Outerbanks 2011 - Games, Games, and more...Games
When we weren't holding down beach chairs, we played a lot this year.
Football on the Beach
The boys talked for weeks about football on the beach. Last trip they used a nerf ball, which soaked with water every time it landed in the ocean. Apparently, that lacks the aerodynamic quality that helps make football fun. So this year we found the perfect football. After watching them play for a while, I asked Chad why they kept deliberately throwing it out into the water. I was told that throwing yourself into the waves is what makes it fun. Boys...
Kickball
Jen brought a red playground ball and organized us into a couple of teams for kickball. I think the last time I played kickball I was in the third grade, so my skills were not exactly at their peak. I tried hard though. After one rather brilliant kick (i.e. my foot connected with the ball), everyone thought I tried to slide into first base, so I let them think that. It's much less cool to say you fell when the fear of your 11 year old nephew hitting you with a red playground ball became too much to handle.
The teams started out pretty even, but over the "innings" people our on team kept jumping ship. Lots of pitiful excuses like they were "busy digging a big hole" or "tending their kids" - whatever. After the game, Chad patted my sandy back. "Wow, you were really going for it out there. That ball was coming right for you and you actually tried to catch it." Gee, thanks. He swears he meant it as a compliment.
Basketball
The boys also thought it would be good to get in a game of hoops. Not much to say about this, since I was not invited to play. Sure my efforts on the kickball field were a little questionable, but I was running on sand and vicious children were trying to hit me with a ball. Never an excuse for gender discrimination.
Marco Polo
Again, Jen inspired, we spent an afternoon playing Marco Polo in the pool. Essentially, too many people, too small of a pool, too many kids who all want to be it, so they spend their time trying to get tagged. That game lasted a few rounds, but then Amelia introduced us to...
Sharks and Minnows
It took a round or two to hammer out the rules (and weed out the children), but once we did the adults were locked in an epic battle. Essentially, one person is the shark. They close their eyes and swim around trying to tag everyone else, the minnows. The minnows try to swim from one end of the pool to the other. If you get tagged then you are frozen in your place and become a shark. You must also close your eyes and though you can't swim around, you can move your arms and try to tag other people.
Turns out, I'm awesome and sharks and minnows. No seriously, awesome. I swim fast and quietly and I can pretty much hold my breath from one end of the pool to the other. Plus I'd wait for the shark to tire his/her self out a little before I tried to cross. A tired shark is a much less formidable opponent.
We had so much fun. We must have played for an hour and I made it into the top 2 every time. I'm pretty darn proud of myself, because this is a competitive, physical, active family I married into and I lose at everything that's not Scrabble. So finally, finally a physical game where I can kick their trash. I'm thinking of building a pool, just so I can invite everyone over to play sharks and minnows and win some more! :)
Football on the Beach
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| Oh I love him... |
Kickball
Jen brought a red playground ball and organized us into a couple of teams for kickball. I think the last time I played kickball I was in the third grade, so my skills were not exactly at their peak. I tried hard though. After one rather brilliant kick (i.e. my foot connected with the ball), everyone thought I tried to slide into first base, so I let them think that. It's much less cool to say you fell when the fear of your 11 year old nephew hitting you with a red playground ball became too much to handle.
The teams started out pretty even, but over the "innings" people our on team kept jumping ship. Lots of pitiful excuses like they were "busy digging a big hole" or "tending their kids" - whatever. After the game, Chad patted my sandy back. "Wow, you were really going for it out there. That ball was coming right for you and you actually tried to catch it." Gee, thanks. He swears he meant it as a compliment.
Basketball
The boys also thought it would be good to get in a game of hoops. Not much to say about this, since I was not invited to play. Sure my efforts on the kickball field were a little questionable, but I was running on sand and vicious children were trying to hit me with a ball. Never an excuse for gender discrimination.
Marco Polo
 |
| Just the pool, not the actual pool games... |
Again, Jen inspired, we spent an afternoon playing Marco Polo in the pool. Essentially, too many people, too small of a pool, too many kids who all want to be it, so they spend their time trying to get tagged. That game lasted a few rounds, but then Amelia introduced us to...
Sharks and Minnows
It took a round or two to hammer out the rules (and weed out the children), but once we did the adults were locked in an epic battle. Essentially, one person is the shark. They close their eyes and swim around trying to tag everyone else, the minnows. The minnows try to swim from one end of the pool to the other. If you get tagged then you are frozen in your place and become a shark. You must also close your eyes and though you can't swim around, you can move your arms and try to tag other people.
Turns out, I'm awesome and sharks and minnows. No seriously, awesome. I swim fast and quietly and I can pretty much hold my breath from one end of the pool to the other. Plus I'd wait for the shark to tire his/her self out a little before I tried to cross. A tired shark is a much less formidable opponent.
We had so much fun. We must have played for an hour and I made it into the top 2 every time. I'm pretty darn proud of myself, because this is a competitive, physical, active family I married into and I lose at everything that's not Scrabble. So finally, finally a physical game where I can kick their trash. I'm thinking of building a pool, just so I can invite everyone over to play sharks and minnows and win some more! :)
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