Beach Bums?

I had been thinking about taking the kids to a beach for quite awhile. Little John had been asking to play in sand with his bucket and shovel and the picture that came to mind was perfect. I was sitting on a towel with Evelyn by my side under the shade of an umbrella. Close by was a pile of sand being worked on by my happy boy. Every now and then we would splash in the shallows to cool off. It was wonderful...

Here's what really happened. My dear sister came with us, and I am so glad she did! It was nice to have an extra set of helping hands, and even nicer to have an adult to talk to! I did sit on a towel...or maybe it was a sarong. And we were able to put Evelyn under an umbrella, but it didn't last long. She would wiggle herself into the sun or the wind would blow it over. For the most part she lounged in the stroller and was quite happy sucking on the corner of a towel.

As for sand play, my efforts to make it look exciting and fun were not very fruitful. Little Johns desire to keep his shirt on, put socks on his feet and stay clean overpowered any allure the sand may have had. I also tried to show him how fun the water was by holding him and wading out. It wasn't long before he was screaming for aunt Michelle, who was on dry ground. He was very happy to say "Bye beach!" as we headed for the car.

So it wasn't what I thought it would be, but I wasn't disappointed. It was a beautiful day, I had great company, and it was empowering to do something so different from our ordinary. I think a few more trips will help my boy warm up to the wonders of a beach. And maybe we should practice getting our feet a little dirty every now and then. :)