Easter at the Beach

We decided to follow in the footsteps of some of our extended family and spend Easter at the beach this year. We got off to a rough start (i.e. crazy traffic because everyone else had the same idea, a dead car battery, buckets of rain...) but lest you think I'm whining unnecessarily, I will move on to the highlights. For instance, this picture up top just warms my heart. How is it that sibling rivalry evaporates into the wind when little toes touch sand? They went from squabbling monkies at breakfast to comrades against the surf.
They loved running from the waves, over and over and over...I won't mention any names but one of these boys used to toddle down the beach, screaming in fear, trying his best to get back to the safety of the beach house. The other one saw the ocean for the first time and ran straight in. They both had a great time this weekend and fell into bed from shear exhaustion.

What is this stuff on my toes? This was Eli's first trip to the beach. Although he spent an hour or so riding in the backpack on Steve's back, it wasn't long before he was clamoring to get down and check it out.

The hole digging began once the surf chasing was finished. It took all of 5 seconds for Eli to get right in the middle of everything and irritate the project manager. I think he delights in the fact that he can make his brothers scream in frustration with just one teeny, tiny poke of his toe into their business.

I thought this was a telling picture because Eli still doesn't walk. But he didn't let that limit his exploration. He has mastered the scoot technique: pushing with his left hand and scooting his bottom across the sand. He went down to the surf and then a long way down the beach, trying to get his hands on a bird. He was very annoyed when I put an end to his bird-chasing and brought him back to our spot on the beach. He's one determined little fella.

Although things didn't go as smoothly as we hoped, everyone enjoyed the time away from our usual routine and the boys are already talking about our next trip to the beach.