I feel like our summer bucket lists are starting to be pretty standard from year-to-year. The kids are old enough to have a say in what we do--and we all love the same things. So, rinse and repeat.
We made our first trip to Storybook Land this year on our way home from Cape May. Oh, I'll be so devastated when the kids get too old and bored with this magical little place. But that's not now so let's not think about it.
Saturday was quite hot so the park was not crowded at all. We arrived right at opening and never waited in line for a single ride the entire day!!! Kip and I got to ride in the front of Bubbles the roller-coaster several times.
And we tried the Clock Drop for the first time which was quite thrilling!
Of course we checked-out the train layout which always reminds me of when Kip was little and basically wanted to spend the whole time here.
The kids got to cool off at the splash pad.
And we all got cold treats before heading home.
It was a great day and a nice transition back to reality and the final few days of school
Kip and Ivy still have a half day of school today (with class parties) and a half day tomorrow before they are out for summer break.
BUT
We kicked it off early this past weekend to our sorta-maybe-tradition trip to Cape May and Villas beach.
Before we planned this trip (a bit last minute) we considered trying a different beach town. Maybe closer, maybe cheaper? But ultimately we settled on what we knew we all loved. Everybody has "their" Jersey Shore beach and this one is ours. Cape May is classy and cute and not kitschy or like a seedy boardwalk headache. We have memories here and that counts! This trip was pretty copy paste from last year and we all enjoyed it just as much.
We drove down to the shore on Thursday and grabbed brunch at Uncle Bill's.
Hit-up the two little arcades. Hard.
Grabbed some lemonade from a lemonade stand. And took a break in the shade.
And bopped around town getting souvenirs and treats.
We went to our favorite dock-side restaurant for dinner and played at the fun playground afterwards.
We stayed in a hotel at the end of town which was one Dan and I had stayed at for our 5th wedding anniversary trip. The suite room was SO much nicer than the room we had last year. It fit us perfectly and we had a lovely balcony with ocean view.
On Friday we grabbed breakfast and immediately went to Villas beach which is on the bay side and we all really love it here. It is never crowded and the beach has tons of little pebbles and shells. We learned from last year and brought our beach chairs and umbrella so we cloud last a little longer. We made a big sand castle and enjoyed playing and exploring for several hours.
The only bad part about it was Mandy and I got fried. Super sunburned on our legs and feet. It was deceiving since it wasn't hot and not super sunny. We learned our lesson. It was a painful evening. But, we powered through.
We all enjoyed the pool a the hotel for a bit.
And went back to the arcades to rack-up tickets so the kids could splurge on junk toys. They both really loved this part and for once got to get some of the higher ticket items.
That evening we had a nice stroll on the Cape May beach at sunset.
The next morning we packed up and we went to Uncle Bill's again on our way out of town.
But, the fun weekend wasn't over since we stopped at Storybook Land on the way home! Check that post tomorrow.
It was a really amazing couple of days. As the kids get older all of this gets a bit easier and more enjoyable and it's something we look forward to every year. I love this little family we've made and it's weekends like this that really bring it all into focus.
