A week at the beach.
We hadn't had a WHOLE week at the beach since our honeymoon six years ago.
It was wonderful. It was a little different this time, you know, with a baby and a toddler.
But oh so great!
Lillianna couldn't have had more fun.
Here she is at the ocean for the first time on the night we got there.
Straight out of the long car ride, into our suits, and onto the beach.
She loved it all! Loved drawing in the sand...
Loved decorating the towers with sand, shells, or seaweed.
Loved taking walks with her drawing stick...
Loved taking a break and just enjoying the beach around her (and on her) ...
I couldn't believe she loved being buried in the sand...
Loved figuring out she could make the towers herself...
Loved all the different kinds of treasures (shells, dead fish, jelly fish, sand fleas, seaweed, sticks, crabs, etc.) she could find on the beach...
Loved sitting and talking on the beach...
Fell in love with her real, live hermit crab she and her daddy found!
So sad when he "crawled back to the ocean to be with his family."
Did I mention she LOVED the sticks? Loved them.
So what about Ellenie you ask?
Well....
I'll say that our expectations might have been a little high. I imagined the sound of the calming waves lulling her into long, deep naps. I imagined her laying and playing in a little tent while I played with Lillianna and searched for shells for hours. I imagined Ellenie smiling and laughing at all the bright colors and sounds. I imagined wrong.
It was just too hot for our little one. Even though she was completely shaded and there was a really nice breeze each day, she just couldn't get comfortable. But we still tried everything those first few days until we finally figured out we would just have to take what little time we could get with her out on the beach and then take turns with her in the condo. After that, it was great.
Here she is having the most fun she had in a tiny little pool we borrowed. Thanks Haley!
She was upstaged by Lillianna who took her fun to the next level...
Here's where we tried laying under the umbrella in hopes of more breeze. um...no.
Here's a happy moment in the bouncy seat we lugged to and from the beach 23 times.
And 30 seconds later...
I promise she's in the shade here but you can see how my little Sweaty Betty was just too hot.
And here she's all,"Really Mom? Really? You thought I'd like this?"
She was even more beautiful at the beach though.
So we pretty much just did the beach and family time. Which was so great. Once night we did take a recommendation (Thanks Ginny!) and went to The Wharf to ride the new Ferris wheel.
We ALL rode it! For $8, we all rode it and had a ball!
Now, we are all missing the beach.
Yesterday morning, our first morning back at home, we went to get Lillianna out of her room and said,"Come on, let's go downstairs." She said,"No, let's go to the beach."
Brad quickly reminded her of the LOOOOOOOOOOOONG car ride it took to get to the beach.
But I could see by the look on her face that even that didn't faze her desire to be back there.
We really can't wait to go again.
Lillianna ate the first few dozen she picked until I remembered to explain that we were here to pick them and take them home to eat. They were so yummy it was hard not to eat them.
Abby was snacking on some goldfish and supervising the others.
Sam got right to work picking the best of the bunch!
Bibby shows off her loot.
It was a really fun activity and made us a little more thoughtful about where our food comes from, how much we take for granted, and how much more you appreciate something when you work for it.
Lillianna: See Mom, you don't want to pick green ones like this. Only the big blue ones for me please!
Ellenie: YAWN. You'd think they could do this a little faster.
