Beach Trip

We went to Carolina Beach last week and had such a great trip. Mom rented a condo right on the beach and as much fun as Ella was at the beach last year, she was even more fun this year! Being able to walk, and also me not worrying quite as much about the sun (although she was covered in a 1-inch layer of Baby 50+ SPF at all times!), and her exponentially increased interest in everything, just made the whole thing so much fun.

We were able to walk down to the beach or pool so easily, it was perfect to be there with Ella because we could spend time on the beach, hop in the pool, and easily get back up to rest for meals, Ella's naps, and to get out of the sun. We spent lots of time on the beach and in the pool, Ella was quite the water-baby. Mom and Steve each watched Ella several times so that I could relax on the beach, and I actually read my whole book-club book for July in 3 days!

Here are some of Ella's top activities on the beach:

- Walking in the waves



- Throwing shells into the water when the waves came up (she actually waited until the minute they touched her feet, then yelled and threw in little shells)

- Scooping sand up with shells and giving her treasures to us

- Yelling, hollering and enjoying general revelry in the ocean



We spent many, many hours in the pool. One really funny thing Ella did in the pool over and over was dipping her head back in the water. One of the main "skills" she learned at swim lessons was dipping an ear in, her chin, cheek, etc., and she must have retained it - she would stand on to the ledge of the pool, close her eyes very tight, lean back and dunk her hair in; she also did the same with one cheek at a time. She probably did this 100 times throughout the course of the week. She was VERY proud of herself.

Here's a video clip of some Grade A hair dunking in the pool with Grammy.



Also, here are a few other "firsts" from the trip:

- Glenn gave Ella her first creamsicle pop, it was orange sherbert and took her a few tries to figure it out but she loved it (see pics below)

- First fireworks! We were able to see them from the balcony over the ocean and it was the perfect distance for Ella (and us) to enjoy them

Here is a scrapblog I made with lots of photos from the trip:



It was such a great trip - fun, relaxing, and a terrific break from work and the 'real world'!!