A Day at the Beach

Saturday, we headed east to celebrate this little guy's birthday at the beach:

 We arrived at the beach about ten, which meant we were one of three cars in the parking lot--just our style. We love the lack of crowds and being virtually alone with the ocean.

Issa couldn't get to the water and the shells fast enough:

 We were very successful! We found all kinds of shells, including sand dollars and a tooth!

 Issa and I would run back to show the boys anytime we found a great shell. One of my favorite moments of the day wasn't captured on film. Issa and I were running back and forth, and in a rare moment she decided we should leap. Her leaping is not at all unusual, but I found myself leaping with her. We were both giggling, and I loved that carefree moment we could share.

Evan is not so much a water guy. He is more of a beach guy:

 This is how he likes the ocean:

 In a bucket.

Daddy and I swapped kids, and then Daddy and Issa headed down to the water:

 Does it get any sweeter than this:

 After lots of jumping in the waves, they just sat in the ocean. Melts my heart.

Evan kept digging and building:

 I tried to help, or at least talk with him, and he was not interested, "Mama, my building and listening to the water. No talking." Alright then; at least he appreciates where he is. It was fun to just sit and take it all in.

Eventually, Issa realized the water was a bit chilly:

 I promise she's in the towel. She warmed up, and the sun came out. We spent a few more hours playing in the sand and enjoying the beach. We had a picnic, and just generally soaked in the ocean.

Eventually, we packed up and headed for the aquarium. The first stop was the alligator exhibit:

 And Evan reunited with his friend:

 Issa headed straight for the crab:

 I don't completely understand the allure of this, but she loves it!

We spent most of our time at the big coral reef tank, looking for sharks, eels, and rays:

 Issa actually got this shot:

 There is something magical about rays. While we were there, we also got to pet a sea star and watch the baby sharks and rays eat. It really was one of the coolest things. The same caretaker feeds them daily, so when she opened the door to get to the tank, you could see the sharks and rays start swimming faster. Eventually, you could barely see them because the water was so choppy. The rays came up to eat right out of her hand, and the sharks are stick fed. It really was amazing.

We stopped by the gift shop, and Issa added to her dolphin collection. Evan found a container of sharks, dolphins, whales, and turtles. It was perfect. He had them all swimming in a bowl yesterday, and he loves to dump them out, sort them, and name them.

On the way out, we followed the board walk, enjoying birds and turtles galore. We also were on the lookout for any alligators that might wander on the path. That really happens, but we managed to avoid any close encounters. We did have a close encounter with a little lizard, but he was just fun to watch once my pulse steadied. I had leaned on a railing to look at the birds and very nearly put my hand right on the little guy.

The last stop is always the frog:

I think it was a perfect day. Evan said his favorite part was building sand castles with Daddy, which was really Daddy building and Evan playing Godzilla. Issa loved the shells and being in the ocean. I don't think I can pick a favorite...there were just too many perfect moments.