On the drive back home from our brief stay in Florida, we stopped at the beaches in Jacksonville. The weather was warm, but not quite warm enough to play in the water all day. The sand was actually really nice to walk in because it wasn't so hot that it burned your feet. It was soft and cool. The water temperature didn't matter that much - I think the kids had more fun finding seashells and chasing a bouncy ball along the soft sand.
It was nice because the beach was pretty open. Only 2 or 3 other people were there with us - so it felt like we had the beach to ourselves.
They both braved the water for a little bit. Eliza was a bit confused at why I told her she didn't need her swimming suit because we weren't going to go that far in the water. The water was a bit chilly (it is January after all), but it didn't take her long to figure out that her shorts and T-shirt were enough.
Watching them play in the sand was just so fun. The tide was low, and the sand dry, yet firm. Together they built a series of castles with various moats.
Eliza collected sea shell after sea shell - large ones too. At first we were trying to hold them all in Zaby's hat. Then a couple who were leaving gave us a large plastic container left over from their lunch that used to hold pineapple for us to store the sea shells in. Having remembered from their own experiences the fascination young children have with sea shells, it was thoughtful of them to provide us with a means to transport the plethora of shells the kids picked up.
I love this picture of him - he is just so cute.
If there is any picture that I am totally in love with, it is this one of everyone running along the beach. They found a bouncy ball of all things lying somewhere in the sand. The kids, and daddy took turns throwing it, and then they would chase it squealing and giggling all the while. It really made me smile, and think about al the small things in life that bring such great pleasure.
It really was one of the most relaxing beach days we've had. I didn't worry about packing lunches, umbrellas, beach toys, or sunscreen. I didn't have to lug towels and wet, sandy swimming suits, coolers, or anything else. I could simply enjoy the time with my family and watch them have the time of their lives with a simply bouncy ball.
We stopped for a few days Virginia on the way home. This really confused the kids because the weather was super cold - in the teens with chilling winds. We went from wearing shorts and T-shirts to winter coats. The kids literally thought that summer vacation lasted only 3 days.
In fact, we came home to Pennsylvania to this:
We built a snowman appropriately named "Olaf"
Zabien threw snowballs at everyone.
Proof that I actually went outside too. Generally I stay inside and take pictures.
Zabien helped daddy shovel the driveway. He loves to help.
Both children thought it was Christmas again. It didn't help that we still had our decorations up, and hadn't quite recovered from our Christmas visitors. I'm sure that the week we were in Florida felt like an eternity to them, but unfortunately, we have an entire year to go before Christmas comes again. Thank goodness!
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