Katie goes to the beach!

Katie had a fantastic trip to the beach on Sunday! Peter decided that what he wanted to do for Father's Day was go to the beach. The weather cooperated and off we went. Aunt Rachel went too and Katie couldn't have been happier with her time at the beach. Everything was exciting to Katie and everything was fun. She loved digging in the sand. She loved dancing in the waves. Although she didn't go in above her knees, she met each wave with a shout of "go again! go again!" We all took turns playing with her in the water and she was the happiest little kid. She laughed and smiled the entire day. Even sitting on a beach chair was an exciting novelty for Katie. When she sat on the blanket, she actually said, "I want to sit on the beach Mommy," meaning the sand. For a kid who didn't always love the sandbox, she really was in her element at the beach. We were concerned that Katie wouldn't last long, that she'd hate the sand or get cranky, but really, she couldn't have been happier. She really alternated well between time spent splashing in the water and time spent digging in the sand. Katie had a running commentary for everything "I'm sitting in my beach chair. I'm digging with my shovel. I'm playing with my bucket" (italics meant to reflect her toddler accent - I find that the fact that she emphasizes direct objects in her speech very interesting).Katie was so great the entire time, but it's no surprise that we hadn't been driving 3 minutes and she was already asleep. We were at Robert Moses State Park, which is on Fire Island (but not the part with the ferry). Without traffic, it's only an hour away. With traffic, who knows. Yes, I'm a Jersey girl who did not grow up going "down the shore." We love this beach because it's not commercial at all, no boardwalk, no buildings, just 5 miles of beach.

Here's Katie passed out in her carseat on the way home. And then at home, Katie was still happy, but very tired. She wanted to take a nap on "her couch." First she wanted to go out for dinner, as we had suggested for a Father's Day treat and then she didn't. Here's Katie curled up on the couch with Puppy. "Dipa found my Puppy," she proudly says now.