Welcome to 3rd Grade

Remember the first day of kindergarten? That seems further and further away each year...

Here's what 3rd grade looks like! Say hello to multiplication and a lot more writing. 

Here's what it looks like waaaaaaay to close up. 

Emma was a little sad that I won't be going to summer camp at her daycare anymore, but we'll still have plenty of time to play before and after school. So we'll look forward to that. 

Also, Emma really wanted a crazy picture of the two of us together. It's kind of our thing. 

Saying goodbye to the shore

All good things must come to an end, so that means heading back to Maryland after two great weeks at the shore. And that meant a lot of goodbyes. 

 First it was thanking Ollie and Lexi for a great week with Grandmom Doyle.

Then it was saying goodbye to Tommy, Shane, Matt and Emma (not that Emma, the other Emma) for another awesome week with Grandmom and Pop Shane. 

Then it was time to say goodbye to the water. The waves were total fun. 

And no shore goodbye is complete without a little more ice cream for the road. Sure, we have some at home, but it tastes just a little better here. 

Best idea ever

Too much time in the water? Did you know some people just sit on the beach and read books to relax? Why don't we do this all the time? 

Amusement park day

Hopping off the beach to hit the rides is always one of the highlights of the shore. This year, Emma and I did the giant log flume with Mom and Dad and the even bigger Ferris wheel with Pop Shane. Those rides were so huge, pictures didn't do them justice.

But a lot of the ones closer to the ground were just as awesome. There was the always reliable carousel:

The caterpillar roller coaster:

The crazy cars:

The maze of mirrors (which was a mess, in my opinion):

And all sorts of other wacky things:

We need to install some of these in our backyard. Visiting here only in the summer isn't enough. 

Body surfing lessons

You guys, do you understand how much fun this is?!?!?

Boardwalk walking

Taking a stroll to the shops with cousins is always a relaxing time. 

Although, it's even better if you can get a cousin to do all the walking for you. 

They love the mud

I mean, they sang about it for an hour straight...

Down the shore

Emma and I are set to spend the next two weeks down the shore, thanks to creative vacation planning from grandparents. And you'll be happy to know that it only took about 10 minutes here for us to go from this: 

To this: 

Yeah, it's a shame we lost our legs, but I think it'll be a blast anyways. 

Excitement over Sharknado

The newest Sharknado movie comes out in a few weeks, but Emma is apparently excited. She came home from school with this today:

I swear, we've never even mentioned the movie to her. Really weird. 

Emma sneak attack

Never saw her coming. She's like a ninja.

Bike lessons from Ollie

Lexi was nice enough to lend me her bike this weekend so I could learn a few tips from Ollie. He's really good, but I'm catching up quickly. I just gotta make these legs longer.

More climbing skills

Because she wasn't growing up fast enough...