Swimsuit required

I had hoped to take a beach vacation this summer since the boys were going to be a great ages to enjoy the beach. We didn't end up going anywhere, but we had lots of staycations!

Boyd's one request for the summer was to go to Jones' beach on Long Island. Luckily we got to go their 2X. We discovered that if we leave by 9:00 AM and head back into the city around 2:00 we don't hit traffic at all

The weather and beach was so beautiful both times. The first time we went the waves were not to big and you could walk past them and still be standing and be past the break. The kids loved that. The second time we went the waves were huge. There was a huge sandbar about 50 feet off the shore that we could swim to and then be able to stand and play in the waves. We had a great time with that and the pool that it creates. There was quite a bit of sea life though. We saw lots of clams and crabs. There was one jellyfish. Our favorite part was a huge fish that had been stuck in the sandbar. You could only see its mouth and it was huge! Someone dug it out of the sand to set it free and once it got free a big ugly fish came out and scared everyone! Adeline showed Gavin how fun it is to be buried in the sand!

We also made it to the North shore of Long Island where the beaches are facing the sound, so there are very few waves. We took Lynda and Brandon with us to meet up with Monica, Abby, Grace, Miles, and their family. We had a great time. Of course I failed to get any pictures from that outing.

We tried to avoid Hurricane Bill one Saturday and drove to the Connecticut sound. We were able to swim for about an hour. The rain started and we got scared off, but it only lasted long enough for us to pack up. We had a great time anyway. Brandon was with us again and the kids had a great time.

We also made it to a Lake Beach in upstate New York. We went to visit some friends in our ward, Sariah's family. Mackenzie, Lucas, and Sam joined us. We had a great time..

We also were able to swim a few places.. Monica took us to their community pool when we were visiting them. The boys took a swim class. Gavin took one by himself while Eli and I did a mommy and me. And we took the bus up to Riverbank State Park with Lucas and company!