At The Beach

Well, I knew it would take me forever to get around to posting about our beach trip (two weeks ago). I always have so many pictures I want to post and so much I want to remember that it gets overwhelming to try to edit. In the end, I cut out very little because this blog is mostly a way for me to keep track of photos and memories I like best, and if I bore my readers, they can choose not to read. But I hope they don’t. I hope they leave stacks of comments on each and every post. Hey, a girl can dream, right?

Grant found out at the last minute that he was going to be able to take Friday off of work that week, so we scampered to get things packed and left after dinner on Thursday. I had been counting down the “sleeps” for Eleanor so she would know when the much-awaited beach trip would arrive. Just like that, one more sleep became none, and we were out of here. I love the way she acts when we first get to the beach house. This time, she went right up the stairs and hollered, “My bed! My bed! It’s still here!” I guess there was no question where we were going to put the kids. She came down the stairs, still completely excited, and said over and over, “This is just what I’ve always wanted!”

We got there pretty late, so we didn’t go down to the beach until the next morning. The girls were so excited to get on the beach.

The weather was gorgeous for our whole trip. The clouds shielded us from the sun while we stayed fairly warm, and there was only a light breeze. Only once did it rain on us on the beach. We walked out from under the rain cloud, and by the time we made our way back down the beach, it was long gone. The only other time it rained was in the evening when we were already worn out and ready to curl up with a good book anyway.

Anxious to get on the beach.

Phaedra calls it work, or “wug,” by her pronunciation to play in the sand. She always begs to work when she sees the sandbox in our back yard or at Studio Grandma’s. I think she was very impressed to see that there was an endless amount of work to be done on the beach.

Daddy built a cool bridge in the sand for the girls.

Eleanor must have thought his work was incomplete. So much for that bridge.

Phaedra followed her daddy out to see the ocean. My, how she loved the freedom of the beach. She could wander all over the place without having to hold someone’s hand. She was finally able to taste some independence!

Feeling the water on her feet.

I should have gotten closer for these, but I was afraid to stray too far from Eleanor, who was still playing happily in the sand.

Burying their feet in the soggy sand.

And pulling out a foot, now covered in sand.

I turned to find that Eleanor must have thought I did wander too far from her.

She liked playing in the soggy sand just as well.

I made Grant hold the camera for a bit so I could play with my girls. That’s “the point” behind us. Don’t you love it? I think that beach is so gorgeous. It soothes the soul.

Note the sand on Eleanor’s face and Phaedra’s adorable curiosity.  

 

I love how Phaedra’s feet sort-of mirror her daddy’s in this one.

Playing on the rocks. She kept trying to pick up rocks that were way too big or halfway buried.

Then she messed her pants.

And we went back to the beach house.

That was day one on the beach. More to come.