green bay: the beach + fireworks

We spent the Fourth of July at Point Beach State Forest. We had a great spot on the beach and spent hours swimming and playing in the sand. Lake Michigan is cold! But it felt refreshing on such a hot day.

When your dad is a cheese scientist...

 

After resting up from our day at the beach, we headed downtown to the riverfront to see the fireworks. Erin volunteered to stay home with sleeping babies so we didn't have to worry about chasing Oliver around. I think he would have liked the fireworks, but we were pretty close and they were pretty loud so it's hard to say. We have spent the last 8 summers in D.C. so it was fun to change things up. The Green Bay fireworks show turned out to be pretty awesome and we were all surprised how long it lasted (35 minutes!) and the crowds were much more manageable than D.C.

the beach.

On a whim we decided to throw our swimming gear in the car before we headed to the Topiary Gardens in case we happened upon a beach. (We made sure the kids were unaware of this...it's good to keep their expectations low.)

We were pretty worn down and overheated after exploring the gardens for several hours. But a stop at a beach sounded really relaxing. After some GPS research, we picked up some sandwiches and headed to North Point State Park on the Chesapeake Bay. Since it was evening, the Memorial Day crowds had begun to thin, the sun wasn't beating down, and the water was warm. The beach, however, was pretty awful. Lots of garbage and an unfortunate barrier of rocks and seaweed to pass through to get to the sandy waters. And let's just say if Walmart had a beach, this would be it.

But the kids were completely thrilled since they thought we were headed home. They declared us to be the best parents in the world for taking them to TWO fun places in one day. (That declaration changed a few days ago when Elsa, who was upset about having to clean up a mess, said, "I still like you, but you are NOT the best mom in the world.") Despite the unsavory beach conditions, we all enjoyed the warm water. Especially Oliver, who had been denied so many attempts at water earlier in the day.

testing the waters.

The forecast for Monday was close to 90 degrees and since Amelia gets out early on Mondays it was the perfect opportunity to head to the beach! We ended up at Sandy Point State Park on the Chesapeake Bay (our original destination was our favorite hidden fossil-hunting beach further south but apparently it's not so hidden anymore...the parking lot was overflowing). Sandy Point, on the other hand, was not crowded. Which made more sense for a Monday afternoon in April.

I wasn't sure how Oliver would do at the beach but he absolutely loved it (and didn't even try and wander too far!) so we ended up spending several hours there. Amelia and Elsa were brave enough to get in the freezing cold water. Even Oliver didn't mind getting his feet wet. Mostly he just ate sand. Like, a LOT of sand. He wouldn't stop shoving it in his mouth. The girls busied themselves with sand sculptures. I got to read a book. Amelia said "It's too bad adults don't get to have as much fun at the beach. All you got to do was sit and read a book and play on your phone." Indeed.

I love how happy Amelia looked in all of my pictures. 

Sunscreen hair!