A very, very happy Thanksgiving

We were prepared for the worst. The sleeping-through-the-night situation hadn’t been very good at our house for the last week before our trip. In fact, it had been very, very bad. There were 2 nights that week that we ended up with 2 babies in our bed. I swore I’d never do it, but when you are that tired, and it gets to be 1, 2, 4 am, and you can’t remember the last time you slept through the night, all you want to do is sleep. I can barely stand up when I finally get to bed around midnight these days. So we caved.

We brought 3 pack-n-plays to the beach. The girls never sleep in them at home. They only ever sleep in their cribs. Between that, being someplace new, all of the excitement of the car trip and grandparents, their eating schedule getting totally off… we were prepared to be up all night. But those ladies proved us wrong, or else we just totally wore them out. Becca woke up and whimpered in the middle of the night, but I patted her back for just a minute, and she went back to sleep. Julie woke up around 7 and babbled for a little while, but then fell back to sleep until almost 8. It was magnificent. I can’t remember the last time I slept that late. Of course it didn't last - there was at least one baby in our bed every other night that we were there. But it could have been MUCH worse. (Is that my new mantra?)

I had intended to keep a much better record of what we did all week, but never quite got around to it. Most nights, I was in bed around 9pm. Greg and I got out a couple of times, including a trip to a fabulous restaurant in downtown Wilmington, and a dinner at a restaurant on the beach.

I actually got some scrapbooking done while we were there, and made a December Daily album (a page a day album for December, for those of you non-scrappers.) I'll try to post some pics of that as it gets updated.

We played on the beach with the girls a bunch. It was so fun to watch them in the sand for the first time. Julie was the first to really eat sand, and then we had a hard time trying to keep it out of her mouth. Becca and Emma did sample it as well.

Thanksgiving day was bright and sunny, after 2 gray drizzly days. In the morning, we took the girls to a park that has an extensive boardwalk out over the water. We took a walk and then went to the playground - the girls' first experience of the swings. That afternoon, we took them out to the beach to play again.

And a funny - My parents bought the girls this Take Along Tunes, which is really cute. We gave it to the girls to play with in the car on the way home. I was driving, and a Ford Festiva was passing us, and Julie starts the William Tell Overture. Greg says, "Julie, don't make fun of the Festiva. It's a very fuel efficient car." I couldn't stop laughing.

And now, the picture parade:

Emma getting into the box of diapers when she thinks no one is looking


On the beach with grandma


Julie


Greg with Becca and Emma about to take off. This was our first day at the beach, and Becca was a little slow to warm up to it.


Emma's trail. She channeled her turtle Halloween costume and was making a break for the water.


Em and I


Becca and Grandma (with Grandpa in the background with the kite)


Grandma and Julie


Bex


Julie with Grandma and Grandpa


Becca


Julie after her first taste of sand. Note the sand in the corner of her mouth.


Emma's making a break for it again.


Julie started eating sand with both hands. While Greg's trying to clean one hand off, she's eating off the other. (And I'm taking pictures, yes.)


Rebecca and Grandma


Emma and Julie in a Boppy War


We brought a few toys, but improvised with some more. The pot lids were a big hit.


Julie


Julie


Becca in Christmas pjs


Becca and Grandpa rocking on the deck


Julie and Grandma


Julie and more sand to the face.


Julie on the beach.


Love these pictures of Greg and Emma.




Becca finally getting in on the sand action.


Men on feeding duty.


Julie and her new little cow toy


Becca and I


Emma having a bad hair day


Julie and dad


Emma standing. This is another "getting caught" series, but she wasn't really - we got the stool out for her to play with. Until she pulled it over. Then it was off limits again.






Julie wearing grandma's Mini hat. It's mini-me!


Emma on our walk out along the boardwalk.


Julie as we went out for a walk.


Becca slept through our whole walk!


The family herd.


An obligatory arm shot. Greg's a pro.


The fam at the park. Yes, Becca's still asleep.


Emma's first time in a swing. She loved it! And yes, she is missing a sock.


Julie fell asleep in Greg's lap on the swings....


...right around the same time that Becca woke up.


She was a little unsure at first, but I think we finally got a smile out of her.


The fam on the beach on Thanksgiving (Julie, Becca, Emma)


A dish drainer also made a great improvised toy. One of those may end up under the Christmas tree this year. Julie and Ems.


A near catastrophic garbage disposal clog on Thanksgiving. Grandpas to the rescue!


On the beach on Thanksgiving. Greg's got Ems and I've got Julie.


I eventually took my socks and shoes off, too. Emma with Grandpa, Becca eating Greg's hair, and me and Julie.


Me and my ladies (Julie, Emma in blue hat, and Bex in the pink hat)


A more typical family pic. And I love it.


Becca, now eating my hair.


What happens when you try to steal the spotlight from Julie in a picture.


Becca.


Emma with a sandy face, going back for some more. "Emma, that's not just a really big spoon."