BEACH!!!

Last weekend, Alex and I decided our little family was in need of a vacation - a quick getaway to the beach was in order!  So, we packed up the car, drove down to lovely NC, and enjoyed a long weekend of relaxing and spending time together as a family.

This included lots of music and dancing (Hannah's favorite pastime lately), digging in the sand, playing in the waves, and sleeping in (it's amazing what the beach can do to tire out a 1.5 year old!).  It was a fantastic trip - we weren't ready to come home! - and I'm so glad we took the chance to get away.

Hannah was a little tentative about the beach at first - unsure about walking on the sand, nervous about the moving water - but by the end, she was charging off into the ocean all by herself (under close supervision of course).  Couldn't be more proud to be this fearless girl's mama.

Rocking that beach hair blowing in the wind

We tried to tempt her to walk on the sand by putting the seashells just out of her reach...good parenting trick or just plain mean? 

Her hesitations didn't last long - by the afternoon, she was digging in the wet sand and showing off that diaper butt.

She still wasn't sure about walking on the sand, but crawling through it worked for short distances.

"Hey!  A seashell!"

Love those sweet curls

Day 2: walking down to the ocean to hunt for FISH (which is what she's saying in the picture)

Getting the hang of her sand tools

Loving the ocean!

The beach hair gets even better when you add water

Making her first forays into the sand on my lap was just fine with me!

Trusting her Dada to take her out into the waves

This beach bum can't wait to go back!