A Georgia Girl in Germany

In keeping with what’s becoming tradition when we visit Nana and Papa, we went to the beach this summer. We like going to Lewes Beach since the waves there are much milder than at some of the other nearby beaches -- perfect for pint-sized (and slightly larger) kids! MacKenzie got started with what she does best at the beach: build. She loves filling the buckets with sand and making all kind of sand creations.

Zachary’s favorite thing to do at the beach is to be buried. He seems to enjoy it so much that it was one of the first things he did. David, MacKenzie, Rachel and Andy helped him when he was ready to emerge from the sand -- by pouring water over his covered body to let it seep through the sand. He didn’t mind when they used the watering cans, but David used a 10-gallon bucket -- Zachary said that was a lot of cold water all at once!

Rachel also enjoyed being buried -- and being turned into a mermaid!



Andy was great at bringing water from the ocean in a watering can. He watered lots of things back on the sand (and under the sand, as was the case when Zachary was buried!).

Papa enjoyed being in the water with his five grandkids.

Benjamin and Rachel were Papa’s buddies in the water. They kept heading back to him.

When he kept playing with them like this, I can see why! They really enjoyed this game.



Even Andy got in on the action after a while.

After a while, Papa had to call it quits -- they really wore him out!

Zachary and MacKenzie spent some time digging a hole near the water. The tide was coming in, so they stayed busy trying to keep the ocean from overtaking their hole.

They soon had help from Rachel and Benjamin to keep the hole filled with water.

Rachel had picked up a few rocks that she found along the beach, but wasn’t pleased when Andy found the yellow bucket and wanted to add some of his own rocks. Fortunately, she was a good big sister and decided to share.

Another of our beach traditions is making mudballs to bring as snacks. We brought them one year when Benjamin was small, and ever since then he equates a trip to the beach with having mudballs. Not a bad tradition!

Even Andy and Leslie had to stop for a snack. It can’t get much better than shoving a handful of Cheetos into your mouth while curled up on your mom’s lap!

Of course, Benjamin and Rachel didn’t take long of a break -- they were soon back in the water.



MacKenzie decided that she wanted to be buried too. Once she was fully covered by sand, we made her into an octopus. She was a good sport about it and didn’t turn into Ursula the Seawitch!

Benjamin even had a turn, although he didn’t want his shoulders and arms covered like MacKenzie. I think he made a pretty good fish.



We couldn’t convince Andy to be buried. I don’t think he could have stayed still that long. Instead, he spent some time jumping into a water-filled hole. The water kept being absorbed into the sand, so David, Zachary and MacKenzie stayed busy bringing water up to refill the hole.

While Andy would jump in and quickly step out, Rachel enjoyed sitting in the water a little longer. Two very different approaches to enjoying a water-filled hole on the beach!

We even enjoyed watching this historic ship on the horizon. In all seriousness, Benjamin warned me that the pirates were coming!

After a while, Benjamin settled in at the water’s edge and played with the sand.

I love how intently he was playing as the waves crashed around his feet.



One last dip in the water before time to pack up and head home. I’d say everyone enjoyed their day at the beach. David’s job here was to keep everyone in the water while the rest of us packed up the toys -- so it would be a little less obvious that it was time to go. It worked -- no fits!



I love how Andy enjoyed being with his big cousin. Zachary was a great help at the beach -- keeping the younger ones involved and helping corral them when need be (like when it was time to get out of the water to head home).

All wrapped up and ready to head home. What a great day at the beach!

Labels: Benjamin, MacKenzie, Nana and Papa, Stateside visits, Zachary

Other than a short visit with my brother for my grandmother’s funeral in November, I haven’t seen him or his family in nearly two years. We were long overdue for a visit, and I’m very thankful that it worked out that they were able to travel to Delaware for a long weekend while we were in the states. The kids got along wonderfully -- as if they’re around each other all the time (well, maybe even better than that since there was very little arguing or disagreements). Zachary and Rachel definitely inherited the tomato-loving gene from Nana!

Andy shared his love of animals with Zachary and Benjamin. Fortunately, Nana had a classic toy barn for them to pull out and play with.

Andy really loved spending time with Zachary. Zachary’s really good with young kids, so it was a natural attraction.

Rachel and Any picked out their first Webkinz animals, so my three showed them the in’s and out’s of Webkinz World online.

Don’t Benjamin and Andy look cute in their matching shirts? Since Benjamin often makes faces for photos, and Andy doesn’t always like staying still for photos, I was doubly impressed that I got this photo!

Andy needed a little cuddle time with his daddy after running around a bit.

From “A” to “Z:” Andy, Rachel, Benjamin, MacKenzie and Zachary.

They all had a very good day in front of the camera...well, except if you look closely at Benjamin. He’s sticking out the very tip of his tongue (yes, this was the best photo of the group).

Nana with her two youngest grandsons.

We went outside to explore in Nana and Papa’s backyard. Andy decided to pal around with MacKenzie that evening, and he had lots to show her.



Since we couldn’t recreate the “dirt road” photo of Nana walking with the grandkids that we take each year on the farm, we tried taking one amidst the row of trees in the backyard. Rachel was intent on being the leader so is in front of everyone yelling directions into her toy microphone. When we tried to convince her that we needed a “leader in the back” (in an attempt to get her closer to the group), she paused and told someone else to be the “back leader.” Too funny! She wasn’t giving up her role as the main leader in front of this gaggle!

We eventually managed to get her to join everyone for a more traditional pose amongst the pines.

Andy liked it when Zachary and MacKenzie helped him jump real high. What a treat!

Then they’d help him jump into MacKenzie’s arms.

Before heading back inside, we played a “Nana- and Papa-friendly” game of duck, duck, goose (no sitting down). The kids really enjoyed chasing after each other. They actually fared better than the adults most times. I suppose it’s because they’re closer to the ground and more agile so could get away quicker.



Andy didn’t quite have all the rules down, and managed to slow down Papa by grabbing hold of his legs.

When Papa chased Andy around the circle, Andy broke free and ran through the yard. He was determined to get away at any cost.

When Andy chased Papa again, he managed to catch up to him and tackle him. Fortunately, Papa was able to control his fall so neither of them got hurt.

What a great-looking group, if I do say so myself. We were all tickled that all the kids were cooperating and looking the same direction! Yeah!

Before everyone left for their respective homes, MacKenzie, Rachel and Benjamin had one last Webkinz session. They all logged on at the same time to play games and take care of their online animals. Benjamin enjoyed buying/sending presents to Rachel, and Rachel enjoyed earning money by playing the games.

Labels: Benjamin, MacKenzie, Nana and Papa, Stateside visits, Zachary