We attended a family wedding on the beach this past weekend. After the ceremony the girls had some playtime in the sand and water. They loved it! Emily did lose her footing while a wave was passing and got a little wet. I think it added to the play! Julia enjoyed the sand and water. Her Mother even let her put a little of it in her mouth.

While in Miami, we went to watch the sun go down over Miami from Biscayne Bay. We played in the sand and Emily got in the water for a few minutes. Emily’s legs were sensitive to the saltwater that evening so she wasn’t interested in staying for long. But after a quick wash in the restroom she was ready to explore the beach.

This beach didn’t have tons of great sea shells, but it did have enough that Emily had success in finding them herself. We gave her a cup to put them in as she collected them. She enjoyed her treasures. Luckily for us, she didn’t want to keep all of them. She allowed her collection to be cut down to three to take with us.

Julia enjoyed her second trip to the beach. Her first trip a couple of months ago was mostly spent wrapped up in a blanket because of a cool breeze. Summer doesn’t have very many cool breezes to worry about. She loved just sitting on the blanket trying to grab the sand. As soon as she had sand in her hands she would try to eat it. She didn’t understand why I didn’t like that game.

It’s great to have Grandparents who live at cool destinations like by the beach. Thanks for taking us out to see the ocean!

Julia is a huge mama’s girl. Her mom is very thankful that during this trip Julia was happy to spend more time than usual away from her mom. Grandma got lots of Julia time!

Grandma took Emily down to get her legs wet. The bay side beach got deep pretty quick for someone who is only three feet tall. Emily enjoyed just walking down the bike/walking path that followed the beach. I think she would have kept going if I hadn’t made her turn and come back. Perhaps she really enjoyed the absolute freedom I was giving her – we walked where she wanted to and at her pace.

I was privileged to introduce Emily to her first ice cream truck while we were out at the beach. What a cool concept for a kid – big truck that plays music and also gives out ice cream! I got a chocolate soft serve cone for us to share. I loved the mustache and beard that was left after the cone was gone. Classic!

Our family took a trip to Florida to do some visiting. We took the opportunity to go out to the beach and play with the girls one afternoon. Julia wasn’t very interested in the cool breeze that hit her once she was ready for a nap. Shortly after this photo she got bundled up and took a snooze. Emily had a blast both playing in the sand and splashing in the ocean. We let her wade in far enough to get her shorts wet. She wanted to go in further and stay in the water longer than we allowed her. The beach was a place of exquisite freedom and play for her. Who knew that sea gulls ran when you chased them? Touching the sand was awesome, but do you want it piled on you? What did the ground feel like under the water?

Emily @ The Beach #1, originally uploaded by Robby Edwards.

Cape Cod National Seashore, August 2007

Another shot of Emily at the beach. She seemed very curious about what was going on around her.

Emily’s First Trip to the Beach, originally uploaded by Robby Edwards.

Cape Cod National Seashore, August 2007

Emily visited a beach for the first time! We set her down on a beach towel and let her play in the sand along the edge of the towel. She seemed very curious about what was going on around her.