Happy 4th

Only a little bit late. We headed to OCMD the Wednesday night before the holiday to maximize our beach time. That meant a rare solo day at the beach for the Bardolf family before we were joined the rest of the extended Morgan family. Parker and Nonna came early so that the girls could pal around together, and the Lowdens arrived just in time for a trip to the boardwalk on Friday night. The girls had a blast, as usual, riding rides and gorging on the typical boardwalk fare. The lack of crowds meant we could take advantage of a lot of things we normally pass up, like Thrasher's fries, which are one of Mommy's favorites. Turns out they are one of Brennan's favorite foods too - he'd make a face if he got a fry a little heavy on the vinegar, but he was never deterred from digging in. And he even had his first taste of milkshake, which technically he shouldn't have, but he wouldn't be denied (sidebar: he learned how to drink out of a straw during our Dutch Wonderland trip - there actually wasn't much learning, because he got it the first try. So far straws have led him to a slurpy, soda and milkshake, so with that being his only experiences (i.e., good ones) he freaks out pretty much any time he sees a straw).

Audrey and Parker spend pretty much all of their time at the beach digging and/or building sand castles by the water, or running around in the surf. Brennan still has his good days and bad, but seems to enjoy himself for the most part. He's started to enjoy bouncing/playing in the surf, provided it's not too cold or deep, and while he still waffles on whether or not he really enjoys the sand, he definitely doesn't shy away from getting dirty.

Most of the family (including Daddy) left on Monday to go back to work Tuesday, so there was a smaller crew for the fireworks, but it seems like the girls enjoyed them just the same. Mommy, Audrey and Brennan stayed the whole following week, and daily trips from the pool and/or beach left Audrey not wanting to come home last Sunday. Can't say we blame her...if we could spend all summer at the beach we would too.