend up here!
Completely DITTO thought! I’ve chased the little ones of my family (and those that I nanny for) around the same boardwalk many times – and if I bumped into them (likely literally as chasing toddlers often causes you to do) I don’t know WHAT I would do.
Actually, I’d probably utter something ridiculous about ceramic animals and ‘OMG CLARA IS ADORABLE! Ok, BYE!’ and walk away awkwardly.
Thanks for all the Funland pics! My family has been vacationing in Rehoboth since my great grandmother was a little girl. Actually, my parents, grandmother, and a couple cousins were there this weekend. I can’t wait to get my little guy there and riding the fire trucks.
We LOVE Rehoboth. We spend a lot of weekends visiting our friend and spending the weekend at their beach house. Have you guys gone to Annie’s Bananies? If you haven’t gone yet – you have to go next time (imagine soft serve ice cream made from just bananas… it’s awesome!)!
We haven’t but that’s sounds awesome. Next time!
-John
Glad you guys had a fun weekend! We’re heading up to Bethany in 2 weeks! Hope we get good weather like you guys! Do you have any tips for kid-friendly, but yummy, restaurants / shops in Bethany or Rehobeth? We went there last year, and totally ended up in some of the biggest tourist traps.
We like going to Nicolas for Nic-a-bolis! We go each time we’re there. They have crayons and kid chairs galore- seems to work out ok! We eat at home a lot too (bbq-ing for dinner, making deli sandwiches for lunch, etc) since with four kids under three it can get crazy!
xo,
s
That bathing suit is so cute on Clara!
I love Bethany! Have you guys ever been to Sedonas restaurant? Oh my gosh, it’s my favorite place at the beach!! I used to live in Maryland and we would go there on our beach weekends! You should check it out when you are there next! And no childhood is complete without a trip to Funland! Clara was brave!
We haven’t eaten there, but noticed it walking around this weekend. Maybe next time!
-John
We know John is a UVA grad, but this Hokie likes seeing the VT shirt on your dad! Is yours a “house divided”? :-P God bless your beautiful family and your good times together!
Yep! And not evenly. Three of us (myself, Carrie and Katie) all went to UVA but my sister Emily went to Tech. My parents have one of those “Family Feud” window stickers on their car. And yes, I was tempted to try to photoshop my dad’s t-shirt to just be plain maroon… :)
-John
I also was pleased to see that Dad is a HOKIE – first I’ve heard about it – Love your family even more
Haha- one sister (Emily on the right) went there, so he’s part Hoo and part Hokie!
xo,
s
I was going to comment on your Dad’s awesome shirt too, much better than those sabre shirts I’ve seen you wear :)
Another Hokie here, and have to say that your Dad’s shirt was the first thing I noticed. Happy to see your Dad in a VT tee!
The funny part is that he was wearing a UVA hat most of the day. Quite a conflict of interest going on there!
-John
Looks so awesome! I particularly enjoy Sherry’s face on the merry-go-round. :)
And p.s. those pink baby clogs are the best! We have some around here, and they’re much loved.
Similar to Amanda B – the first things I noticed was the Hokies shirt your dad is wearing. My husband is a Hokie and we love all things Virginia Tech … sorry John!!
Looks like you had a great weekend!
Haha, my sister Emily (on the right) is a Hokie, so my dad likes to throw her a bone in a family of Hoos (me and my other two sisters went to UVa).
xo,
s
We were there this weekend too! My parents live on the bay, so we go down whenever we can. I wondered when I saw your Instagrams on twitter if you were beaching it this weekend too! Good thing I didn’t run into you guys though-I’m sure I would have been all fangirl on ya. ;)
We figured out a good game at Funland and the kids (and I!) won thousands of tickets for just a few bucks. Now we have crazy disco balls, and we’re planning dance parties. I’m posting today about the CRAZY packaging on them. Let’s just say that someone didn’t translate Chinese to English well.
Haha- so funny that you won all those tickets! Have fun with those disco balls!
xo,
s
I love Rehoboth! We’re from Philly so our family typically goes the Jersey route for the shore (Sea Isle City woo!) but in March me and my husband stayed in Rehoboth and loved it. Went spent hours eating and drinking at Dogfish. I highly recommend their Parmesan truffle fries with bacon mayo if you ever go :) the daytime atmosphere is definitely kid-friendly also
Mmmmmmm, parmesan truffle fries sound amazing.
xo,
s
YES! those fries are ah-ma-zing! try their fried pickles next time :)
I second that! Well, I haven’t had the fries, but I’m abosolutely convinced it’s good as everything we had was. The brewery itself is only a 30 min drive inland, and totally worth going to and seeing the place where all the magic happens!
