Brothers

Brothers, originally uploaded by Reid Pierce.

This photo here may say it all. Justin leaves tomorrow after what felt like a VERY fast summer to get ready for school, which begins August 27. In the meantime, he will be making a quick trip to Wisconsin to visit his maternal grandfather and he will be celebrating his 10th birthday at a Padres game with his friends.

We celebrated his last week with our annual trip to the beach. At his request, we went to a "new" beach this year, leaving behind our beloved Outer Banks. We accepted the invitation of a couple we met on our honeymoon in Costa Rica, of all places, to stay with them at their house in Margate, NJ, a mere four blocks from the Atlantic Ocean. And while we have only seen the Tovskys once since our post-nuptial galavanting, we have been in constant touch through email. They, fortuitously, have twin boys who were born only two weeks before Sawyer. Seeing them was like seeing old friends from high school - as if a day hadn't passed. The boys had a blast playing together and Sawyer turned out to be a real beach bum (maybe that has something to do with the fact that the last time we took him to the beach he was two weeks old).

And in case you were wondering what, exactly, is required to sustain three babies, plus one in utero, four adults, and one eager 9-year-old boy on the beach each day, I'll tell you: One double jogging stroller, one umbrella stroller, two beach umbrellas and screw-in stands, one small plastic swimming pool, five folding chairs, two large beach mats, eight towels, seven plastic buckets, twelve plastic shovels and rakes, seventeen miscellaneous plastic beach toys, two boogie boards, one surfboard, two beach bags stuffed with sunscreen and diapers, one cooler full of food and sippy cups for the babies, one cooler full of beer and soda for the adults, and one cell phone to call for delivery sub sandwiches - yes, they bring them to the beach.

And in case you were wondering how long it takes to pack up said gear and people when an unexpected lightening storm blows through the answer is: about 10 minutes.

Two beach tips for parents: baby powder takes off the sand and, unless you own a Bugaboo, PULL THE STROLLER BACKWARDS on two wheels.

On our way to NJ we stopped in Rehoboth, DE and visited an actual high school friend, Sean, and his wife, Melanie, who live in Puerto Rico but are visiting family up here for a month. We were treated to one of the best crab feasts I have ever been to and my only regret is not taking a picture of these crabs, which were as big as my forearm. Hard as we tried, we couldn't finish off the last half bushel.

And now, for the sad part. I can't say how much we will miss Justin. Especially his little brother who won't understand where his new best friend has gone. Mealtime won't be the same without Justin's funny faces making Sawyer laugh out loud. Justin can always be relied upon to watch Sawyer when I need to get something done, to play with him and entertain him, and to teach him new tricks - like how to blow spit bubbles - in the back of the car. I never realized how having Sawyer would make having Justin gone so much harder.