I mentioned earlier that we have relocated down to Ocean City Maryland for the duration of the summer. I thought that I would give you a small taste of what it is like down here (and please, don't hate me for it!).

View from our back deck

First, some history. We had been coming to Ocean City periodically for a few years and enjoyed staying here (yes, it is a bit commercial and noisy, but it is only 3 hours away and there is lots of stuff to do with the kids) so we decided to look into getting a place. We started out with a townhouse about 6 or 7 blocks off the beach, on a canal. The boys were small (it was right before Kyle was born that we first bought) so we pretty much did a week here and there during the summer. The townhouse doubled in value in about 4 years (!) so we sold it and bought a new place, about 4 blocks off the beach, still on a canal and a couple of blocks from our favorite places to eat. This place gives us more room which really helps when we have friends and family down.

Our Beach House

Last summer was the first summer we stayed down for the whole summer and it worked beautifully! No packing and unpacking and we got connected to the local homeschoolers and met some really wonderful families. One in particular has adopted us during the summer and the beach is so much more fun when you have friends to share it with. Jeff usually comes down on Thursday and stays until Monday (it is good to be the boss!) and gets to enjoy some quiet time in a clean house without the animals (we bring the 2 cats and 4 guinea pigs with us) during the week.

The boys are in their element down here and absolutely love the ocean. We have finally found a way to tire Jason out…spending a full day, in the sun, getting knocked around by high waves does it.

The nice thing about the beach house is that it is home, but it isn't. There is not quite as much to do housewise (the place is smaller and we don't have as much stuff in it) and there is tons of stuff to do…the beach, the waterpark, the boardwalks, mini-golf, boating, jet skiing…It is like being on vacation without leaving home. Obviously we have internet and email (without which I could never leave for the entire summer!). I still have to shop and clean house and make meals, but hey, even these don't seem as mundane when yo are at the beach. Yes, life is good.

The weather has been nice…the breeze is still a bit on the cool side (but who's complaining!) and the water is still way to cold for me. The boys have already been in twice to boogie board and only came out when they could no longer feel their legs. I am still way to white but hope to work on that this week.

We have already gotten our annual henna tatoos…here are pictures of the boys (they got dragons, I have a flower on my ankle):

~Steph