I was wondering why Rehoboth sounded so familiar, and then I realized it’s the town on our epic cross-country roadtrip that hold the Dogfish Head Brewpub! Good times.
I went to DE beaches as a kid and remember those exact rides! Funland going strong since at least the mid-80s.
♥ rehoboth and the delaware beaches!!! we’ve been vacationing in fenwick island, de (just above ocean city, md) for the past seven years and we absolutely love it! we always take our kids up the the boardwalk in rehoboth since it’s not as crazy as the one in ocean city. we love going to go fish! for a fish & chips dinner and topping off our night w/ a crazy-flavored cone from the ice cream store (play doh or bacon ice cream anyone?). we’ll be heading down for our week on 8/25 and i can’t wait!!!
Clara had Play Doh ice cream after Funland! Sherry got pistachio and I got Thai Coconut Milk. Love that place!
-John
What is the tent that you have on the beach for Clara? We’re going to Rehoboth this summer with my 2 year old daughter and are looking for something similear. Thanks!
Hmmm, it’s actually my parents’ so I don’t know where it came from. Perhaps One Step Ahead? I know they’ve gotten stuff from them before.
-John
It Is from Costco – and totally rocks. And a deal for about 40 bucks!
I have been going to Rehobeth since I was a little kid. My grandparents had a house there and we would go almost every weekend in the summer. Seeing the FUNLAND rides really brought back some memories!! I think I have the exact same pictures and video that you now have of Clara. I still love going there as much as possible. Nicolas is definitely a favorite…but you can’t forget the Boardwalk Fries, Candy Kitchen, and Dolly’s!!
I live in DE and was also at Rehoboth for Memorial! small world <3
Wow go John! He survived having 3 sisters! Your family looks like so much fun :)
Funland was a staple of my childhood. I think I rode those same rides over 20 years ago! My mom always tells a story of my aunt & uncle taking my brother & I out to dinner and being unexpectedly roped into going to Funland afterwards. Underestimating the intelligence of a 6 year old & a 2 year old is never advisable.
Also, totally acceptable to photoshop a VT shirt ;) Of course, I say this as a Hoo, from a house divided. Dad & I are Hoos, mom & bro are Hokies.
Aww what a wonderful way to get summer STARTED! Clara looks too cute in that swimsuit.
Love the shots of clara having a ball….but I will forever have nightmares of john’s freakishly long toes… or are those a second pair of hands…LOL one more thing love your outfit black dress and denim jacket, it’s totally you
Ha! It’s probably the giant space I’ve got between my big toe and the next that’s not helping either. Sherry calls it my “parking space.”
-John
My husband and our oldest son both have the “parking space” toes. Our youngest son shares my no parking zone toes!
I also love Sherry’s big smile at the merry-go-round. That is something I definitely do too!
What a big beautiful family ~ having a big beautiful time!
Thx so much for sharing! :)
xox
My sister gave my dad a kidney this Memorial Day, so it was a hospital-filled weekend! They’re all doing well, thankfully—it’s certainly a Memorial Day weekend we’ll remember! :)
Wow, that’s a big weekend. How brave of your sister! Glad to hear everyone’s recovering well. Here’s to a not hospital-filled weekend for all of you soon!
-John
Have only passed through Rehoboth in my years in DE (was in Dover and Newark for college) but my college BFF’s family had/have a house in Fenwick Island, so I spent some weekends there… Hubby and I are going to travel to DE to see if it’s somewhere we might want to retire to (we’re from NJ so it’s still “local” enough for other family), and I’m already pushing for DE ’cause of the beaches!
I’m so glad to see you guys were in Delaware! I’m a born and raised Delawarian and I think people tend to overlook us! We have great beaches and tax free shopping…what more could a person want?! Love the post!
I’ve been reading your blog for years and am glad to see the proper Virginia school finally getting some facetime! John you know what I’m talking about :) Love, a proud Hokie! (who also grew up in NoVa and went to Oakton)
It’s taking everything in my power to click approve on this comment… :)
-John
One of my friends moved to DE recently and we helped them move stuff, I persuaded everyone to visit the beach for a few hours but everyone was dead tired! I missed my chance to bump into u :)..
