Beach and Boardwalk

Here was another awesome thing about Mount Hermon this year: we didn't take our annual jaunt to the beach to see Dave this year, we did it with him!  And we got to spend the entire afternoon with him there!

Thank goodness too, because Ella decided this was the year she wanted to learn to boogie board and ain't no way I'm getting in that freezing cold ocean!  Cheering once again for having adventurous (and much more temperature tolerant) Daddy along!

Ella only stumbled out of the big waves sputtering and full of the salt water she gulped 2 times.  But, she was brave enough to get back on the board and enjoyed a few good and successful rides.

My favorite part of this day was watching Delia, with full freedom to finally get her arm wet, frolic in the waves!  

And, of course, we can't leave Beach Day without burrying our friend Caleb in the sand!

The next day we board the train for our morning at the Boardwalk.  It always makes the girls (and me!) laugh and smile to get serenaded by those crazy counselors as our train pulls away.

It's become tradition to share Train Day with our good friends Jeff, Amy and their kids.  This day is a time to both catch up with our friends and catch a breath as we just sit and relax on that peaceful train ride down the hill and through the forest.

Looking forward to an amusement park date with Auntie Heather very soon, we actually didn't go too nuts with the Boardwalk rides this year.  We did our one annual Sky Glider ride and that was it.  

It was funny to watch how the girls spent the Boardwalk Bucks MH gives us.  Delia's were burning a hole in her pocket and she had to spend them all (plus a little extra) buying this super duper waffle cone sundae-- which she did really enjoy.  Ella realized that she could buy THREE ice creams in the snack shop at Mount Hermon for the cost of one on the Boardwalk and chose to save her bucks for that.

So much of this day is about what we always do.  We always ride the train with certain friends, we always take a glide in the sky buckets, we always buy ice cream...and we always take naps on the train ride back up the hill!  This is not necessarily planned, we're just so tired from all the activity and the gentle rocking of the train and shifting shadows of the forest are just so soothing, falling asleep is inevitable!