Ocean City, New Jersey

We've always enjoyed our beach trips to Ocean City, Maryland, where we used to borrow a friend's condo. Last year, our only "adventure" was to move from Maryland to Pennsylvania, so we did not have the opportunity to go to the beach. This summer we knew we couldn't miss it. We decided to take advantage of our flexible homeschool schedule, and try out Ocean City, New Jersey, during the second week of September when rates are reasonable, crowds are less, and the weather is great! We also continued Jack's birthday celebration at the beach. Justin's parents came to stay at the beach for a few days, too. It was great to see them, spend some time on the beach with them, and play in their hotel's pool. Later in the week, my dad came to stay with us in our beach house, which was also wonderful! The kids had their difficult moments, but as we reminded ourselves, they always have difficult moments regardless of whether we are at the beach or at home. So, we're calling it success. The weather was great. We spent days on the beach digging in the sand and splashing in the waves. The boys were all very brave in the water, which made me rather nervous! We played on the boardwalk, in the pool, and at the playground. We also had some more relaxing time at the beach house. In random order, some pictures of our fun: