Beach Day!

I had been having trouble this summer coming up with ways to keep the kids happy. I just always have so much I want to get done that it's hard for me to set it all aside to step out as a family and do something awesome.

So, today we went to the beach. One of the great things about living in California is that we can decide spur of the moment to do that, and then be there in a couple of hours. First we hit Target for way too much junk food and a few buckets and shovels, then we headed home to change and pack, and before we knew it we were on our way to the beach.

This was a more crowded beach than what we usually go to, but it was still really nice because there was a cute little beach town right up against the beach. It was nice to not feel like we were out in the middle of nowhere. Plus we scored really great parking. Literally 5 feet from the sand.

Goofing around in the sand.

Lunch is always something of a trial on the beach. I ended up feeding each sandwich to each kid. They just don't have enough control to keep their hands sand-free for 10 minutes!

We played in the water a lot. Jacob went from being terrified to go near it to jumping in waves as high as his waist. Once he was comfortable in the water it was almost impossible to drag him away. Emily has always been at home in the ocean. I sort of wish we lived closer so we could get the girl some surfing lessons!

Afterward we went to the local grill and creamery for some treats. The kids loved each choosing a flavor from over 30 that they had available.

I chose the fries. Cut and fried as we ordered them.

We got home, showered, had dinner, and got ready for bed. As we gathered in the boys' room, everyone was exhausted, but in a happy, satisfied way. And then - this makes my heart so happy - they pulled out a few of their favorite books and just looked through them until we pulled them away for prayers and bed.

These are the books they had out.

And, in case you're a little insane like I am and obsess over book details, here it is a little more in-depth:

Emily: Charlie's Birthday Present (Best book ever!! I ordered this because I had such fond memories of it from my childhood!), Mice and Beans

Caleb: Alexander and the Terrible... Day, Battle Bunny, Big Mean Mike, Creepy Carrots, Leonardo the Terrible Monster

Elinor: Mike and the Magic Cookies (another great one from my childhood!), Room on the Broom, Uni the Unicorn

Jacob: In the Town All Year 'Round, Curious George and the Firefighters, The Seven Silly Eaters

I love it. I have gone to great lengths to make sure we have really fabulous, worthwhile books all over our house, inviting our kids to sit down and have a read. No mediocre books here - every one is chosen very carefully and purposefully. And moments like these make it totally worth it. (You know, even if I didn't love making lists of books to own and taking a minute every time we're out at Goodwill or Saver's to pull new treasures from those shelves. :))

So, yes. This day pulled us out of our summer time funk a little bit and inspired me to plan more days out with the kids. A success all around.