A Good time

Patrick's youngest sister was in town and we had a few days of fun and cousin time.  Starting with a fun day at the pool!

The newest Good, Miles, has gotten so big.

Uncle Patrick races with Trevor and Braden!

Tristan is not afraid to jump!

It looks like they got the roadside app again and found the World's Largest Cow.  Nope.  We went to Great Country Meadows Farms to do some blueberry picking!

And do other fun things....

 

It was a great way to celebrate Auntie Meghan's birthday!

It was really nice to see the cousins getting along so well and wanting so much to be with each other.  We'll see the Goods again the first week in August as we head to Virginia Beach for a long weekend!  Hooray....the boys are counting down the days!!

Solomon's Island Calvert Marine Museum, Lighthouse & Great Falls

Last post...I know some of you wanted to find out more on the trip and what's there to do for kids.  On Solomons island besides eating seafood on the water, you would take them to the museum!  Lighthouses to climb and ships to sail....

And scary things to scream about!

Part of the museum is the Drumpoint lighthouse.  It was really a house, with bedrooms on each floor.

Rrrhhh...Caelan is so handsome!

This museum was cool.  Besides being a pirate, there were sting rays to touch, shark teeth to dig for, and otters to watch.  The kids really enjoyed it!  On our way home,  we were pulling into Calvert Cliffs (15 minutes north from there which provides a hike to the beach to dig for fossils) when we looked in the backseat and all the kids were asleep!!!!  Geez.  So we drove home early and decided to hit Great Falls Park instead on our way back.....

The boys were crazy climbers up and down the rocks.  Our Tristan is a natural rock climber.

Micah when he hit the summit!

What a great trip, so close, so fun and so new.  Oh, and so cheap, too!  Looks like we have found our go-to vacation spot!

Day 3 - Family Getaway Elms Beach

The boys are still going strong on our getaway.  With beach on our minds, we headed 45 minutes south of Solomons island to Point Lookout, a place my father used to take us as children to go fishing.  Unfortunately, the park was closed!  Ugh.  We did however get to Elms Beach.  We were the last car to get into the park until it was full.  With a little walk, we loaded up all our gear.

Oh how I love little boys at the beach!

the big guy, even more! He's actually relaxed. :)

The beach was beautiful and quiet.  I don't know what it would be like on the weekends, but we were like one of three families on the beach. 

Now, what wasn't so nice was in the hours between 10-11 a.m., there were jellyfish in the water.

Micah brushed a long side one and got stung.  Kind of exciting.

We felt like we hit a hidden gem.  We're definitely doing a day trip here again.

(that's my knee as I'm sitting in my beach chair just loving this.)

Bye beach, we'll see you again very very soon!  

Day 2 Family Getaway-Solomons Island

From Chesapeake beach, we head 51 minutes south to Solomons Island, voted top 15 seaside towns in Coastal Living Magazine.  Day 2 was our holiday!

 



On the very southern tip of the bay, this little strip (you can basically drive in an L---we actually drove it and said, is this it??)  Although small, it is very cute with some waterfront restaurants, a pier with restaurant/bar where we ate at Solomon's Island pier, right on the water with a beautiful view.

I had fish and chips and Patrick ordered the Rockfish.  Can't go against the specialty of the house!

Probably the best highlight (and the Lord just absolutely provided for us) was when we got an upgrade for FREE to this two bedroom King Suite with a balcony overlooking the bay of our hotel.  Total cost each night:  $99.00 with free hot breakfast and 2 drinks a night at the Manager's Reception.  Score!

The kids just went nuts in between the rooms!

But they had even more fun here in their very large pool.

There it was.  That moment when you are sipping a cold margarita, enjoying watching your children swimming and playing, and your husband is effortlessly being superdad.  Summer fun.  Wow, so grateful for these moments....

 We actually hit another beach 35 minutes south of Solomons Island, Elms Beach, but that'll be included in the next post!

More on Day 3 when I get a chance to post!

Chesapeake Beach - Day 1 of Family Getaway

June was already ending and unlike many summers past, I didn't have a desire to go to the beach.  Until now.  I just had to get away.  I needed to hear some waves and just recline in my beach chair and watch my children play.

We found a treasure only 90 minutes away.  Yes, 90.  It's called Brownie beach---- a little inlet where the locals go and get a little sun.  It was beautiful with all the greenery and even a little cliff.

To get to this quiet exclusive beach, you need to ask a local.  The directions they give you to get there is "Once you get to the school, turn left, and then there's another street and then turn right."  It took us a little while, but we found it.  You walk less than a 1/4 mile through this rain-forest like path and then you hit the jackpot!

This is all the kids needed.  Some water, sun, sand, and fun things to find!

Best part: we didn't need to drive four hours to get there...

 

The tourist location is called Chesapeake Beach & North Beach, a quaint little strip with hotels and shops and a few good restaurants.  The feature is this long fishing pier.  If you were to take family, the nice hotel is Chesapeake Beach Hotel and there's the Chesapeake Water Park for the kids.

You have to pay to get on this beach.  It has some nice waterfront restaurants, too.  We found one on the end of the beach strip called Mango's Bar and Grill at Herrington on the Bay Resort & Marina .  I had the best to-die-for steamed shrimp for $10.  

Aahh...the beach...don't I look happy?

Check out tomorrow's post for Day 2--Solomon's Island, only 50 minutes away from Chesapeake Beach!