But we did go to six flags safari on Monday as it is a non-tiring car ride. My nieces and nephews had the time of their life especially when the giraffe started licking our car, you should take Clara there.
That sounds like fun! Yesterday at Petco she was determined that a ferret was a polar bear, so at least it doesn’t take much to thrill her.
-John
I am determined to get my baby to the beach! But since we’re too far inland to go for a weekend, we just went to the pool. Thankfully she loved it (she’s just shy of five months so we weren’t sure how she’d react)! Question- did you guys get Clara swimming lessons before taking her to the beach? She looks so comfortable in the water in all your Hawaii pics and it sounds like you go to the beach often so I was just wondering how you introduced her to it.
She hasn’t had lessons and she’s actually a bit hit or miss with water. On this trip the water was too cold and rough (lots of waves) that she didn’t want to go near it. But last summer she loved playing in the waves in the Outer Banks (with me) so we’re not sure if she’s growing out of her love of water or if it was just the particular conditions this weekend.
-John
Love it!! Does Clara like playing skee ball at Funland? I think that’s probably the favorite of my daughter (2 1/2 yrs). We can’t wait to be there in July!
You know we didn’t even try that. Maybe next time!
-John
The calliope music combined with the over-enthusiastic picture of Sherry on the merry go round is cracking.me.up. I cannot imagine listening to an hour or two of that in the car. I lasted 33 seconds before pulling the plug. I think that could be useful in a torture situation. Cannot stop laughing! The sacrifices people make for their kids…I don’t think I could do it. Clara would have to get used to NPR. Haha.
Glad you guys had such a great weekend! Mine involved visiting wine country and relaxing on the couch. It was lovely.
I love Clara’s bathing suit! So cute. And age appropriate too. I don’t know how you guys feel about it but I don’t like it when babies and young children are put in bikini type bathing suits.
I remember when you guys did Olivia’s room makeover years ago. They grow up so fast. :)
In defense of bikini/tankinis for babies/young children, practically speaking it is so much easier to pull up a bikini bottom than a one piece after a potty break with a wet suit on!! :)
Amen. Our favorite combination (though less cute) is bikini bottoms with a rash/sun-guard type top with sleeves of some sort. The convenience of a two-piece but with more sun protection!
xo,
s
My parents tried putting me on the swings ride at Funland and I screamed so much they had to stop the ride and let me off, so Clara is pretty brave. It’s possible that I would still scream today. These pictures bring back such nice memories of my little kid summers in Rehoboth. I’m so glad all these rides still look exactly the same as they did 20 years ago. :)
Congratulations to your parents on their 40th wedding anniversary! My parents are also celebrating their 40th in June and my siblings and I are trying to decide on a creative, affordable present for them. The traditional gift theme is “ruby.” Any thoughts? Did you guys give your parents a gift? Thanks for the suggestions!
We did – and will actually be posting all of the details on Friday. Oh, and we did have Ruby Red Grapefruit juice at breakfast as small attempt to match the 40th theme since our main gift did not. :)
-John
Which kiddos belong to which sisters? And what are the age differences between yall? I am # 2 of four (two boys, two girls, with a span of 15 years b/w the oldest and youngest) so I’m always a little curious about other 4 kid families. Looks like a great weekend, congrats to your parents!
There’s 13 years between my oldest sister (Katie) and my youngest (Carrie) and I’m #3. Emily, who you’ve probably gathered is #2, is the mom to Jake, Olivia and Emanuel. Katie has John and Ben and, obviously, Clara is mine. Carrie’s only 26 and I think being around all of these kids is enough to keep her off the baby train for a little while!
-John
I’m glad you asked this, I was curious too. My dad has three sisters and my sister has 3 girls and a boy. Both of the boys are # 2 though. I like to find other families with 3 girls and a boy and tell my nephew about them. He gets discouraged sometimes. I was also wondering what your older sister’s name was. Cute family!
Yay for Rehoboth! We’re heading down there for a week in mid-August and I am really looking forward to our trip. Rehoboth was where my son first felt the sand between his toes and took his first wade in the ocean. He keeps telling us he can’t wait to fly the helicopters at Funland, and his dad and I can’t wait to drink a few pints at Dogfish Head and eat sushi on the rooftop deck at the Cultured Pearl. Rehoboth is the perfect place for a family vacation!
