Only at the beach...

can you drive 2.5 hrs one way, have a baby puke on you, use disgusting porta-potties, have all four of your kids cry at least once if not more, get sunbur, watch your umbrella blow away, get knocked down, have your foot/leg dragged on the rocks only to bleed and look like this:

and still it was a really great day.

I love our annual beach day for the following reasons:

• it might be the only thing we do away from home with just our little family
• the kids do not fight at all
• the kids play together like the best friends that they won't admit they are
• smelling the air
• seeing the ocean stretch out in front of me, reminding me of how small I am
• the breeze
• it's the beach!

The kids did great as they do every year. They jumped waves, played in the sand and true to his ways Jman found some boys to build villages w/ in the rocks. Even Vman found a buddy for a little while.

A great day.

fun things

We are well into August and I find myself frantically trying to squeeze in all that I can before school starts. It's not all going to happen. I'm trying to accept it. BUT we did do one of, if not THE MOST important thing we could do this summer.

the. beach.

Summer can end now without me spiralling into depression.

We've also had our fair share of the pool.

B took a dip.

He wasn't digging it.

There has been lots of playing outside with the neighbors, forts, and mixing a variety of concoctions. Yes, I did see him taste it.

Someone is gaining strength. He has also found his fingers when he sleeps, here he is having a happy dream.

Last Weekend of Summer

After some minimal begging I got Den to agree to go to the beach for the day on Saturday. We hadn't taken the kids all summer and I just didn't feel right about it. Can it officially be summer without the beach? Not in my world.

It was windy and therefore freezing when we first got there at 9am.

But the kids got over it.

V enjoyed trying to find his way into whatever wind shelter his daddy had created. He also LOVED playing in the waves, of which I have no pictures of, so you'll have to take my word for it.

The kept "warming up" on the sand.

My favorite thing about taking the kids to the beach is how well they play together. There are no distractions of toys or other kids, just each other. This is why I think we should live on the beach.

beach

(I did 3 posts today so keep on scrolling!)


I was so thankful to finally get to go to the beach this year, on Saturday. We left around 5:30am and got there about 8:30. The weather was perfect, the kids had a blast, and the baby did quite satisfactory (for a baby spending all day at a beach). There was only one point I nearly freaked and started to tear up when some people came and parked right in front of us (this is not part of CA beach etiquette). Dennis did not seemed phased by this and reminded me that this was the beach and there were going to be other people there. I did know this, but I didn't like it. SO I said many quiet prayers for a changed attitude and it eventually came. As the day went on the beach became so packed (i guess this is normal for beaches here, they are smaller and there are less of them) that I decided to take the kids for a walk to look for sea shells. The Lord blessed me by taking us to a part of the beach that had hardly anyone else. So we went back for the boogie board (I mostly dragged them on it) and walked back to the less populated stretch. It was so beautiful , I really felt able to quietly worship and soak up the God's creation, and watch the kids play in the waves.

First time in the Atlantic.

He was totally fascinated with the sand, moving his arms back and forth in it...

and trying to eat it. (at one point he opened his mouth and plopped his face right in it)

He spent a good part of the day in here and even napped for a couple hours.

sand castle made by others

sand angel

I have never seen such a crowded beach!

The rest of the pics were taken when the kids and I walked down to a section of the beach that was less crowded, I LOVED it, my favorite part of the day.