Seaside!

This last weekend was my last taste of freedom before fall quarter starts... Well, today! So Saturday morning I asked Graham: "Should we go to Seattle or Seaside for the day?" at first he answered Seattle, but quickly changed his mind, "Better go find an ocean, mama!" And off to seaside we went.





Before we hit the beach, Graham got to ride the carousel and we gathered a rather large bag of saltwater taffy from The Buzz as is my tradition when visiting Seaside.Then we ate some delicious food at Dooger's. Maeve and I shared a shrimp cocktail. She hasn't had shrimp much before but she pretty much ate the entirety of the shrimp cocktail herself. Then she also ate some of my cod fish and chips and most of her brother's meal. It's a little crazy how much this girl can eat!


Then we finally hit the beach. Both of the kids were very, very pleased. The walk to the actual water is rather long and after a few minutes Graham decided it would be easier if he walked along the sand barefoot. Maeve decided early on that it would be easier if she didn't walk at all and so mind controlled Brent into carrying her all the way to the water.

Graham and I reached the water first and he did not hesitate to head into the water. If I've ever doubted this boy is mine (and since I birthed the sucker, how could I?), his lack of trepidation for heading into the sea would resolve that doubt in a second. Despite being fully clothed, we both waded in without taking time to roll up our pant legs. We paid for this a bit later, but in the moment it didn't matter. It was a gorgeous mid-September day, the water was warm, and I felt like I was returning home after a long time. Yes, I love the beach and I love the sea. Graham clearly does, too.

Following the example set by her brother, Maeve also had little fear of the ocean. This meant me staying close to her as she explored, but ohhh how she explored. She was especially interested in how different the wet sand felt on her hands and how the waves felt as it came across her body. I held on to her as they came in with a little more force than I felt comfortable letting her experience alone. She absolutely loved every minute of it.

Before we headed back up the beach, Graham experimented with throwing some of the wet sand up in the air. This was pretty fantastic until some plopped in his hair which wasn't exactly in his original game plan. In the end, though, we all had a ridiculous amount of fun. Until next time Seaside, we will miss you and think of you often (well not really you, more the Pacific Ocean- but shhh don't tell Seaside that).