Coney Island

On Sunday, we headed down to Coney Island for a day of beach exploration and kiddie rides. It was a gorgeous day, we had the good company of Melissa, Peter, and Eva, and we even found street parking. What could be better? As it turns out, the beach is not so fun with an infant. I insisted that we bring a tent for Eleri to sleep in and to change diapers; not a beach tent, a real, 4-person, actual gone-camping tent. This, as it turned out, was overkill. Not only was Eleri not interested in sleeping in there, but the kids immediately tracked sand in anyway, and there was no way we were changing big wet soggy diapers in there. We got a few looks from other beachgoers, and let me tell you, at Coney Island, home of the speedos-on-senior-citizens, diapers-floating-in-the-water, battling-boom-boxes and so on, that really takes some doing. Also, Clio and Eva were having some trouble sharing beach toys and snacks (they're two, after all), Clio was little afraid of the waves and a lot jealous of the fact that I had to hold Eleri the whole time (with no place to put her down once the tent was rejected), and ultimately threw sand at the both of us. Fun! (Holding the baby the whole time also resulted in no beach photos, but I think you get the picture. You can at least see evidence of the beach- all over Clio's face. Plus, she's sporting her special beach dress, courtesy of Nonny, even after the bathing suit came off). Luckily, Coney Island has many other amusements, and the kiddie park was a tremendous hit. Peter suggested that we start out with a ride that allowed Dave to accompany Clio so she wouldn't be too scared.

No need: she loved it so much she cried when it stopped. From there, it was a whirlwind of motorcycles, fighter jets (yes, with guns), and flying elephants.



On the little train, the girls decided it would be fun to bite the security ropes. When I looked through the photos, there is no question that Clio is the instigator. Look at her demonstrating for Eva:


As Dave reported, the woman who runs the ride suggested they not do that because, and I quote, "That's nasty!!"