Ocean City, Maryland

We had such a good time last week in Ocean City, Maryland.  We chose this beach for a few reasons:

1.  My brother and I grew up going to this beach.

2.  The White Marlin Open fishing tournament was happening.

3.  Easy for my "geriatric" parents to get to given their recent surgeries. Ha!

Basically it happened like this, a few months ago my brother called and asked if we would be interested in going in on a 4 bedroom condo (that overlooks where the boats come in with their fish!) with them during the week of the White Marlin Open.  Kevin and I discussed and we decided that would be really fun to do with them and their two girls (my nieces!).  And have my brother's and my parents join in as well.  Perfect!  We had never really done anything like this but Ocean City is a familiar place to all of us so it would be easy.  

So we got the rental and it was a Saturday to Saturday rental.  They left South Carolina at 5:30am on Saturday the 6th and we left North Carolina at 6am on Saturday the 6th.  I'm sure all of the people in Maryland saw our license plates and were like WHY ARE THEY HERE when there are gorgeous beaches in NC and SC.  Haha!  But Ocean City is special to us and it was SO fun seeing all three girls enjoy it just like we did when we were there age.  There were a lot of flashbacks of our cousins and us playing on the same beach.  My parents said they really couldn't believe that we were there with OUR children, their grandchildren!

I won't bore you with crazy detail but I will narrate a few of the pictures below to include things I want to remember!

This was the view from our wrap-around balcony.  We stayed Bayside so we had the most beautiful sunsets!

I love that we enjoy hanging with my brother and his wife.  They are cool (ha!) and I'm thankful to have them!  Plus, it's super awesome that all three little girls love each other dearly.

Early mornings on the boardwalk.

Surrey biking.  Molly Anne loved going for a spin!

Boats boats and more boats over at Sunset Marina.  On Sunday, Emily and Kevin watched the girls and my brother and I went to the grocery store to pick up everything perishable that we couldn't bring.  We had brought most everything else.  Emily and I had planned meals out and roughly divided the grocery list.  It was super easy to do it like this and it kept things mostly even.

On Monday we walked the four blocks to the beach and Molly Anne was in heaven!

We had the telescope pictures taken of her that we did when we were young!  It was so fun seeing her do this.  Later in the week we had them taken of the three girls where matching bathing suits!  They still do the same poses as we did 30 years ago!

Our little watch party of the boats bringing in their catches!

They're basically obsessed with each other.  She's mouthing POP-PA!  It's so cute how she kinda says it.  Imagine your lips popping open.  So cute.

One morning we were up very early so Molly Anne and I walked over to the boardwalk to get Dunkin Donuts!  That was a special treat and we got to watch the sunrise over the ocean.

A new puppy from Candy Kitchen who looks just like Mills!

All of us went to lunch at Sunset Grill one of the days.

We played played played.  We went to the pool.  We read.  We watched boats in the bay.  We took naps.  We chatted.  We shopped.

We tried to learn how to walk ha.

A couple times Kevin and I snuck out and hung at FishTails.

Oh sorry, back to lunch at Sunset...cream of crab soup...

soft shell crab sandwich.

My parents of course brought all the girls little treats - books, toys, crab toothfairy pillow etc.  Too cute!

Setting up and playing with a little water station on the balcony was one of Molly Anne's favorite activities.  

Mostly stayed on her sleeping schedule.  We did skip her morning nap a few of the days so we could actually go do stuff but on those days she took a longer afternoon nap and went to bed on time.  One night she stayed up late and that's when we took the girls to ride rides at Trimpers!

She was OBSESSED with the waves!!!

A smart, smart girl!  Thrashers and Dumsers for dinner one night!  Vacation..!   She rode her first ride - the little boats - with her cousins!

Tradition that Dad and I ride the tilt-a-whirl.

Kevin and I rode the thing that spins around at a crazy speed.

On the last night we picked up some crabs and shrimp from a local spot and ate those for dinner after Molly Anne went to bed.  Kevin even picked one! ;)

The drive home wasn't very exciting but we made it.  

And these two were glad to be back together!  Mills had a good 8 days at camp.  He loves the place.

Favorite memories I want to remember - Molly Anne LOVED the seagulls and pointed at them and squealed constantly, Anna Kate pushing Molly Anne all over the place in her stroller and basically being her other mother, Sarah and Poppa are obsessed with playing together, Molly Anne loving the waves, getting telescope pictures done on the beach of the three girls matching, forced family fun, hanging with my parents at The Reel Inn, celebrating mom's birthday, every afternoon watching the boats come in, hammock sitting with Kevin at fishtails, picking crabs on the last night.  

As always, it was GOOD to be back home and in the swing of things!  We are thankful for the good memories with my family and glad we could all be together to have such a fun trip!