The beach was very wide and the sand was awesome, fine grain sand that didn't stick in a gross way to your skin. 
The weather was perfect for our visit to the beach. We arrived around 10 a.m. and left at 1 p.m., and I didn't sweat a drop during that entire time. The sun was warm, but not hot, and there was a gentle breeze blowing the entire time. 
Another great part about our trip to the beach was that Amelia and John entertained themselves so well (both with each other and with friends that they met at the shore) that it was super easy from a parenting perspective. Sometimes it's hard being the only parent with both kids while we are traveling, but for the majority of these three hours I was able to relax and feel peaceful because the necessary behavior interventions were short and simple. 
Grandma bought the kids these long squirt guns for the water, and the kids had a blast loading and reloading to shoot water at each other, at the waves, and even at the silly seagulls.
After an hour or so, Amelia and John met some playmates from Brazil and New York. These kids all played nicely with each other for the duration of our beach time and it was fun to watch them.
The dad and grandfather to the boy from New York supervised an intense fort-building session at the water's edge. It was awesome to watch these young kids - most of whom didn't know each other (except for the siblings) - work together to make this fort. The kids must have worked together for over an hour. With minor coaching from adults, they split up duties (one kid collected wet sand, another collected dry sand, another was responsible for digging the front part, etc.) and produced a pretty substantial wall.
The kids are so proud of their work! The wall withstood the waves until the tide came in, and then they had fun destroying it together.
We had a wonderful time at the beach. What I wouldn't give to go back sometime soon!
We had a wonderful time at the beach. What I wouldn't give to go back sometime soon!
Mom and dad had Orioles jerseys and hats that the kids wore to the game. The jerseys are adult size XL, and in a photo below you can see how enormous they were on Amelia and John! But the kids looked really cute and seemed to enjoy fitting in with all the other fans wearing their Orioles gear. This photo was taken before the start of the game. 
The stadium was very nice, probably my favorite ballpark next to the Durham Bulls park in Durham, North Carolina. The Orioles stadium was recently renovated, and the game against the Twins was standing room only. According to my dad, nine of the sixteen games the Orioles have played (or will play before the end of spring training next week) have sold out. 
Amelia and John enjoyed watching the game and I was impressed with how interested they were in learning about balls, strikes, and following how many outs the team at bat had. This was the first time we have gone to a baseball game since August of 2009 and they definitely enjoyed it.
Here is Amelia wearing her large jersey with both kids posing next to a trash can. I know it seems a bit strange to have the kids posing in a photo next to a trash can, but I thought the customization of these with the Orioles batting helmets on top was quite interesting. 
Ready, set, go! Notice how Amelia has her tongue stuck outside of her mouth in deep concentration, which is a trait she gets from Scott.
Cousin Henry did not make it to the pool, but we got the chance to catch up with him later back at John and Laura's house. I know I am a biased aunt, but let me just say that Henry is an adorable and CALM (!!) baby. Love him. Love his sweet personality.
And I really love the fat rolls on his legs. Look at how lucious those legs are!
After playtime at the pool we took the activity outside where grandma had the genius idea to get the kids to race Jack's trucks down the sidewalk outside of Laura and John's house. This was very popular with all of the big kids, and Henry watched happily from grandma's lap.
Later we returned inside and John (my John) convinced Uncle John to play Star Wars Wii (which we brought from Texas) with him. 
Another day the kids amused themselves at grandma's drawing with sidewalk chalk. This was before John's sporty haircut.
See that blue bus outside the building? You can eat inside the bus! The kids were bummed about not getting to eat at one of the tables in the bus but the atmosphere inside the restaurant proved entertaining. The walls were decorated with artwork. I fell in love (pun intended) with this one. It was my favorite in the room.
We all ordered the lunch special, which was a slice of pizza and salad. The salad was amazing and full of unique flavors. I wish I had written down the components and purchased a bottle of the house dressing so that I could try to recreate it at home. My pizza was a slice topped with mushrooms and spinach. Yum.
There are a hundred collections of junk (the owners call it junk) around the various buildings and in the store. They are neatly labeled and the store will provide a list of all hundred items if you want one so that you can complete the scavenger hunt. The photo below shows a collection of old cameras hanging from the ceiling of the bar out back. Just one of the hundred collections of priceless objects around the grounds.
The garden had this mural with face cutouts of Adam and Eve and a rocking racoon in front. I was happy that all three kids posed nicely for this shot! Jack looks like a happy man. We didn't have to twist his arm to ask him to be the one to ride on the racoon.
And a close-up shot of Amelia as Eve.
John and Amelia found several objects to play with during our nature walk in the park. Here John is projecting movements like the statues we found in the park.
And Amelia is having fun posing next to a small tree.
But the thing that held their attention the longest was this seesaw. Amelia and John each sat at one end and they bounced each other up and down, laughing and giggling, for a long time. 
They bounced each other so hard, trying in vain to get each other's butts off the edge of the seesaw. To make matters even more fun, the seesaw made strange noises with each bounce so John and Amelia affectionately named this the "farting seesaw".
My photos are pretty but they don't do them justice. The beds were gorgeous. Even Amelia said they were stunning, and that is coming from a 7 year-old's point of view.
Amelia and John outside of Rapunzel's house.
