Beach

Interesting how different Noah and Jake's experiences were at the beach.

Starting with Noah. He had the most fun burying and excavating the dinosaurs we brought, all in the biggest sandbox he's ever seen.

and collecting beach treasures like shells and seaweed.

after playing for a long time, he ventured down to the water's edge.

But a few minutes later, a wave came and knocked him down. He cried for a long time. After a few minutes of offering sympathy, I couldn't help from taking a picture of the aftermath (cruel, I know).

He told me later when we were walking to our car that he had been afraid that he "was going to die." Even though there was no serious threat of that, it was still traumatic for the kid. Knowing that, I feel even worse for taking a picture!

I wasn't sure with all the trauma if he would have any positive memories, but this is what he just told me about his beach experience: "I liked playing. With the toys. I mean, in the sand. I did NOT like when I put my feet in the water. Because there was a big wave coming and I fell down. That is not my favorite." Well at least his memories were partly positive! One last contemplative picture of Noah.

What about Jake? He dug in the sand too,

but only for a few minutes before moving on to more exciting adventures like chasing seagulls.

Of course he had to bring his "mimi" along on his beach wandering. That is something I'll never forget-- seeing him run up and down the beach with all the energy in the world, dragging his blankie behind him.

He put his feet in the water too.

You can tell as he clung to Aunt Debbie's leg for dear life, he was a little timid at first, especially after seeing Noah's experience. But after the first minute or two, he loved it. And when he went down in a wave like Noah did, Jake only laughed!

All of us at the end of the day...still smiling!