California--Memories Before Art

I've been avoiding the enormous files of pictures from our family trip to California because I knew I didn't have time to edit them. They may not all be edited the way I would like, but sometimes it's more important for the posts to be recorded before the adventures fade from memory. Art needs to be secondary to this once-in-a-lifetime trip.

Here's Ellie actually playing in the sand--in her swimsuit. It didn't last long. The girl inherited her Gran's aversion to sand.

Once there was sand in her suit and in her hair, it was all over. This is how she enjoyed the beach for the rest of the week:

Fully clothed, never wet, and frizzy-haired from the sea air. Despite all of that, I think she liked the beach.

Eve doesn't love the sand either, but she has learned that she doesn't like to get wet above her knees. If she stays mostly dry and mostly sand-free, she likes digging and playing.

Nathan was the complete opposite of the girls. Smothered in sunscreen and covered in sand, he loved every second on the beach.

 He fell face first into holes and into water. Didn't care.

 He ate sandy peanut butter sandwiches and sucked down sandy juice boxes. Didn't care.

The only kid more mellow on the beach was Jonah. I don't think that kid cried one time the whole week.

I wish these woombies had been invented when my kids were tiny. Whoever thought of them was brilliant. Heidi shared one with Tucker and Karli for Annie, and she was much happier all snuggled up, too.

Most of the time at the beach, Miss Annie was in the baby bed. She was less than a month old at the time, and the beach was not her favorite place to be. She was still getting used to this crazy world, and being surrounded by crazy cousins, aunts, uncles, grandmas, and grandpas was a little much for her.

There was a ton of boogie boarding. Two boards broke, and one nephew was face-planted into the beach by a brutal wave. Otherwise, it was the favorite activity of the boys 8 to adult--just like it said on the age recommendation label.

 There was a little beach frisbee . . . 

 . . . shell collecting and sand crab hunting . . . 

 . . . but mostly it was a couple of lazy days spent with all of the cousins on the beach and by the pool.

 No schedules. No agendas. 

No places to be other than where we were. 

It was a great week.