Day 5 Details
We reached the beach about our normal time. We walked along for a time looking for a spot. It was pretty well taken back to the surf line. I nixed one spot tht Jeff wanted and made us walk further along. The best spot I could find was just back from the surf line and didn't have too much detritus. I set up the beach blanket and towel while Jeff got us two umbrellas and two chairs this time.
We'd just started digging when Daddy asked if Victoria wanted to walk along the surf. It was low tide and the surf wasn't as rough as it had been. Victoria didn't make it very far before she turned and ran back to me at the top of the little hill there. She stood and watched Daddy for a while. Then she started down the hill. She'd get a little closer each time but would turn and run back when a wave crashed in. She never actually managed to get her feet wet in the surf. She came pretty close to the edge though so that was good for Victoria. It was fun watching that dance. I have lots of pictures of Victoria's back.
We dug up our mound for the base for the castle. Just one today. Both Mommy and Daddy working on it. Got a fairly substantial mound built up. Then Daddy started digging down into the sand to get wetter sand for the castle parts. Victoria liked the hole. It seemed to fit her just right. She helped her Daddy fill up a couple of the castle pieces and tried her hand at setting it down and patting it out. That was more difficult for her. Hers didn't turn out quite as well as Daddy's.
They made it around one side of the castle before we ran into problems. They made a gate for the cars to go through. Then Victoria didn't like one of the pieces that Daddy set down. We had to determine what pieces should go there instead. Victoria became the architect and told us whether a square, a rectangle, or a circle went next. That seemed to fix the problem and Daddy was able to continue building. He managed to finish a castle for the first time this vacation. I have a ton of pictures of it in progress and then finished.
Then it was lunch time. Victoria ate her jelly sandwich and drank her juice box without much complaint. Of course, what she was waiting for were the Oreo cookies I had packed in my bag. Such a chocoholic.
While Jeff was gone, Victoria and I decorated the castle. She was very proud of her decorating skills. It can get a little tedious as we take turns putting the various pieces in place. But she's so happy with the game that I keep going long after my brain goes numb.
Jeff headed off to Franco's to get our lunch. They're a little pizza shop down the Boardwalk. Feel bad for them as it's obvious their business is suffering with the slow down in the economy. I got a pig in a blanket and Jeff got a stromboli. We shared a basket of Old Bay seasoned fries, which Victoria helped herself too as well. She also spent our lunch chasing the sea gulls away. She's getting bolder and running a little farther chasing them before she heads back.
Then it was time to knock down the castle. This is Victoria's favorite part of course. She stomps on them, smashes them, and then rolls down on top of them. It's fun to watch her go to town... a little Victorianator.
We cut our time on the beach short. Today we were heading to Rehoboth to go to the Big Fish for dinner and then to the outlets for shopping. Victoria hammed it up for me in the mirror as we were getting ready to go. She can be so silly.
Unfortunately it was again a fight to get her to eat. I think she managed a couple fries and some crackers. She wouldn't touch the fish fingers, which looked excellent. At least she amused herself by drawing on the table while we got a chance to eat. Jeff got Mom's Meatloaf again. He just loves it. I admit it smells delicious. I had a tough time choosing. I just love seafood and fish. In the end I ordered a pecan crusted tilapia with coconut rum sauce over rice pilaf with a side a mashed sweet potatoes. Mmmm! Mmm!
We headed to the outlets next. There's a Carter's and a Childrens Place outlet in Tanger. I started with Carter's with Victoria while Jeff headed into the VF outlet. He was looking for pants and we've sometimes found some for him at VF in Reading. Carter's was having a 50% off sale. Victoria was actually pretty helpful this time around. I told her what tag we were looking for and off she went to find 5Ts. Hopefully the fact that she helped pick the clothes out will make her more willing to actually wear them this fall. We finally stumbled across their play tables while we were wending around the clothes racks. I lost her to the toys. She played nicely with the other kids who were there. They each played with their blocks, showing each other what they made. I didn't get a fuss when I told Victoria she had to come with me while I paid for her clothes and we went looking for Daddy next. She handed her legos to the other little girl and came with me.
We had more fun in VF. Victoria picked out a skirt.
She also picked a couple shirts off the rack. I wasn't sure about sizing. We headed to the fitting room. Turns out Victoria likes trying on clothes in front of a mirror. She had a ball trying on the different outfits. She giggled and spun and threw out her arms. I wish I'd had my other camera with me. I'm afraid the pictures on my point-n-shoot won't turn out so well.
It was late when we left. I'd have liked to have gone into the Coldwater Creek outlet or made it over to the Children's Place outlet on the other side. We spent enough money on clothes in the two shops that we did go into.
Of course, Victoria was hungry when we got to the hotel. No surprise. She hadn't eaten dinner. We pulled out a variety of food and let her eat. She gobbled down some yogurt and had a lot of goldfish.
It was very late when we got her into bed. Way... way past bedtime. Totally blew her routine. Hoping she sleeps late into the morning.Labels: OC2008, summer, vacation
