Well, we’re off for a weekend in the mountains. We’re heading out early in the morning, so I’ll see you all on Monday.

I haven’t forgotten the rest of the questions, I’m still trying to track down a few photos, but I should be able to answer the last couple of questions at the beginning of the week.

Have a great weekend!

More holiday pics for you today. Here are just a few from our days in Philly. There is some of the most beautiful architecture in the buildings, even the sidewalks. Also some delicious food, and an Ikea. What’s not to love.

Our two weeks at the shore were full of adventures for the babe. When you are used to the plains and emptiness of the west, seeing the ocean was amazing for her.

Feeling the sand squidging between her toes and the freezing ocean water run over her little feet…

the ocean breeze blowing through her hair and for as far as she can see, nothing but water.

Running along the beach….

and exploring on her own (with Daddy a few paces behind her).

Helping build sand castles…

finding new treasures, and discovering that sand doesn’t taste that great.

Of course, keeping up with the big kids is no easy task for such little legs,

but what better way to rest, than taking a long nap on our picnic blanket with the sound of the water in your ears and the ocean air in your lungs.

Every couple of days she still says “ocean…back”. We will definitely be making this trip every year.

We arrived on the east coast just in time for the spawning season of the horseshoe crab. It was a pretty amazing sight. The first night that we were at this little beach there were only one or two crabs, but a couple of nights later they were there in droves.

Here is a male horseshoe crab (the small one) hitching a ride on the female up to the shore. The males have a small hook like claw that they can attach to her shell and basically be pulled to shore. Sometimes multiple males will hang on for a ride.

They are beautiful creatures, quite prehistoric looking. We didn’t get to see the underside of the crabs except for when they were climbing up over the other crabs, or when the waves would flip one upside down.

They use their tails like rudders to flip themselves back over if they get stuck. I was absolutely mesmerized by the crabs, as were the children. It truly was an amazing sight.

We laughed when we saw several horseshoe crabs with little seaweed toupes.

Here’s another one.

We had never seen horseshoe crabs in person before, so we were extra pleased with this unexpected treat on our trip.

Here are some seagulls waiting to eat the horseshoe crab eggs that were laid in the sand. As the horseshoe crab population goes down (from people harming and taking them), the seagulls which feed off of the eggs also begin to have problems.

Here is some more info on horseshoe crabs if you are interested. They are amazing creatures with lots of fun facts to learn.

One of our day trips while we were at the shore was to the Barnegat lighthouse on Long Beach Island. It was a gorgeous place and the boys had great fun climbing to the top. My fear of heights prevented me from going up, but that’s ok, I kept the girls with me and they had fun finding shells in the sand.

After the boys got back down, we walked along the walkway right next to the water. I love the sound of waves crashing on the rocks, so peaceful.

I do think the best place to clear your head is by the sea, with the waves so loud you can hardly hear yourself think, with the spray splashing up and getting you just a bit wet.

Boy, I can’t believe how fast my kiddos are growing up, the years are just flying by. They have their moments, but overall, they are best buds.

There were such gorgeous views, and it was a beautiful day. We all got a good dose of fresh air and sea spray.

One of the guides that was at the lighthouse and I got talking and he told me that the day before a class of school children was visiting. One of the little boys was complaining that only half of the class could go up at once. The guide told him that they had let a whole class of school children up the day before but the lighthouse tipped over and they had to stand it back up. The little boy wasn’t quite sure whether to believe him or not.

The day after we arrived to the shore house, we headed on down to the beach, not the proper ocean, but a pretty beach nonetheless. See those poles sticking out of the water? Those are where different people have marked clam beds.

It felt so good to have our feet on the sand, though the water was still a tad chilly (read, absolutely freezing).

There was lots of sand castle making (more pictures to come) and digging in the sand.

Searching for treasures, and finding a few.

Over the two weeks we were at the shore we ended up going to several different beaches and had a blast at each one. This little one was the closest so we were able to go there more and the kids especially loved heading out after supper for a quick jaunt to the water. The babe learned to say “ocean” really quickly and she is still talking about it.

We don’t have much water out here in Wyoming, and even fewer beaches, so it was really, really great to be able to be by the ocean. I do love the prairie, but I think I might need the sound of the ocean to feel truly calm. It brought back so many wonderful memories, especially of vacationing in Cornwall as a girl. I really do miss it, it was such fun to be there.

Here’s to many more vacations to come, filled with oceany goodness.

After we left my in-laws house, we had the chance to stop by my Hubby’s Aunt’s house. She has the most spectacular garden where lots of fruits, herbs and veggies are flourishing.

I was completely jealous as by mid May, she already has so many things thriving. Here our last frost date is June 1st, which means nothing is ready, or even in the ground yet.

She has the most gorgeous chickens, which the kids loved watching as they scattered around the yard. They had me dreaming of having a few chooks of my own in the next couple of years.

The babe stood and watched the chickens for quite a while, shame we just missed the egg collecting.

Next we headed over to the strawberry patch. Yum, the girls had such fun searching for ripe berries.

We don’t have strawberries planted this year, but next year I have high hopes for having a huge patch to go searching in.

Is there anything better than a handful of ripe strawberries eaten within moments of being picked, still warm from the sun? Nope, I don’t think so.

Hello everybody! Our vacation is officially over and we are heading back home. We were hot, sticky, sandy, sweaty, stuffed, completely shattered, and loving every minute of it.

Little internet access turned out to be no internet access, so I have tons to show and tell. The next few days we will be making our way back across the country and then I’ll need a couple of days to sort ourselves out at home, laundry, buying groceries etc, but I’ll be back on Monday.

Hope everybody is having a great week, see you soon!

We’re having lots of fun on our trip so far, but I must admit, it is a little difficult adjusting to never being at home. The babe is not generally comfortable out of her own little circle of “normal”, and so she is always by my side. This isn’t a problem, but at home she will go play on her own or with the bigger kids, here she doesn’t want to be out of my sight. She is also staying up until I go to bed, which I must admit, has made me realize how much I need those couple of hours after the kids go to bed. I am craving a little bit of down time, just a few minutes of peace and quiet.

It’ is also a bit odd trying to keep to a different laundry schedule, though I must admit, not having to cook every meal has been kind of nice. Don’t get me wrong, I am having fun and it’s been nice having a change of pace, but I think I will really enjoy returning home.

I am looking forward to heading out to the shore in a couple of days. I love being by the water and cannot wait to walk along the beach. The kids are really excited as well. I’m still not sure exactly what our internet situation is going to be, so I might be a bit absent here for a bit, but I’m sure I will have lots to tell and show you when I get back.

Please know that I love receiving your comments, and am so thankful that you take the time to stop by and say hello. I am trying to keep up with your blogs as well, but have just not had the time to comment. Hubby and I are sharing a computer and he is working still, so my time is short.

Well, I am having a hard time concentrating, having the babe tap my arm every 10 seconds for help isn’t helping much either. I think I shall say goodnight and think about heading to bed. Tomorrow will be a busy day, packing up all of our bags and getting ready to hit the road again.

I hope you are all having a great week, and thanks so much for the wonderful invitations to visit when we finally get over to Britain. Rest assured, I will definitely be taking you up on your offers for tea and a visit.