On Saturday we went to a nearby beach. By beach I mean sandy spot by the side of a river. Not an actual coastal beach. Still, it is beachy, with sand and water.
We brought a picnic, but the best part, of course, was wading. We walk from one end of the beach to the other and then back again. It could probably be done in five minutes by a normal paced person, but with four interested kids, it takes about half an hour.
I really adore these kids.
Elsie, making sure her skirt does not get wet.
Toes and sandy rocks.
Sandy hands
Gilbert is an enthusiastic wader. He was wet from his upper arm to his finger tips and from his waist to his toes. It happens every single solitary time. I also forget to bring extra clothes for him every single solitary time.
A fun little tradition we have going on.
A crab claw. (I think.)
The different colored sand
Seagulls
And then there were these cute little sandpipers.
My wandering girls
The ruffly skirt held carefully away from the water and sand, the sturdy little legs... I know. I took too many pictures of this. But I am really noticing how quickly these sturdy little legs are growing up. And since I don't have another set of legs to watch grow up through babyhood, I am very bittersweet about the whole thing. I get a tiny bit irritated with people who say they wish they could just stop their kids from growing anymore. No one ever honestly means that, but after we had a scare with Gilbert, facing the possibility of him never actually maturing, I remember thinking it was a completely ridiculous thing to even say. How could you not want to watch your child grow and learn and master new skills? Fortunately, that scare with Gilbert passed over us. The diagnosis we received was somehow averted. But that situation has left an impression on me--how very, very lucky I am to watch my children grow and mature. So I don't want to stop that growing.
I just want to wallow a little more thoroughly in their little kid-ness at this moment.
Aren't they marvelous?
I am a bit of a sucker for seagulls. Maybe because I don't see them that often.
Justin threw picnic scraps out for the seagulls so I could get some close up pictures.
Sort of insane looking birds. That ring around their eye...
Taking off
Lily wanted in on the seagull feeding
They are so flat looking when they fly low.
And back they go to water.
On the way home, there were two fields completely awash in false mustard. So brilliantly yellow it looks fake.
