Beach Trip!

Wow, we just took the most amazing two day trip to the beach! The drive there was beautiful!

 As soon as we arrived to our beach front hotel, we parked the car and headed to the ocean. Something about the smell of the salty sea air, the powerful wind, the sound of seagulls and crashing waves is so exhilarating! 

The girls immediately started smiling, giggling and running with elation.

 Daniel showed the girls the shells laying on the beach and the hunt began!

 While waiting for our hotel room to be cleaned so we could check in early, we enjoyed some lunch at a beachfront restaurant.

 The girls patiently waiting for lunch...

 I was impressed with our hotel. It was nice, clean and affordable for being right on the beach and within walking distance of everything.

It's been awhile that I stayed at a hotel that still uses actual keys.

 Morgan checked out the cool table in our room.

 Once in the room we got our bathing suits on for our day at the beach!

We really couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. A couple of years ago we took the girls to a beach in San Francisco and while it was fun, it was not at all relaxing or easy. The girls took turns crying and constantly needing stuff.

This trip was thankfully completely different.

 Daniel and I were able to have some drinks and visit with each other yet I spent hours braving the waves hand in hand with Morgan too. Many times I told her how much I love her and how special she is to me. We pretended that Nemo was out there in the ocean and talked about what he could be doing. It was just a magical trip that I always want to remember.

 Charlotte fearlessly ran into the ocean when we first got to the beach in our baby soups (as she calls them) but she was quickly knocked down by a wave and then started being dragged out to sea because there was a strong under tow. I had my camera in hand so I was trying to tell Morgan to take my camera and head back on the beach. She was scared though and couldn't process my instructions. The reason I didn't just throw my camera down and go after Charlotte is because I knew Daniel had witnessed the whole thing and would grab Charlotte. He ran to her and scooped her up. Poor Charlotte though wanted nothing more to do with the water the rest of the time. I felt awful for her. Next trip to the ocean I promise to enter it with her hand in hand so she won't get scared and hopefully she'll be big enough to stand up to those big waves. 

She sat in this chair like this for a long time and I felt bad for he so I showed her she could play in the sand.

 She then proceeded to spend hours happily playing in the sand and I spent much of my time happily playing with her.

It was so fun because I felt like a kid again. I got the best of both worlds. I got to be an adult and have some wine while visiting with my husband who I love dearly yet I got to run in the ocean hand in hand with my 5 year old laughing and shrieking. When I got tired of that, I'd sit in the sand with my 2 year old getting thoroughly dirty.

There were times that I'd stop myself and just take a moment to listen to the waves and seagulls crying, I'd take a deep breath and smell the salty air and I'd soak in the scenes before me.

Finally after hours of fun, we headed into our hotel. Daniel ran and got us pizza for dinner while I bathed the girls and I. We brought an enormous amount of the beach back to our hotel room with us.

 The next morning was overcast and chilly so we decided to take a walk along the beach. Daniel was big on picking up shells with the girls. I really loved that.

 Much to my dismay, Charlotte enjoyed climbing the rocks. Daniel is a great balance for me because I always want to immediately stop the girls from anything remotely dangerous but he's there to remind me that we have to let them explore and be kids too.

 

 Before heading back home we had lunch and ice cream and let the girls play on some playground equipment. 

 By 5 o'clock that evening we were already home and unpacked. Daniel and I worked beautifully as a team getting everything unpacked and back to normal. The girls immediately ran to the playroom and started playing. Daniel and I were able to enjoy a movie together that night. The trip was just perfect. I hope to go back every summer! Cayucos is only a 2 and a half hour drive for us and so worth it!

I love my family.