Last Summer's Vacation - Cape May, New Jersey

Last summer, Keith's mom Diane treated us all to a lovely vacation home in Villas, NJ. On the way to the shore, we had to stop a few times so Elie could get out of the carseat. We learned at a little deli that Elie loved pickles!

The house itself was adorable and was walking distance to Cape May Bay, which we visited pretty much every day, just to see the tide rolling in and out. Once, while Elie napped at the house, watched by her family, Keith and I ventured out into the bay at low tide. THAT was a ridiculous adventure! We were up to our knees in the sand bog, creeped out with every step that we were going to encounter something in there...

There were horseshoe crabs all up and down the beach at any time of day... mostly in the mornings, though, after the tide had left them stranded. We helped a few back into the water when we could, but it was a losing battle.

The entrance to the bay

Riding bikes to the bay

Elie loved the beach! She put her toes into the sand for the first time at the bay, and didn't freak out!

First time she put her toes into the sand...

First time at the beach!

Yes, she wanted to eat the sand. Who wouldn't?

We kept her well covered in sunscreen at all times, and had a clever way to let her play in the water without getting clobbered by the waves...

Having fun under the shade of the umbrella

Diane, Keith and Elie at Sunset Beach

Elie bonded with her family on this trip... we were so happy she had the opportunity to do so. Life always seems to go by so quickly at home, and you might want to visit Nana with Elie, but then something comes up and the plans change. So on this trip, everyone got to feed and play with Elie, and she got more comfortable with everyone! It was really lovely.

Playing in the water with Nana

Napping in her baby tent

Getting changed for the beach and people-watching 

We also took her out and about, which she enjoyed. She always got a lot of attention wherever we would go.

Having lunch near the beach in Cape May proper

Having breakfast

At a crab shack

It was wonderful to have such a relaxing week with Elie and the family. We all got lots of beach time, and had fun sharing new wonders with Elie. This year will be even MORE fun, because she's so much more aware and curious about everything! She still puts most things into her mouth, but luckily, she now spits out what doesn't taste good. Ha ha.

Watching the tide rush up to her toes (last day)

Learning to drink water out of a water bottle

On the last day there, we went to the bay in the morning, meeting up with Vicky and her dog, Maggie. It was a nice, quiet morning to say goodbye before piling back into our cars to head back to reality. It seemed like Elie really soaked in the beach that morning...

Keith & Vicky

Relaxing in her stroller at the beach

We're all very excited to go again this year! I predict that it will be at least twice as fun for Elie, since she'll get to walk on her own, and knows the family so much better already. Also, she will be such a good little swimmer! We can at least take her into the ocean for a dip... though, with all the jellies that were in the water last year, maybe not! (Two of us got stung by jellies last summer!) We'll have to play it by ear, I suppose. If not, we'll still have our shower curtain swimming hole we can make for Elie like last year!