Omgahhhhh that’s where I vacation, too! If I ever see you guys there, I will poop my pants. POOP. MY. FREAKIN. PANTS.
Please tell me that you enjoy Grotto Pizza. And breakfast at Warren’s Station!
We do hit up Grotto Pizza, but don’t think we’ve ever eaten at Warren’s Station. Maybe next time… since we will be there later this summer again. Maybe pack a diaper? :)
-John
haha…I live in Rehoboth (grew up in Bethany) and I’ve worked at Warrens for the past 13 years (and this summer too!). I’m a teacher so it’s the perfect summer job. Glad you like it!
Looks like you guys had a blast! And what an awesome way to start off your summer. :)
I started off my summer not that far away in PA. We were out in the boonies basically on the border of Delaware for my best friends wedding. We’ve been friends since we were 6 so it’s like family. My parents went with me and another good friend of mine & it was so much fun. I’m still tired and my feet ache from dancing all night. :)
Clara is such a great little sport! I’m scared of the swings myself.
p.s. I’m loving your dad’s VT shirt. Go Hokies!
Awe! Clara is so cute. My favorite picture is her in the airplane with a gun. She looks so serious.
Sherry, Your smile is beautiful.. I wish after having braces twice my teeth would look that good. You rock the pearly whites!
Looks like an awesome Memorial Day weekend! Clara’s expression in the photo of her with Sherry and the girls is cracking me up… she’s all “Big girls are so weird…”
What a fantastic way to kick off the summer! John’s parents’ beach house looks beautiful. It’s so fun to spend a weekend with family.
Love the pics!!! Such a great family!
Looking at the caption of you and your sisters, are you number 3 out of 4 siblings?
Both me and my husband are numbers 3 out of 4 too. Best place to be!
I am! And I quite like it that way too!
-John
Ever use the Group Shot app (on the iPad) to edit photos? I love it and use it in my classroom for whole class shots all the time. It allows you to take or upload a bunch of pictures, wipe out bad faces/strange photos, and replace them with a better shot. It is incredibly difficult to get a bunch of kids to look at the camera and smile at the exact same time!
No, we’ll have to try that!
-John
Okay, I’m so glad you guys posted pictures and video of Clara on the rides because we are taking my little girl to Sesame Place this weekend and I have been really anxious about whether or not she would ride anything. She’s a month older than Clara, and all the rides there are supposed to be toddler-oriented, but I just wasn’t sure. Now I at least know there is a possibility (even if only a slim one) that she’ll enjoy them. Clara’s a brave girl!
Damn you people in the northern hemisphere, don’t you know it’s coming into winter down here and we don’t want to see you boasting about your summer?!!?!?
;-)
So is “cousin John” named after his uncle?
We’re actually named after the same John, my grandfather. Though me already having the name (and the fact that his parents are big Beatles/John Lennon fans) also helped sway the decision.
-John
Go Hokies! Both my sons graduated from Tech and we love seeing those T-shirts. Looks like you had a wonderful weekend with your family.
I’m another born-and-raised-in-Delaware reader! I’ve been following YHL for about three years or so and always love to read your follow-up posts after you’ve traveled to the DE beaches. My SO and I grew up in Lewes/Rehoboth (though we’re living in Wilmington now), and all of our family is there. I loved going to Funland as a kid… and as a teenager… and still as an adult, hahah! When Clara’s a little bit older and meets the height requirement, you three should go on the Paratrooper ride. It’s a lot of fun and gives you a great view from up high across the beach and boardwalk. I also second the recommendation for Annie’s Banannies. It’s on 1st Street, just south of Rehoboth Avenue. If you haven’t been to Cape Henlopen State Park in Lewes, you should definitely check it out next time. Among other things, there is an old WWII observation tower that is open to the public. I loved going up there as a kid (and now, still!) and bet Clara would get a kick out of it!
What a good looking bunch. Happy you all had fun :)
Ahh, Rehoboth?! Home of Dogfish Head…I’m jealous.
Congratulations to your parents on their 40th anniversary…we celebrated out 40th this past weekend also…May 27th!
No way! Congrats you too!
-John