Beach Week

I have a serious problem with saying I'm gonna go to bed "early" and then I somehow get distracted and "early" turns into really late (really late for me). Tonight's distraction is this post...But, it's been awhile, and I've got some cute pics.
We spent the last week at the beach with my family. 17 people under one roof... I felt like a Duggar. Our kids are the babies of the group and love being doted on by their older cousins for seven days. In fact, they love it so much that returning to the Upstate, back into reality, has proven difficult. Eli thinks that being in someones arms 24/7 is the new norm, and Charley's reaction to not being entertained by fun people all the time has been having meltdowns over...nothing. "Mom...Clearly you are not fun people," she is thinking. But, we will get back into our routine, and beachtime with family is def worth it. I'm already ready for next year.

Let's see...the Salley Family trip to the beach every year can pretty much be summed up in three words: ocean, sand, food. Yep, that's pretty much it. If given a fourth word, of course there's good conversation too. I like that part too, but I think food wins out. And ocean and sand... There's just so much of it.
This was Eli's first time at the beach. He is a fan. He loved sitting in the sand and playing. I thought he would be crawling all over the place, but he wasn't, which was kinda nice. The poor kid had diarrhea for five straight days while we were there, which needless to say was AWFUL, but he was a trooper and remained in a decent mood. He got the worst diaper rash of all times, and I won't even try to describe it b/c whatever I write will not do its horribleness justice. But he is better now, and I will try to never take for granted the fact that my children, as a general rule, have normal poops.

Charley loved the beach and even braved the waves in her daddy's arms later in the week. There was a time when all 17 of us got in the water. The waves were perfect and the water warm. And there were no jellyfish. Very important to me.

Dude. It's hot!