Ocean City!

The sun was shining on a beautiful Monday morning, and we were on our way to Ocean City, Maryland! The Hertzler family of 4 was right behind us, and the kids couldn't wait to spend a few days together! I think the adults were just as excited for a vacation!

Not only had Brooke never been to the beaches before, this was almost Mommy's maiden voyage to Ocean City!

My family spent summers on the Poe Valley beach and later in the Outer Banks when we got older, so the idea of a 'busy beach' with a boardwalk was a whole new concept!

I really had no idea what to expect!

So, we just enjoyed the trip...and took in all of the sights!

We passed an amazing Air Force base just inside of Dover, Delaware. There were monsterous planes flying all around us and I just had to take a picture!

I'm SUCH a tourist!

We left home shortly after 8:00am on Monday and traveled until almost 11:30 when we stopped to feed the kids and stretch our legs!

I prayed that Brooke would sleep for a little while after lunch so that she could be somewhat pleasant for our first evening at the beach, and she did!

She woke up just in time to witness the gorgeous waters of the Maryland coast as we arrived in Ocean City!
She yelled "Waga!!! Look, Daddy! Waga!" 'Waga,' of course, means 'water!'
She could see boats, jetski's, seagulls...it was so pretty!

These pictures are of the bay side of the shores...as we drove, we got closer and closer to the ocean side AND our hotel!

While we waited for our room to be prepared for us, we got the strollers out of the cars and walked towards the boardwalk! This was my first look at what exactly the boardwalk had to offer, and I just couldn't believe how beautiful the view was! The beaches were full of sunbathers, swimmers, and surfers! I was SO ready to get into my bathing suit and soak up some sun!

Blue skies and salt-water air...it just doesn't get much better than the beach!

We waited and waited for our room to be ready. Then we waited some more.

FINALLY - our 3 bedroom suite at the Days Inn was ready and we unloaded 2 car-fulls of stuff up 2 flights of stairs.

Then.

We saw the room.

And it was awful.

Worse than awful.

Within minutes, the kids had black hands and feet from the dirty floors of this place.

We knew right away that we couldn't stay.

So, our amazing husbands hopped back in the car and drove down the coast. They found a place to park and started walking into hotel after hotel asking if they happened to have any suites big enough for our 2 families available.

Nope.

Sorry.

No room in the inn.

And then Zig entered the Courtyard Marriott.

And stepped into a small piece of Heaven.

Not only did they have a suite available, but it just happened to be the most amazing suite they'd ever seen. And on top of that, the nice people felt so bad for the horrible experience we'd had at the Days Inn, they gave us a HUGE discount of the suite, plus free breakfast vouchers for their 5 star restaurant!

The boys took one look at the room and booked it!

Amanda and I were still back at the horrible hotel, trying to keep the kids from touching anything, feeding hungry bellies, and repacking our things with the hopes that we'd soon be leaving!

Brandon called and said that they'd found place for us and to start packing - but it was done! And we couldn't have been more relieved!

So, we repacked 2 cars, carrying all of our things down 2 flights of steps, and drove 8 blocks down the coast to our new 'digs.'

It was an ocean view suite with a full sized living and dining area...plus a fireplace!

Granite countertops, stainless steel appliances, complete with a full bar!

Amanda, Brandon and the kids had their own private bedroom and bathroom on one side of the suite, while our family of 3 shared the master suite! We had a king-sized bed, 2 walk-in closets, and a master bathroom that puts any other hotel to shame!

I was still screaming in excitement when all of our luggage was finally unpacked into a place where we could really relax and feel comfortable!

The Mommies were happy to finally be at a gorgeous hotel, the kids were content with tons of toys all over the immaculately cleaned floor, and the Daddies were happy to FINALLY be done upacking - now it was time to let loose and enjoy our vacation!

Back into the strollers went the children for our first official walk down the boardwalk!

It was nearly 7:30 by the time we were settled into our suite, so we walked outside for a few slices of pizza!

There was so much excitement and lots of people to watch...

Brooke and I both were loving our first experience at this beach!

I took a lot of pictures of what I could see everytime we stopped to look around.

This was the view from our pizza spot...looking down the boardwalk towards our hotel.

...and this was the view up the boardwalk, towards the craziness of shops, bars, clubs, and parks!

Daddy and his girl sharing some pizza on the beautiful beaches!

She's fallen in love with pepperoni's recently...

She takes them right off of the pizza slice before you can blink!

I purposely didn't take a single picture of our dumpy hotel, but now, I wish I would have....only to be able to compare it to this amazing place!

Our suite was on the 5th (top) floor...the private balconies were the length of the entire suite. If you look really close at this picture, our balcony was the 3rd back from the front...it's where we spent our evenings playing cards, enjoying adult beverages, listening to the ocean waves, and watching the people below! We even got to see the Ocean City Fire Department exit for a few calls!

If Brooke could speak in full sentences, I'm sure that she would tell you her favorite part of the trip was this 'big BIG tubby,' as she called it!

She could literally swim from end to end in this thing and she enjoyed tub time more than ever before!

This tub was so big, that she and I BOTH tubbed together in it after an afternoon at the beach!

