First REAL Trip To The Beach

So, last year little AK visit the beach about 4 times from the month of April through January, but none will compare to this first interactive day at the beach!!

We drove down to FL to visit all my parents. We stopped to see my Dad first and enjoyed some much needed catching up. We took AK over to see her Papa (her great grandfather) and that is always a sweet time.

After that visit we headed down to land of emerald green waters and white sandy beaches!! We did a little retail therapy on Saturday - and attended a great worship service at Destiny Worship Center. The best part about attending Saturday night church on a your traveling weekend is that you get more time to enjoy your Sunday before you have to head home on a 3+hour drive!
We rolled out of bed Sunday morning, ate waffles and put on our suites. I must say I probably really had no intention of actually getting wet or really staying long. Since this was AK's first "real" trip to the beach I didn't know what to expect. We stopped at one of those beach junk stores and got AK a set of sand castle bucket toys - you would have though we had given her a million dollars. She was so proud to carry that bucket around the store. We bought her a tourist t-shirt that said "Destin,FL" on it and then headed towards the coast.
We somehow managed to find amazing public parking and access that lead us straight to private beaches! We squeezed in between the two resort signs and set up our chairs, our tent, and all our bags and toys. AK was very unsure of the dry white sand under her toes. I'm sure it was because the sand is almost fluid and not a solid surface. I went straight to the water, which had a red flag(dangerous rip current) to test out the temperature. Being May 1st I knew it would probably be chilly - it was a little cool at first touch, but as I found out later - it was really quite nice!
Since AK wasn't a fan of the dry sand I thought I would take her down to the harder wet sand. This was more pleasing to her sense of touch - but once she saw that water we were done for. I think I must have a fish for a baby b/c she went straight for the waves breaking on the shore!  She loved the splash of the cool water onto feet! Next thing I knew I was having to hold her tight as she treaded further into the red flagged water!
I insisted on taking a break b/c I was so overwhelmed by her excitement of the water and I was honestly not prepared for her desire to dive right into the roughest ocean I had seen in a while. We headed back to our spot on the sand, this time we laid the beach sheet out giving AK a more solid surface to stand on and this seemed to do the trick. Mom packed a lot of snacks (such a good grandmother!). We gave AK a baggy of goldfish and I'm not sure I have ever seen such delight in my baby's eyes as she ate that snack - sandy hands and all! Like any curious baby AK did have her fair share of sand eating that day -but mostly by default of playing in the sand, nothing compared to the day we discovered she liked to garden!
Matt went back to the car and got his good camera, so we headed back to the water for a little memory catching!
Keep in mind that I never intended on getting wet. In fact I never even took my swimsuit cover-up off b/c I just didn't see the need....

Over all it was an amazing experience, red flag, and all! I cannot wait to get her back down to that water on a much calmer day.
My favorite part of her excitement was the high pitched scream of "WOO" every time a wave washed up on shore and splashed us. I fall more in love with my special gift from God everyday. She truly amazes me. From the moment she wakes up, she is the most joyful child I have ever seen. She loves to play "tickle" and even says in her best sneaky voice "tickle, tickle" when she wants to play! She dances even where there isn't music! She sings her own words when she hears a tune on the TV or radio. She gets excited like a kid on Christmas when she discovers a round object in public and scream "BAALL" as loud as she can until we acknowledge that she is correct! She loves to eat, whatever is on my plate (even if it's the exact same food) and she loves to drink, from my cup instead of hers! When she sees any animal she calls them over by making kissy sounds and patting her leg as if to say "come here, come on..." She is truly a blessing from above and I thank God for her daily. I thank him for the journey it took to get her here - She is an answer to prayer in every way!
Until next time....
BE BLESSED and BE A BLESSING!