What a Difference a Year Makes

It's summer and you know what that means - VACATION!!!  We recently went on our annual pilgrimage to Bethany Beach and this time, we brought reinforcements: Grandma and Grandpa Q.  Our vacations to Bethany have become a staple in this family that date back to 2006.  We have created many memories in this beautiful beach town and this year was no exception.  If you recall, last year was fun, but a bit tough with our 1-year old toddler.  I think I said something along the lines of "Vacationing with a toddler is not really relaxing.  It really is just a change of scenery." So, so true.

Well, this year was (thankfully) a lot different.  Not only was James a year old and wiser, but we had two extra sets of hands which made all the difference.  Here's a peek into our week at the shore:

Day 1:  We're Here!
We arrived the night before and woke up to a beautiful, sunshiny day.  This day was not only our first day on vacation, but also (and more importantly) Lucy's 5th Birthday!!!!  Our little girl turned 5 and was showered with gifts including a new Floyd doll (red loofa) and lots of treats.

After the birthday celebration, we grabbed some breakfast at The Cottage Cafe and then headed to the grocery store to stock up on food for the week.  The Grandparents arrived a little later in the day and after a quick unloading of the car, we headed to the pool.  Our little guppy had a blast in the pool making for a perfect day 1 of vacation.

Day 2: Beach Bound

We woke up to another gorgeous day in Bethany and decided to head to the beach.  Last year's beach experience was not a great one.  We lasted a total of 90 minutes and they were filled with sand in the mouth and eyes, fly-away umbrellas and insulin pump malfunctions.  Not cute.  This year was much better.  We didn't pack light (do we ever?), but we wanted to be prepared for any and all situations.  

Upon arrival, all James could say was "Water! Water! Water!"  Ed immediately took him to the ocean's edge and they stood there for 30+ minutes.  James LOVED how the water felt on his toes - especially when the water pulled back and his feet sunk into the sand. 

After the fascination waned, he spent some serious time making sand castles with Grandpa who is the utmost expert in all things sand.  Especially sand bridges!  Remarkably, we lasted 3 whine-free hours - a miracle in my book.  Before heading back to the house for a nap, we grabbed some ice cream from Kohr's which I think that was Jame's favorite part.  

That night, we headed back into town for a delicious seafood dinner at The Blue Crab Restaurant followed by some time on the playground.  It was truly the quintessential beach day!

Day 3: Beach Bound Part 2

Since our first day on the beach was such a success, we decided to try to replicate it.  

Same strategy.  

Different results.  

The awe of the beach that captured James on the previous day seemed to have worn off.  It wasn't all bad, but after 2 hours it was time to go home and grab a nap.  The afternoon/night was low key and included a bike ride to a new, local playground.  Nothing makes James happier than the sight of a slide.  

Day 4: Dogfish and Date Night

I'm not going to lie.  This may have been my most favorite day and it's not because we got a much needed break from our rambunctious 2-year old.  :)  This was the day that we got to sample beer.  Dogfish Head beer to be exact.  

Ed and I visited the Dogfish Head Brewery a few years back and had such a great time that we had to go back again - and bring Grandpa along with us.  Grandma and James spent the morning home (watching endless hours of Elmo!) while we headed to Milton, DE to check out the Dogfish digs. Since our last visit, the company invested something like $20 million in the facility and it showed.  The tasting room was updated as was the warehouse and bottling plant.  Our tour guide was great as were the 4 free samples.  My new favorite - Saison du Buff. 

Part two of Day 4 was date night for Ed and I.  We kissed James goodnight and made our way to Rehoboth for dinner at the Cultured Pearl Restaurant and Sushi Bar and a walk around town.  It was a perfect ending to a perfect day!

Day 5: Happy Birthday Grandpa!!

We had another birthday to celebrate while in Bethany - Grandpa's!  It was present time as soon as breakfast was over and James was ready to help out.  Grandpa got some great stuff and James got to play with wrapping paper and tissue.  A win-win!  After presents, Grandma and Grandpa escaped headed to Ocean Downs and we went for a bike ride in Rehoboth.  The day ended with bubbles, a big Italian dinner (Grandpa's favorite!) and birthday cake. Happy Birthday Grandpa!!

Day 6: Last Day

Our last day in Bethany was actually spent in Rehoboth trolling walking the boardwalk. Our main goal was to bring James to Funland so that he could go on the rides.  It would have been good if we checked the website to see when they opened because we were there several hours prior.  In James' words, "Awww, Nuts!" We did manage to play some carnival games and scored James two teddy bears so it was a win in our book.  After making our way through town, we found a park with a playground and tables for our picnic lunch.  Score!  The day ended with a failed attempt at some pool time hence the screaming photo below.  It was on that note that we packed up the car and headed out of dodge.  

It really was a great trip and we were so, so happy that Grandma and Grandpa were there with us.  I love that we continue to create new memories at the beach and I hope that the tradition continues in the future.  Happy Summer!!

Bethany Beach 2013

Last week, the Mangiaracina's hit Bethany Beach for some fun in the sun and even though the sun was in hiding most of the time, we certainly managed to have some fun!  The Quartuccio's have been hitting up Bethany each summer for several years now as outlined here here, here and here.  We Mangiaracina's plan to keep the tradition alive and this year had a toddler to share some new beach experiences with.

