Beach Trip

Our anniversary was earlier in the week, and as a simple means of celebrating we decided to take a day trip to the coast. After putting in a half-day's work at home first (shipping products, sawing firewood, and stacking hay), it was finally time to load up and go.

It started off pretty well, with two lovely (read: sleeping) children in the car, and Mom and Dad getting a little quiet talking time.

We strolled along the waterfront for a spell...

Aleaha and Dad checking out the fishing boats.


Mommy and Miri watching the sea lions.


There were a few basking in the sun on the dock below the pier. Aleaha exclaimed, "Them don't mell very good, Mom." (She smelled the fishery nearby and attributed the smell to the sea lions.) When a word starts with s and then another consonant, such as smell, she drops the s.... smell is "mell," stop is "dop," splinter is "plinter," stinky is "tinky", etc. And then there's the misuse of pronouns -- "them are", "him is", etc. She's our little Hick from the Sticks.


Miri wore her sunglasses for a little while, and they were darn cute! (functional, too -- she's so practical in that way. hehehe) But it didn't last long; she found ways to get them off.

Then we stopped at our ritual coffee spot, Kudalini Espresso, for lattes and a creamsicle soda, then and headed to the beach. Aleaha has been fixated on sharks lately, and wonders with every body of water if there are sharks in there and if they will eat people.


She got in lots of sand-climbing time....


...and was always on the move, running way ahead of us.


The wind was really strong, blowing sand all over. Poor Miri had to be bundled up tight. And she still had sand in her ears. Baths were required for all that night!


Cool sand formations from the wind.


Aleaha had been so interested in getting in the water (wanted to wear her swimsuit), until we were actually there, naturally. And of course there was the issue of sharks.


She was on the go the whole time, running-running-running.


A darling photo with natural smiles. Notice the angle of the her braid -- there was a bit of wind.

After the beach visit, we stopped for dinner. We have lamented the fact that we no longer get to eat at nice places (Mommy really wanted to go to The Whale's Tail), and instead we opt for family-friendly places. We ate the the Chalet, which is one of those places that serves more type of pie than anything else. And when they say they are family friendly, they really mean that they cater more to the 80-and-up crowd, but not so much to parents traversing with small children. There was a kids' menu, but no changing table in the bathroom for babies. Mommy has learned to make do, of course, but it's frustrating.

Speaking of frustrating, that's a good description for dinner with the three-year-old. It's a total cajole to get her to eat. I know lots of parents have dealt with this, but it's relatively new for us. Aleaha's always been a good eater, up til now. After Mommy took Miri out to the car for her dinner (thought about feeding her right there at the table, but that would have really tested the family-friendly moniker of the Chalet, haha), Daddy was left to manage Aleaha. Short story: It was not good. Tears, fits, and a quick exit.

As The Fates would have it, the ride home was the opposite of the peace we enjoyed on the way over. Miri must have had some sort of gas pains or sand in her eye or something, because she screamed almost the whole way home.