Beach morning

Sometimes I think I take for granted that we live just 10 short minutes from the beach. I mean, growing up, it was always full of seaweed, the water is dark brown, and it was pretty covered in trash. 

There seems to be a revival in our area, trying to spruce up Surfside Beach, so the kids and I got up bright and early to hit up the sand in the cool of the morning. 

I must say it was a successful yet eye opening trip for many reasons. Thank goodness they have now opened a section of the beach with parallel parking, so now you can park your car on the street and walk all of 20 feet to sand. That was fantastic. Packing up the kids wasn't a big deal...getting set up wasn't a big deal....enjoying watching my kiddos play was a great deal...but leaving and cleaning was a huge deal. Now I know why my parents groaned every time I asked to go to the beach. 

It is a small price to pay to see the smiles on my boys' faces though. It gave them a chance to run, play, and just be free, and it gave me a chance to just relax in warm and not blazing sunlight. 

From three years ago when Caleb was physically and mentally unable to get out of the car...to today...it is some major progress. Three years ago, he sat in the car screaming because he couldn't handle the wind, the sound of the waves and the feel of the sun on his face. He just couldn't get out of the car. It was so bad that I had to wrap him in a towel tightly and buckle him in. He feel asleep and I rolled all the windows down and opened the back of the car so he would get a breeze while Jansen and I played behind him in the sand. 

This year they ran, played in the sand, buried each other, searched for shells, jumped the waves.

 I actually found use for the seaweed that was everywhere. It was a clean spot to put our bags. 

We drove through the car wash on the way home, and now we are home for lunch, showered and fresh, swimsuits in the wash, I am planning on cleaning the bathrooms of all the extra sand. But first....I shall rest. Beach time in the mornings are the best!