Cape Cod

We had so much fun on Cape Cod with the big Thies Clan (well, enough that it was a good Thies Clan showing, but certainly not the entire clan - that would be ridiculous).  We stayed at an adorable little cottage on Hinckley Pond in Barnstable, complete with beautiful views and a private dock (and a tiny living space, but that didn't matter!).  We loved going out on the dock and listening to the frogs and watching the fish jump out of the water to catch flies.

Every morning, Hannah took her cereal and orange juice on the deck (with a bit of confusion over "deck" vs. "dock," but we managed to clarify it for her).  She loved sitting out there and dining al fresco, even if we were inside taking care of Emma, who had been diagnosed with a double ear infection the evening before we left.  So needless to say, Emma was pretty cranky for the first few days and didn't want anything to do with breakfast on the deck.  But she warmed up to being out there.

We went to a different beach almost every day.  There were rocky beaches (Sandy Neck beach), sandy beaches (Nauset beach, Covell's beach), the harbor beach (Millway beach), the marsh beach (Bass Hole).

This was Emma's second day at the beach, but the first day that she actually enjoyed it.  I don't think she ate any sand, which I was impressed with.  She loved playing with it, though.

THIS was the first day at the beach.  Emma was in the baby carrier almost the entire time.  She was NOT feeling well.  But we still had fun!

Another happy day at the beach for Emma.  Here she's sitting on her throne (well, it was actually Aunt B's throne, but Emma took the crown for a few minutes) flipping through her book.  Perfect day at the beach.  Wish I could have flipped through a book at the beach.  No such luck.  The kids kept me busy.

This was Hannah's second beach vacation - the first was in March 2011 to Riviera Maya in Mexico.  She had a lot of fun.  Luckily the cousins had lots of beach toys to share.  She enjoyed making sand cupcakes with Stella the most.

Here's Hannah at Millway Beach in the Barnstable harbor.  She was very proud of the shell she found.

Mommy and Hannah at the rocky beach, Sandy Neck, on our first non-travel day of vacation.

This vacation made me realize - we need to take more vacations!  We hadn't really had a vacation in awhile, only family trips to NYC (which are fun, but not quite like a beach vacation), a weekend trip to Vermont (NOT recommended when traveling from Denver) and a bike-racing trip to Bend, Oregon (again, not really a vacation... but close).  It's so nice to spend time as a family in a different, beautiful setting.  I love vacation!