Beach Madness

There were so many things that made this trip a little crazy – last minute planning, potty training, Austin crawling/walking, each mom driving by ourselves with our babes, SIX kids under one roof… but just like we used to do back in the day, Mandy, Crissy and I managed to plan an escape to the beach in record time and actually make it happen.

Tyler was in heaven with playmates 24/7, Austin basked in the loving attention (especially of 4-year-old Keeley), and once the kids went to bed at 7 sharp – Mandy and Crissy and I got to unwind and talk late into the night.

I think I got 5 hours of sleep total each night, because we’d go to bed after midnight and sure enough one child would wake up around 5 or 6AM – and the rest would follow.  

As any mom knows, the days were long and exhausting – but we were at the beach, so it didn’t matter! The hardest hours were from 5-7 when we would come home worn out and have to bathe, feed and get 6 kids (ranging from ages 8 months to 4.5 yrs) in bed.

We decided the dads could definitely not have handled the craziness – kids running around constantly and setting record levels of energy. Even though I have to say all of the kids were very good, catering to their needs non-stop was still hard. But we live a form of it every day, and I think moms just have a deeper tolerance – plus we are close enough friends to feel comfortable not acting super happy in those frustrating times.

And sometimes you just have to laugh when you might want to scream. As Mandy and Crissy finished the long and tedious process of packing up their cars and were just about to head home, their daughters decided it would be fun to strip down and take a shower in the bathroom. Hee hee.

So, would I do it again? YES, I’d go tomorrow. Everything’s better at the beach – Austin got to wade in the water for the first time, and the happiness in his and Tyler’s eyes could be bottled – I loved seeing it so much, and it was amazing to see them interact with the kids of my friends who I’ve known since we were kids -- for almost 25 years. Yes, we’re old! ;-)

I think it’s fascinating how you can learn from other moms just being around them so much, and equally fascinating seeing how the kids learn from each other. Tyler’s talking more since the trip and Austin is taking steps like crazy. The beach and town was as beautiful as ever and the memories were absolutely priceless. I am definitely still exhausted though :-)).