My Little Beach Bum

From the moment we walked over the boardwalk and the ocean came into view, Alex was completely and utterly in love with the beach. As I carried him he was pointing and yelling "look!" and wiggling to get down, so down he went and off he ran, straight for the ocean hand in hand with his Daddy.

We knew how much Alex liked water, he loves his bath and his baby pool and has always had a good time in his Grandma and Grandpa's pool, but the ocean we weren't sure of. He's never been exposed to anything like waves so we didn't know if they would scare him. Turns out we had nothing to worry about, nothing at all. Alex loved the water and the waves and the sand and just about everything the beach has to offer. I think however, that more than anything Alex loved the freedom being at the beach gave him. We just let him run and run he did, up the beach and down the beach, in and out of the water, we just followed him and it was clear just how much fun he was having.

A video of Alex having fun on the beach.

By mid morning on the first day at the beach, it became clear to us we weren't going to be able to keep Alex out of the water. The water was a little chilly but that didn't stop him he went straight in every time and didn't seem phased at all by the temperature. He only wiped out a few times but didn't get upset at all, he jumped right up and was back on his feet and running right back into the waves in no time. My cousins were even chasing him around dumping water on his head and though it was hilarious. I just love this little boy more than words can describe.

When the time came to build the traditional drip castle, Alex was right there to, uh, help? The dry sand found near the dunes, you know the really hot sand, wasn't really his cup of tea. He had trouble walking on it and usually wanted us to carry him, but once you got down to the wet sand his distaste was over and he wanted down immediately. He loved running his fingers through the sand and it didn't take him long at all to figure out how to use a shovel. He helped my dad dig a hole to get the drip castle started and then found said hole to be the most comfortable place to sit. He sat in the the hole until the castle had a good start, then he would climb out and throw himself on the castle, giggling every time. It was funny and it dubbed him the castle crusher the rest of the week.



Now lets get to the fun ocean water pics of Alex. These are some of my favorites from the beach. Alex was playing in the water with his Aunt Ali (my sister) and was having a blast. She would let the waves get really close and then she'd pull him up out of the water at the last moment and he would give out a gut laugh every time, it was classic beach fun! By the end of the week Alex was a true beach bum, laying in the water and soaking up the rays. My favorite is the shot of him laying down with his cute little baby bum hanging out.

The week was perfect, just perfect. The temps stayed in the low 80's with little humidity so we were all comfortable the whole week allowing us to have lots and lots of fun without being uncomfortable. I am so happy Alex got to enjoy the beach this summer, it was great watching him have so much and part of me believes he thought we lived there. It broke my heart a little to have to take him away from it and bring him back to Ohio. But the good news is, we get to do it all over again next year, here's hoping he has just as much fun next year, maybe even more!

10 Things I learned on Vacation about my Toddler

1. He isn't afraid of anything. ANYTHING.
2. My clothes are never going to remain clean as long as my son is in the room.
3. Alex could live in a hole dug in the sand near the ocean if we let him.

4. He does not like to be restrained in a car seat or stroller for more than 30 minutes (great for a 12 hour drive)
5. Alex is in the curious phase and points to everything and I mean everything.

6. He has a huge fascination with fountains, waterfalls and boats.
7. Queen is Alex's artist of choice for music to dance to.
8. My husband could easily pick up chicks with our son and his eyelashes.
9. He is becoming the sponge our parents warned us about.
10. Alex loves, absolutely loves his Daddy.

Alex and his Pop

Alex spent the whole week with loads of family last week and he had fun with all of them. But I really enjoyed watching him with his pop (my dad.)

Behind the condo there is a little pond with a fountain, inside are turtles, fish and lots of ducks. Of all the things there Alex was completely fascinated by the fountain, always pointing to it and saying "see!" My dad spent a lot of time walking around that pond with Alex and they both enjoyed every minute of it. My sister captured some great shots the first day there, Kris and I came down a day later because I was in a wedding. I was a little sad that I missed Alex's reaction but grateful my sister was there (and that she has such an awesome camera.)

Alex spent a lot of time in the water, this was no surprise really. We already knew he loved the water so we knew he would love the pool and the beach. He had lots of fun in the pool at the condo with Pop, splashing and walking around. The pool at the condo has a fantastic baby pool on the one end that is only 1 foot deep and gradually deepens to 2 feet. Alex seemed to like the pool better if he could touch the ground, he wasn't too excited about being in any sort of raft so we just let him walk around the pool sans flotation device, but no worries, Pop was always close by.

