Road Tripping: Beach Edition

We are finally home... hiding under a mountain of laundry from our vacation. We are sunkissed and hearts full. We packed up last week and drove down the coast for some beach fun.

Two years ago shortly after my brother passed away we went for some relaxation. We didn't get to go last year because I was about to pop so we were anxious to head out this year.

Now don't get me wrong.. doing the beach with three littles is exhausting. Sunscreening and dusting sand off is tiring enough. Then there is the digging holes for them.. making sure they don't get too far in water, keeping them hydrated and fed.. potty breaks etc. Whew I get tired just thinking about it again. But it is so worth it.

You see the beach is relaxing.. People from all over are visiting. People are hanging out with family and friends and making memories. No one cares what your race is.. your sexual orientation is.. etc. I saw everyone in their bathing suits not hiding or insecure. Holes are dug.. sand castles are built.. games are being played..and waves are being caught.

Oldest dude was in love with the water and did so awesome. He wasn't afraid. He used his swimming skills. He mastered the boogie board.

Middle dude opened up.. got very friendly with the water and practiced a lot of his swimming skills. He absolutely loved the sand and could stay digging and building and pouring water.

Littlest dude put his feet in the ocean for the first time and loved it. I bought a cheap plastic pool and lugged it with us so he could sit in and play too. I didn't want to put him to play directly on the sand because fistfuls of sand would be ingested. I wouldn't put water in the pool I would just fill it with toys and put a bucket of water so he could have a little bit of water play. It worked great for us.

Seashells were collected and jumping of the waves were done. We also took an awesome boat ride. The boat took us out to a little area where you could spot dolphins. Then the boat parked and there were fireworks off the bay. Music was playing on the boat and you were allowed to bring snacks and a cooler. It was awesome. I had a moment where I looked around at my little family and was overcome with emotion. These little people are mine and I have a pretty awesome partner in crime to raise them with. I am so grateful.

We had such a great time and were sad to leave. Sure there were rough moments.. boys that got overtired.. too much sun.. and tantrums were thrown. But overall everyone had a wonderful time and even though I could never be a full time beach person I look forward to future trips.