Vacation Post 3: The Beach

It has been about 15 years since I have been to Ocean City and the beach is even more awesome than I remember!  It was clean, full of families and there was sand stretching as far as the eye could see! The sand was warm, the water was cool and refreshing.....it was the perfect vacation spot for our family to relax. We had a great time riding the waves! Elijah was a little unsure about the water. He cried a few times when I put his feet in it but by the last day he was happily sitting in the wet sand, letting the water run over him.  I LOVE the water and have been trying to cultivate that love in him by taking him into pools and in our bath time together in the big garden tub.  That being said, he is used to water that is a little warmer and surroundings that are a little calmer but he did very well. He loved kicking the sand and spent between 1-2 hours or more every day of our vacation on the beach. Thanks to hats and sunglasses from Grandmama and the organic Gentle Babies organic sunscreen that we got from nurtured family, he was well protected and didn't get once bit of sunburn!

It was also so great to have Chip for 10 whole days!  We have never had that long of a time off together, not even for our honeymoon! Because we were so close to the beach, we were able to stroll back and forth between the ocean and the house which was perfect for Elijah and Mommy and Daddy was never more than a five minute walk away.

The Parish Family ready for some fun in the sun!

Love the mesh ring sling! Perfect for the beach!

Cuddling with Mimi so Mama can have some body boarding fun!

Cool dude.....where's his hat? 

I LOVE this picture. Definitely one i want to blow up and hang. 

Another fun day at the beach!

Sisters!

Daddy loving on his little fella. 

I do have a handsome husband!

A little lunch on the beach for Elijah. What a life!

Sweet tiny feet

Two beach bums and their big floppy hats!

Next year we won't be able to keep him OUT of the sand!

Such a sweet face

Mommy brought Elijah's bathrobe to keep him warm when the sun started to go down

Playing the Daddy/Elijah game

More meals on the beach. This kid eats EVERYWHERE!

I love that smile SO MUCH!!!!!!!

Another to frame

The zoom on our camera is incredible. Chip took these photos from the beach!

Mimi taught me how to bod surf!

Finally getting used to the cold water with the help of Papa John

Great shot!

Chip did a great job capturing this moment

Little feet loving the wet sand

Front and center by the ocean!

By midweek, Elijah discovered he could move the sand around with his feet and started building "sand castles" between his legs. So cute!

Two dudes on the beach

Love my little boy. So glad he had some new fun experiences!