At the Beach With a Toddler {12 Photos!}

On Thursday last week the scorching heat gave us little choice but to make our first trip to the beach. So we went and took lots of photos! Above, as we arrived Baby T was mesmerized by the sheer amount of sand, digging his pudgy little hands into it. Last summer he was just six months old, of course he remembers nothing of the beach!

It was incredible seeing everything through his eyes - opened wide as he saw the ocean. He just stared at it for several minutes. He was hypnotized by the gentle movement of the water. 

On Horseback

Baby E was beyond excited to finally be at the beach, she's been talking about it all the time. At home she likes to play 'pretend beach' on the bed or rug, pretending to be laying in the sand getting a tan. The water was freezing. Even that didn't stop her from getting her feet wet!

Baby E hesitating to touch the water

My mother with Baby T

My mom comes over twice a week and takes the kids outside for a couple of hours so I can get some dedicated work time. So thankful to have that, it keeps me sane. Through the summer though, just as we did last year, at least one of the days she is here I spend with her and the kids because life is too short to work non-stop. We usually pick a destination within a half hour drive of our house and enjoy the summer weather and spending time with the children. This always gets me really behind on work, but you know what? I don't really care, I need some downtime too - in the winter I really don't get much, if any. 

Such a gorgeous day

So we were really enjoying it, watching the kids dig in the sand. Thankfully Baby T didn't try to taste it, but he did rub his eyes with a sandy hand and that was no fun! Okay, so we can handle that, no big deal. 

For about twenty minutes Baby T was hesitant to even touch the water. He wanted nothing to do with it. I help him in my arms near the water and he would ask to walk away from it. What I absolutely didn't expect is what he did next... 

In two second flat he ran right into the water with zero fear and squealing with delight! Now that would be the perfect moment to capture if it wasn't for one thing - he didn't even think of stopping. In absolutely frigid waters all he wanted was to run right into the ocean! This kid is something! 

His stubborn nature shined through when for about ten minutes straight he would just try to pull himself, along with me, right into the ocean - until I was completely exhausted from trying to keep him from going under. 

So that's that, we just had to leave, otherwise he would have loved to dive right in! This little kid knows no fear.

Baby T running into the ocean, not wanting to stop!

Baby T is generally serious, especially in the company of strangers. Here he was his fun-loving self. I love catching him when he is actually smiling! After the beach we went across the parking lot to a playground where Baby T had a blast climbing up a slide on his own and then sliding down, over and over, and over...

Baby E's and T's first day at the beach was a success, though it really exhausted me and made me long for a nap!

Do you like going to the beach with your babies/toddlers? 

Do you have any crazy stories to share?