I came across this picture (it's been on a previous post) and had to do a side by side of then and now. On the left is my dad and myself in the pool at the condo in 1984, I was a bright eyed 9 month old. On the right is a picture from last week of my dad and Alex in that same pool. By the way, how little has my dad aged in 27 years?!

The beach is going to have to be a whole other blog post, there is just too much to say about it. But I will say that Alex fell in love with the beach the moment he laid eyes on it and he had a fabulous time "building" sandcastles with his pop, just like I always have.

Alex is lucky to have 2 grandpa's in his life and like the father's day card I gave my dad says, "Great Dad's get promoted to Grandpa's." I am thrilled that Alex will have a yearly trip to the beach to look forward to and even more thrilled that he will get to spend the time with my dad, his Pop :)

We're Back!

After a whole week at the beach, the S family has returned and it's back to the grind. Kris and I are back at work and Alex is back at Nanny's house but that doesn't mean I  have lots and lots to share this week. Be prepared for tons of vacation goodness!

Those posts however are going to take some time to put together so in the mean time enjoy a picture of this guy! His names is Shermy and he lives at the condo we stayed at at the beach, he loves peanuts and will follow you around but watch out he's a big one, twice maybe three times the size of a normal squirrel we would see here in the OH-I-O.

Shermy, the Sherman Fox Squirrel

Happy Heart is going on Vacation

I like to think that family is important to everyone. It hurts my heart to think of those who don't embrace the families they've been blessed with. Sure, sometimes moms can be a bit overbearing and dads a little too strict but they only do the things they do because they love you. Of course your siblings get on your nerves at times but seriously, where would you be without their unique ways of showing love? I for one, am of the fortunate ones. My family is beautiful, my family is awesome, and my family loves me not only for who I am but for who I dream to be. I am who I am because of who they are. My mom is my best friend, my dad my hero and my sister is my soul. Don't even get me started on my grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins. I couldn't be more excited about spending the whole next week with them.

Happy Heart is taking a vacation, but don't worry I'll be back in a little over a week with what are sure to be some fabulous beach loving posts. I am taking my little family to be with the WHOLE family for a week of sunshine and fun. We're meeting up with my parents, my grandparents, my sister, brother-in-law, nephew, aunt, uncle and cousins (whew! <---- did I miss anybody?) at the beach and this mama couldn't be more ready (or in desperate need) for a vacation.

I am lucky to have this summer tradition with my family. Every year we go to the same beach and every year we have a fantastic time. Do you have any summer traditions you share with your family?

When I look at old pictures of me from the beach, I see a little bit of Alex. Maybe he does look like me after all.

Here is a picture of Alex, just for comparison:

Almost Beach Bound

A little over a week from now, my family and I will be relaxing with our toes in the sand.

Words can not explain how needed this vacation is. I look forward to this trip every year but this year I feel as excited as I would get when I was a little girl. I turned 28 last October and every summer of my life since the summer before I was born I have gone to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina with my family. Mom, Dad, Pop and Grandma, and my sister Alison. Over the years we've brought friends with us, met up with other family members including my Aunt, Uncle and cousins (they come almost every year now and rent their own place), and now as we have got older our families have grown. With the additions of husbands and kids, the condo seems to be getting smaller and smaller but the fun hasn't stopped. I've calculated that this will be my 31st trip to MB.

My first trip to the beach

Catching waves, probably right before I face planted and swallowed a ton of
saltwater, that happened a lot.



June 2008



My family in  June 2005



Sure the excitement diminished a little over the years, we know that beach inside and out so sometimes it felt more like a home away from home rather than a vacation but now that we have kids, the excitement has returned. Now, we get to show them all the fun the beach has in store for them. We get to relive all the wonderful family memories we have by creating new ones with our boys. My sister's little boy will be almost 6 months old so he's just getting into the everything-goes-in-my-mouth stage so the sand should be a blast with him. Alex will be 15 months old July 4 and so far he loves everything to do with water. He loves his bath and has had a great time the last couple weeks playing in the pool. I am sure he is going to just love the ocean!

This isn't Alex's first trip to the beach. We took him last year, but he was only 10 weeks old and spent most of the trip sleeping in a bouncy chair at the beach, this year is going to be so much better! Here are some pics from last year's vacation. I hope you enjoy them, I know we had a good time living in them :)

Are you taking a vacation this summer? Where are you going?

Here's to Summer!