When
making our plans for Mother’s Day this year, we didn’t know if we would be in
the hospital, be a family of four, or still be our little family of three, so I
decided I wanted to plan a family outing that could either be canceled last
minute or accommodate however many of us there happened to be. Family trip to the beach it was!
I
love the beach. It is my happy
place! I have been very fortunate to
have worked and/or lived within a five to ten minute drive to the beach for the
past decade. Whenever work gets too
stressful, I can just hop in my car and take my lunch at the beach. We don’t live as close to the beach anymore,
so packing up Guinevere and all the baby accouterments makes it difficult to
get there as often as I would like on the weekends. But this weekend it was so worth it!
When
we got there, I was surprised to step out of the car and find the temperature
in the 80’s! (I swear, while the rest of
the country had one of the longest, worst winters ever, we just had a full year
of summer . . . we really need some rain!) Even though the temp was warm, it
was SUPER windy! We decided to eat our
picnic lunches on the grassy area near the sand, but not on the sand. I am very glad we did because once we were
done and moved to the sand, our stuff was nearly buried within minutes!
Guinevere
was so well behaved the entire time! She
sat with us while we ate and didn’t try to wander off. Once we moved closer to the water, she found
the water both fascinating and terrifying.
I picked her up and took her out to try to get her feet wet, but she
clung to me like a monkey and wouldn’t let go.
We did get her feet in the water a little, but immediately after, she
went toddling up the sand, grabbed her sand toys and started digging well away
from the water, but still within viewing distance. Aaron and I took turns alternately hanging
out with her and dipping our feet in the water.
Guinevere sat and played in the sand for about an hour and seemed
perfectly content the entire time! She
kept looking over at the water and saying, “water!” or “ocean!” She also learned the words “beach,” “shell”
and “sand.”
Once
we had enough fun in the sun, sand and wind, we packed up and headed home. G was fast asleep before we even left the
parking lot. I was worried that she
would only nap during the drive home and then wake up and be a tired, cranky
toddler for the rest of the day. But we
were able to transfer her to her crib and get her to fall back asleep. Her nap lasted almost 4 hours!!! Guess all that excitement really tuckered her
out! I used that time to relax, unwind
& take a bath. I love baths and don’t
take them often enough. One weird thing
about taking a bath at essentially 9 months pregnant: having the majority of
your body submerged in warm water, but this ginormous belly still sticking out
in the cold air!
After
G’s nap, we had family dinner and together time, playing in the living room
until bed time. That’s all I think I ever want for Mother’s
Day: family together time. The whole day
was exactly how I wanted my last Mother’s Day as a the mom of 1 kid to be . . .
and probably how I’ll want them to be when we are a completed family unit of 4.
What
did you do for Mother’s Day?
That sounds like such a perfect day!! I can't wait to take my two kids to the beach this summer. I miss living in CA so much!! The only time we ever took Olivia she loved it, despite the fact that she had the stomach flu. We haven't been able to get back since so I'm really excited for this summer.
ReplyDeleteIt is really nice living in relatively close driving distance to the beach! Hoping this summer isn't too crazy hot here. Hope you get to the beach sometime this summer. :)
DeleteSounds perfect! Hubby made me chocolate chip and raspberry pancakes and we spent the day lounging and relaxing.
ReplyDeleteWow! That sounds delicious! Alas, I can have no sugar until this child exits my body, but that should be sometime soon . . .
DeleteAwe what a great day! We love the beach! :) We are in the middle of the dessert so we opted for a picnic at the park for Mother's Day! Happy Belated Mother's Day to you! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks! I think picnics make for the best type of Mother's Day activity! Happy Mother's Day to you too!
DeleteHow fun and relaxing! We love the beach. Congrats on your growing family! I took some much needed time to myself for mother's day . . . watched a movie and had a massage ;) Visiting from Time for Mom Blog Hop.
ReplyDelete