Turns Out We Live By A Beach

A few weeks ago (when I was in Seattle?  I can't remember why I wasn't there), Shaun was keeping the boys occupied.  He told me that they'd visited a beach just a few miles away, and, despite the nice weather, there were hardly any people there.

I gave the "that's nice" nod and made a mental note to check it out some time.  Now, in my defense, I have not had much exposure to non-ocean beaches in my life.  To this point I've never lived near large rivers or big lakes.  In my mind's eye the beach they visited looked pretty much like the pebbly patch of land on the Columbia by our old rental house in Vancouver, only slightly bigger.  Believe me, I would not have been so nonchalant about his discovery had I realized it looked like this:

Look!  It's so...beachy!  Yes, my friends, let us add "beautiful beach on the Columbia River" to our list of enticements to get you to come visit us.  All three of the boys got to work immediately upon our arrival on Sunday afternoon.  The boys dropped to the sand as soon as they hit the beach.  That's Shaun in the back launching the kite.   

It wasn't until I reviewed the photos afterward that I noticed the boys were always playing TOGETHER in the sand and the water.  Finally, having them two years apart starts to pay off.  Oh, the mom-ish satisfaction.

Poor Willem has been so beach deprived that he would periodically stretch out in the sand, making full-body contact with it.  When I say full, I mean including his forehead.

Nels did a great job flying the kite.  Most of the time his tongue was hanging out.  He was very committed.

A little sand spit made a spectacular play spot.

Building a volcano, of course.

Once they were wet, the wind wasn't so fun.  This is Willem's "I'm cold and I'm done" face.

The fresh air felt good, but I was more than ready to return to the sofa and a box of Kleenex by the end of our outing.  And I'm still really excited that we live by a beach.