OBX'13 #4

We wrapped up our time with some pool and beach time on Friday morning (2+ hours in the pool) and in the afternoon (45 minutes on the beach and another hour in the pool).
Given the fact that we have multiple little kids that don't really get the idea of looking at the camera and smiling when it's on the timer, and they lose interest in a non-craft or non-pool activity at the drop of a hat, I was pretty pleased with our group photos.  Of course, you're not seeing the plethora of photos that I had to delete because Lydia wasn't "participating well," or because Lincoln was looking directly at the sand, but the remaining ones turned out well.
The trip home went surprisingly well.  We hit the road at 7:43am to beat the rush to the bridge, and we only hit a few brief slow-downs here and there.  After a vomit-stop for Lydia 40 minutes into the drive, a gas stop before DC, 1 hour lunch at a good deli north of DC, and a short stop just inside the Ohio line, we arrived home in less than 12 hours.  Lincoln travelled well with Grandma & Grandpa, and Lydia and Henry travelled amazingly well in our car.  Of course, Lydia was occupied watching lots of movies (with the unused bucket on her head, no less), but we were pleased that they were both quiet and pleasant.

Everybody talks about how it's never fun to come home from a vacation, and I've thought that myself on many occasions, but this one was a new feeling in that I observed this thought with Lincoln.  He cried at bedtime during our second-to-last night knowing that the next day would be the last of vacation, and he had a hard time last evening knowing that it was through.  Watching a slide-show of the photos helped all three kids a lot with unwinding and getting some closure.

This wasn't a particularly restful vacation for me and Jenn, but I'm quite certain that rest was never the original intent.  Memory-making and family-time were the priorities, and those goals were more than achieved.

Jenn and I shared this with the family at our Friday dinner (of the same Goat Cheese Macaroni & Cheese from Lincoln's Birthday Party), but I'll share it here because it's worth being public:

• We thanked Grandma & Auntie Em for coordinating the crafts that occupied and entertained the kids between beach/pool/shower/meal times.  The crafts were beach-themed, age-appropriate, and some were just messy enough to require that shirts be removed... and this kept all of the kids interested and excited.
  
• We thanked Grace and Cole, in particular, for playing so well with our three kids.  At every turn, they were friendly and polite with the kids, and they were willing to help out with crafts, food, toys and stories.  It's a big help to an Aunt & Uncle knowing that their niece and nephew play well with the cousins.

Over the next weeks and months we'll get to planning our next family vacation.  Jenn and I are crusing again next February, but that's alone-time for us.  Disney is on the horizon, and Waunita Hot Springs is a few years down the road after that.  What will we sprinkle in between those?  We're open to suggestions...