First Beach Trip!

After questions all week long about going, the girls were super excited to know that we really could go to the beach today. The older two were disappointed that none of their friends were able to come, but they were still looking forward to playing.

We gathered with friends and headed to my favorite place, Silver Beach in Saint Joseph, Michigan.

We ate lunch, slathered ourselves in sun screen, and then played in the sand, the water (which was cold, but not unbearable), and with friends. It was AWESOME and just the way Summer Vacation should start!

Squish and wiggle those toes in the sand!

I adore this smiley little girl!

Walker was a champ and played with his little brother, Jacob, and Miranda (who is in the right edge of the photo)

Some new friends! We met this family at church. It's always awesome to find new friends to play with!

Splashing- in sand or water.

Pure Joy! Nothing like getting to play in the water.

Megan spent nearly the entire day trying to catch tiny fish. I think she almost caught some a couple of times.

Miranda didn't leave the water for the first two hours. She was an ice-cube when she finally got out.

Jacob swimming "under water".

Miranda swim-crawling. She LOVES the water!

Veronica played a lot by herself, or with whomever was nearby. She didn't get into the water, unless he had to wash off.

I could just squish this little girl, she's so cute! She ran around (always so busy!) and had a blast in whatever she was getting into. Poor mom, this little girl is FEARLESS and CURIOUS.

She even buried her own face in the sand!

Diggin a pit to China- or at least the water table.

Well, maybe they were just adding their own water!

This little girl got so cold in the water that she ran up onto the warm sand and laid face down in it to get warm. She was more content to watch for a while after warming up.

Miranda and Veronica built a "castle" inside the pit.

Joshua and Veronica worked together adding more water to the moat and sand to their castle.

See? Still smiling!

Jacob shows off the shells he found in Lake Michigan.

Miranda wanted me to help her build a sand castle, but she took off soon after I (finally!) got around to making one. Veronica came over to help me, and so did Julie Z and Jacob. Zoë helped with the moat, including trying to fill it with water (as did some other kids).

The girls were sad that we didn't have time for the playground, that the kite we tried to fly made only loop-de-loops (any idea why?), and that we also had to skip the splash pad. But, today isn't the last time we'll be heading up there this summer! And, we're always looking for friends to come along!

We loved spending the afternoon with you, dear friends! Can't wait until the next trip.