beach

tonight after i put dax to sleep, i was cleaning up and noticed the car keys stuck in the keyhole of the antique wooden dresser in our living room. i know someday i'm going to miss finding little surprises like that. the mark of your baby's creativity and imagination. we were at the beach and i saw a toy thermometer on the floor that i didn't remember packing and asked lance if we brought it or it was someone else's. he said he found it inside one of his basketball shoes. 

dax, i love your sneakiness. the way you surprise us. and you blow us away with how smart you are - we don't give you nearly enough credit for the smarts you already possess at 18 months of age. you're stealthy and intuitive. i love when people smile when they see you, and the way you'll approach anyone and everyone - even if it is tiring for this introverted mama to say hello to everyone on a crowded beach.

dax loved chasing seagulls, giggling at the waves while he clung to me (but not getting in the ocean), running up to the waves or running away from them (but not when his feet started getting buried in wet sand - which he quickly solved by acting paralyzed and falling over), meeting everyone on the beach, jumping in on stranger's games and castle building and burying, throwing sand at people (ugh), playing trucks, watching planes, hopping in puddles, and sitting in the sand to play.

the trip was stressful and full of lowlights (a little something you could call spin-paws/fin-walls/shin-maws ... you get the idea) ... but i'd rather forget that, so here are a few highlights:

1. oatmeal cookie ice cream on the boardwalk

2. mornings and evenings on the big decks with great furniture (i love outdoor furniture)

3. the amazing playground covered with canopies for shade. this is genius and i wish all playgrounds would follow suit.

4. fresh apple cider donuts.

5. dax napped on our bed since he refused to nap in his pack-n-play. one day he woke up from his nap and climbed out of the bed and came out into the hallway so silently that we didn't notice until he was standing at the top of the stairs peering into the living room and making a noise. (not ready for him to climb out of his crib anytime soon, but this was funny!)

6. watching dax experience the beach for the first time.

7. running every morning - bliss! why is it so much easier for me to run at the beach?! i think it has to do with the obvious BEAUTY, the weather, and the safety in numbers.

8. watching dax have fun with his older second cousins. he's not drawn to babies, but he loves older kids.

9. the adorable things his cousins said. from "i love dax"  and "dax wouldn't do that because he's a nice baby" to saying, "see i told you, somebody got eaten by a shark!" when fire engine sirens went off.

10. giggles and laughing.

11. the victory of dax not getting sunburnt. (i was worried.)

12. lance's grandparents. love them. 

12. late night (9pm) walks with lance on the boardwalk, feeling like i was 1000 years old because what people (kids) wear and trends like the high waisted short shorts just kill me.

13. but also feeling content deep inside, like 'yeah life is hard, but marriage is good. i love being married to this guy.' the beach always brings out that contented feeling in me. reason enough to save and invest in a beach house - my lifelong dream.