I'm not sure that I would have allowed her to bathe at the Days Inn, so this was an extra special treat for ALL of us!

Tuesday morning, after a restful night in our luxurious suite, the kids were awake early and ready to go to the beach!

I thought Brooke would be terrified of the crashing waves and sea life, but she actually did very well!

She insisted that we hold her until she figured out how fun the splashing waters were, and then she let us put her into the water....even let her down in the sand! Quite an accomplishment since the hatred of Poe Valley sand!

It was such a blessing to see the happiness in all 3 kids as they experienced the ocean together!

They giggled and squealed and loved every second!

This was the view of our hotel from the beach...cool, huh?

Pink piggies in the sand!

The view up the beach...

...and the view from my towel!

Once she realized that the sand didn't hurt her, she played and played with our beach toys! It helped her to see Halle playing too...

...our own little piece of Heaven....

...wind-blown hair and sandy feet!

...just another day at the beach!

After a few hours in the sand, it was nearly lunch time. We packed up and headed for the roof-top deck and pool in our hotel! It was a little crowded, but we were able to swim for a few hours with the kids, have some lunch, and get a little bit of sun!

Michelle and Leah will be so proud of the progress Brooke has made with her special swimmy vest! She spent a lot of time floating by herself and learning to kick her legs! I think she'll be a swimmer afterall!

Mid-afternoon, we got cleaned up and headed back out to the boardwalk for a walk!

Brooke fell asleep in the stroller while Manda and I did some shopping for the kids... She got a nice nap that helped her get through the evening!

Zig and I decided to try out an Italian restaurant right next door to our hotel called DaVinci's. Michelle recommended it as one of her favorites, and we would have to agree! It was wonderful! Zig and I sat with Brooke right on the boardwalk deck and enjoyed a wonderful meal!

We spent the rest of the evening on the boardwalk, eating ice cream, and smelling the ocean air!

After the kids were tubbed and tucked in for the night, Amanda and I went back down to the boardwalk to get some Mommy-time. The boys stayed with the kids and gave us some time to walk around, do some shopping, and just talk! It was definitely one of the highlights of the trip! This was also when I got to see some of my favorite IVMS kids... what a small world!

Wednesday morning started off just like every morning...with a lolli-pop! I'm not sure what we would have done had we not packed 2 bags of pops for these two cutie pies!

We spent some more time at the pool...got some more sun...

(I seriously could have spent the entire 4 days in this chair by the pool!)

After a quick room change (since our suite was only available for 2 nights) Brooke needed a quick nap on the bed with Dad before our last evening on the boardwalk!

She cuddled up with her favorite pink blanket while Zig and I ate take-out from the hotel restaurant!

When Brooke woke up, we got ready and headed down the the start of the boardwalk - where all the 'life' is!

The boardwalk was so much more crowded, there were more shops, lots of attractions, loud music, entertainment, and even a kid-friendly amusement park!

These sand sculptures were amazing!

I've never seen anything like them!

Zig told me that the same man spends his days carving these amazing creations - only to give a short sermon, totally crash them, and start all over again! I wish we could have seen him working on them during the day.

Jolly Rogers amusement park on the Pier!

Mommy and Brooke waving to Daddy from her very first carousel ride!

She was a little unsure at first, but once she saw Halle climb on a horse right beside her, she wasn't afraid!

Hi Daddy!

A beautiful view from the pier.

We spent the evening walking around this end of the boardwalk - it was so much more busy than where we were staying, but I'm so glad I got to see what it was like!

When we got back to our hotel, we took the kids out onto the cool sand for a few pictures....

"CHEESE!"

Brooke and Daddy

Us.

God's beautiful earth, through Brooke's eyes.

We ended our evening with a little more ice cream....

...and on the way back up to our room, Zig and I noticed that the pool was completely empty!

Even though it was almost tub/bed time, it was our LAST NIGHT of vacation, so we decided to go for a night swim together!

It was quiet, peaceful, and so much fun!

Thursday morning, we woke up and headed down for breakfast at the restaurant! So yummy!

I tried to enjoy every last second, since we were about to get packed up and head home!

As long as we had her, WHO NEEDED LUGGAGE!!!??

Brooke did amazingly well in the car! We watched movies, ate lots of snacks, sang songs, and looked for cows!

We couldn't have asked for a better vacation!

We feel so blessed to have friends like Brandon and Amanda to raise our kids with and feel comfortable enough to vaca with!

Boom and Manda~

Thanks for such a great week! Thanks for being such great friends and sharing so many laughs with us!

Halle and Max~

We love you kiddies! Thank you for sharing your toys with Brooke and playing so nicely all week! Brooke misses you so much already!

And Daddy Zig~

Thank you for taking such good care of all of us this week!

You kept us safe and happy, and we had such wonderful time!

Can't wait to go back again next year!

Lord~

Thank you for such an amazing trip with wonderful people!

I am so truly blessed to have friends and family that I can enjoy this life with!

Thank you for seeing us through the yucky hotel and helping the boys to find us a nice place to stay!

Could you please speed up time a little bit, just to next summer, so we can go back to the beach again!?

Ahhhh....I'll just dream of the ocean air and the breezy boardwalk until then....