Clara-fied

We're ready for a totally different beach experience this summer. Gone are the hours of board games while Rush snoozes on a blanket; it's time to throw some sand and build a gate at the top of the deck stairs. Here's Rush last May on his very first beach trip, which was also our first post-Ike beach trip:



And here is Rush today:


Snazzy hat, don't you think? It's from the Gulf Coast Market, aka The Big Store, the place to get your Hot Balls - boudin balls!

I just love snuggling with that little guy. I know one day he'll be begging me to go down to the beach by himself, skimboard in hand, so I'm just enjoying these moments while they last. Rush was initiated into my shot glass sunscreen regimen, which make fun of me if you will for walking around with a white film of sunscreen "soaking in" but my dermatologist actually said this exact phrase to me a few weeks ago: "You're pretty white." So it's working. Rush inherited my whitey-white, pale skin, Trent's blue eyes, and the classic Norwegian blond hair, so we're keeping him protected.

Another highlight of the weekend for Rush was playing "open and shut the door", which really never gets old.

And what can top strawberries on the deck for breakfast?

It was my Uncle Steve's Strat-O-Matic baseball draft this weekend, so the beach party atmosphere was in full-swing at the newly opened DiMarco cabin. We finally got to meet the infamous H, who has -through Steve- introduced us to the world of board games beyond Monopoly and Scrabble. Trent stayed up late playing all kinds of new games, while I was the person heading back to the Clara-fied cabin by myself at 7:30 to put Rush to bed, then reading alone or falling asleep early. You can just call me the New Aunt Betty-Ann, who for the past 12 years has missed all family nightlife while she was putting her kids to sleep.

It was another Sunday where we left the beach at 7:30 AM so I could make it to church in time to teach Sunday school. In the car on the way home from church on these weekends, we always talk about how it great it is that we'll be home early enough to have another day of the weekend. Then of course we get home and crash because no one should have to get up at 6:15 AM during a beach weekend and we're exhausted. Trent's napping on the couch, Rush is napping in his room, and I'm avoiding moving our sandy clothes from the front door to the laundry room.