Spencer's first real beach experience!

When we lived in Texas, we lived about an hour from Galveston Beach.  We took Spencer there twice.  Here is her first trip to the beach at 3 months old when we went with my parents.  She liked the sound of the waves but she didn't touch the water yet.

We took her againg when she was 7 months old with Jason's parents.  

Again, she didn't touch the water.

Now we live about 45 min from two different beaches- Hilton Head Island and Tybee Island.  Spencer has been to Tybee twice-last summer when Mandy and Limeris came to visit but we didn't go out on the sand and back in February when it was really cold.

This month she had her first real experience at the beach.  We made a girls day out with the kids-my friend Jen and her two kids and Cindy-her sister-in-law- and her three kids and Spencer and I.  We headed to Hilton Head to Coligny Beach.  Apparently it was rennovated a year or so ago.  I don't know what it as like before but when we went, it was a great public beach.  It has free parking, the kids water fountain for them to play in at the entrance/exit, clean bathrooms with changing tables, outdoor showers with changing cabanas near them, feet washing stations, and no stairs-thus creating a great rolling experience for Spencer as she rode out to the beach in her wagon!  We packed food and water for the day and plenty of sunscreen.  Spencer wore her pink crocs and hat and at first she was running and having fun in the ocean with the big kids. 

Then a wave knocked her down and she couldn't get back up with the sand eroding away underneath her feet.  So after she got out of the ocean that time, she didn't want to go back in the water.  But the sand-that was a different story. We found a hole someone had dug and I showed her how to dig and play.  She was perfectly content with the sand toys and sand.  She would come sit in her wagon for snacks and we would wash off occasionally in the water.  But she was a becoming a little sand crab.

 Campbell was pulling Spencer around on this boogie board and she really wanted it back to play in the ocean.  We just told Campbell to pull Spencer to the water and she would get off once she got near the water because we knew Spencer had been running from the water all day.  Well Campbell did pull Spencer up to the water...and waited for her to get off.  But Spencer wouldn't get off!  So I ran down to the shoreline to get her but Spencer just walked right in.  By this time the tide was low and there was a tidal pool that didn't have waves.  Spencer realized that she could walk out in the water and it was just below her waist without waves!  Now she didn't want to leave the water.  These next two were taken when we were leaving.  She got a little upset that we were getting out of the water-hence the thumb sucking.

 Then to get the sand off of all the kids, just let them play in the water fountain!  Then change them right before hopping in the car.

We can't wait to go to the beach again!