Beach blanket bingo

Lucy has her sunglasses, her big floppy hat, her sunscreen and she's not afraid to use it! It makes for a good beach pic, but she didn't keep the sunglasses on. I would have thought she would, given how often she's seen us change from our regular glasses to our sunglasses, but no. She's too busy being on the move.
She seemed to enjoy herself quite a bit at Sand Beach yesterday. Although, she's decided that it's really not okay for one parent to sit on the beach and the other to take her down to the water. She would like us both to be with her down at the water, thankyouverymuch. It's really sweet, actually.
On our way down to the water, she found a treasure she simply had to stop and admire. I plunked down next to her and she shared it with me. It was a piece of seaweed that had dried to a crisp.





















After playing with the seaweed, she got into the stream behind the ocean. It's so very much warmer than the frigid ocean water at Sand Beach. She splash, splash, splashed. I love the way she picks her foot up and out of the water to take a step.
Down at the ocean side of the beach she got good and wet and sandy. She and Lise chased the waves in and out. Lucy ran backward with me away from the incoming waves.

My gratefuls: small shovels, warm sand, vivid green, deep blue, and fluffy white colors.

"Don't let the sun go down on me"

We are on our yearly vacation to Bar Harbor, ME. We always stay at a place called Bar Harbor Cottages and Suites. It's nice coming back to the same place year after year...it's easy, comfortable and there's so very much to do here. Yesterday, we went to a couple of places.
The first was a trip into downtown Bar Harbor, where we spent a little time at the rocky beach just off the pier. Lucy and I spent some time watching a lobster boat pull in and unload case after case of lobsters then load them into a pick up for delivery. We talked about the difference between a lobster boat and a sailboat, both of which were moored in the harbor.


Then Lucy and Mama took their beach treasure bags and went hunting. They came back laden with treasures. I watched from the ramp while I worked on knitting Lucy a sweater (my first try!) from a pattern Melissa gave me and commandeered the camera.


After a very filling lunch at 2 Cats (Lucy had her very first fresh strawberry, and loved it) we headed over to Seal Harbor where we played on the beach and in the water. Lucy discovered a seagull feather (she is lately enamored of seagulls) and played a game with a girl there where she would drop the feather into the river of fresh water that was draining into the harbor, and the girl (or Mama) would chase the feather before it made it to the 'ocean'. She squealed like she'd never done anything that fun in her life.

Feather in hand, and joy in heart.

I'm grateful for vacation, toddler laughs, found treasures, a small hand wrapped around my pointer finger, and screened-in beach cottage porches.

My beginning 5.

There is a photo of me around this age, bending over a child on the playground and smiling; I, too, have pigtails on either side of my head. This is the first time LJ's hair has been long enough to put pigtails on either side of her head.

I am grateful for her beauty.

Her gorgeous blue sweater is a homemade creation from Melissa, who has some of the most amazing knitting talent I've ever seen.

I am grateful for dear friends.





Last weekend we were able to make it Salisbury Beach on one of the most gorgeous spring days we've had thus far. It was the perfect day for a beach visit, and the first LJ has taken at an age where she really enjoyed herself. She squealed and took off running in the sand.

I am grateful for unfettered joy.

She didn't want to leave the beach, and when we came down the ramp on our way back to the car, she wiggled to get out of Mama's arms, turned around and started walking back toward the beach. Fortunately, she was distracted by the post and turned it into a game of peek-a-boo.

I am grateful for peek-a-boo.

When I left for work the other morning, I asked LJ if I could have a hug. She turned to look at me, said "Yeah," and walked into my arms. To know that this child, who pushed away from snuggles since the day she was born, feels empowered because I asked for snuggles instead of imposed them and willingly came to me, makes my heart feel large.

I am grateful for choice.