Last year, James was only 3 months old when we were in Bethany.  He slept most of the time, as most infants do, so he missed a lot of the true "beach experiences".  That all changed this year.  From feeling sand for the first time to having ice cream as a morning snack, James took advantage of all the cool things that come with a vacation at the beach. Here is a day by day recap:

Day 1:  The Arrival
It was a cruddy, rainy day so after we arrived, we unloaded the car, fed James some lunch and headed to Harris Teeter to stock up on groceries for the week.  The best part of the trip was that the man behind the deli counter let James and Ed sample all kinds of meats and cheeses.  It was like having a second lunch!  James is a big fan of sitting in a shopping cart, so it was a grand old time.  After a nap, we headed up to the Bethany boardwalk for dinner at Bethany Blues where James indulged in some yummy cornbread, pulled chicken and mashed potatoes (current favorite food).  The best part was that his meal was served on a frisbee which we are now in possession of.  The night ended with a bath (fun) and about an hour's worth of crying about sleeping in the pack n play (not so fun).

Day 2:  Pool Day

We woke up to an overcast sky but were determined to hit the pool.  James went to the pool one time last summer, so he was a pool novice.  After some morning playtime with Mommy, we headed out and set up camp by the kiddie pool.  The water was cold so it took a bit to get James on board, but after a few minutes, he was splashing like a pro.  He even had a cool floaty to show off in!

After our cloudy pool time, James took a much needed nap before we headed up to the beach to "test the waters" and by "waters" I mean "sand".  James had never felt sand and before we made the move to spend a day at the beach, we wanted to see how he would react to it.  He liked it!  The faces he made as he submerged his toes in the cool sand were priceless.  

We wrapped up our time at the boardwalk with a go on the swing.  It's amazing how in years past we never noticed that there was a play ground smack in the center of Bethany. Funny how kids change pretty much everything.

The evening of day 2 ended with a BBQ and some deer watching outside the front window.  Lucy was sure she would get them this year. :)

Day 3: Outlet Shopping

It poured buckets of rain all day on day 3 so we decided to head to the outlets for some retail therapy.  The highlights of the day include my getting 2 pairs of Cole Haans, Ed finding the coveted Converse sneakers he has been searching for and James playing hide and seek with his sippy cup and the gate.

Day 4: Beach Day and Ocean City

This was the big day. The day that we would hit the beach with a toddler for the first time.  We did everything right.  We packed up the cooler with toddler friendly snacks and drinks.  We had an umbrella and a sheet and towels and sand toys and even a kiddie pool for James to play in since we figured the ocean was both too cold and too rough.  Apparently, this was not enough to make for a smooth trip to the beach.  

Upon arrival, James decided he would like to taste the sand.  As expected, he did not like it.  He was fascinated with it though as well as the ocean water.  But not when it touched him.  When it touched him, he freaked.  It was Mommy's job to fill the bucket with cold ocean water.  I'd fill it, he'd dump it and we'd start over again. This occurred probably 77 times during our 90 minute stay.

About an hour in, Ed's pump decided to malfunction so he had to head back to the house.  In the time he was gone, the umbrella flew away, the blaring sun made an appearance giving me an outbreak of hives and James smeared sand in his eye leading to a mid-morning melt down.  By the time Ed came back, James and I were ready to go.  So that was it.  A whole 90 minutes was spent at the beach.  We decided to celebrate our first beach experience (even if it wasn't a smooth one) with ice cream and shopping.  Isn't that what you do on vacation??

Since it was a sunny day (and we weren't sure if we were going to get another!), we decided to take a drive down to Ocean City to show James the boardwalk.  He liked it!  We took in the sights, indulged in an Orange Julius (love those!) and let James loose to explore.  The evening ended back in Bethany with a delicious crab leg dinner at the Blue Crab restaurant. James dined on spaghetti and put on a show for the lovely waitresses who got a big kick out of him.

Day 5: Happy Birthday Ed

June 12th marked Ed's 35th birthday and because he is a child at heart, he woke up early to get his presents. Well, James woke us up early, but Ed wasn't upset about it. :)  Can you guess what gift would cause a facial expression like this:

That's right.  An iPad mini.  Something that he has been wanting for a long time.  James and Lucy saved all their pennies so they could garner an expression like this from their Daddy.  Here's a happy guy!

We had a whole special day planned for Ed so after presents, we got dressed and headed to Rehoboth Beach where we had a delicious breakfast at the Corner Grille (awesome Greek diner - head there if you are in Rehoboth!) and surprised Ed with a bike rental for the 3 of us.  Ed loves him some bike riding so we strapped James into a child seat and hit the streets of Rehoboth.  My favorite part - seeing James in a skull and bones biker helmet while napping in his seat.  Priceless.

After our ride, we headed back to the house for lunch, hit the pool and stayed in for a steak dinner.  The original plan was to go to Dogfish Head for dinner, but James was not having it.  He had a full on melt down after waking up from his nap so we knew we needed to stay in.  

Day 6: Lewes Beach

Both Ed and I are blanking a bit on what we did this day. We know we had lunch at Dogfish Head since we weren't able to get there the night before.  We sampled some new brews (a Sixty-One for Ed and a Namaste for me) and left with a bottle of Noble Rot for later that night (big fans of craft beers!).  After lunch, we took a drive to nearby beach town Lewes.  We had never been and heard good things so we figured why not. The town is essentially one long block of cutesy stores and restaurants. We, of course, found the ice cream parlor and the toy store. It's what we do. :)  James had a ball playing with the Oball display.  

Day 7: Homeward Bound

It was time to head home after a fun-filled week of sand, sun, ice cream, shopping and no sleep.  It was nice to get away, but let's be real.  Vacationing with a toddler is not really relaxing.  I think I referred to it as a change of scenery which it truly is.  There are still naps and melt downs and early bed times.  He is still a curious little critter and into everything - especially new kitchen cabinets filled with all kinds of fun stuff.  He kept us on our toes constantly and the sleep deprivation did not help, but we managed to have a great time.  We know that next year will be even more fun as James continues to grow and understand the world around him. For now, we have more great memories of Bethany Beach to add to the roster.