Going through a million Pictures..

We took so many of our recent family jaunt down to great aunt janes house, this one is one of my favorites. Two cousins searching for shells on the beach. Wearing their matching hats and loving eachother's company. I am so grateful that these two cousins, 4 years apart, have found so much pleasure in each other.

The beach is a spot that my children adore. I grew up 4 miles from the beach during my childhood. It was simply a place that was always there, that we took for granted. I forgot the simple pleasure of running our toes through soft, warm sand. I forgot how hot sand is in the summer time. We would run down tot he water as fast as possible to cool our feet. I forgot how much fun it is to just look for shells and enjoy the sights, colors and textures of the beach.
We went to the gulf coast, the water is so beautiful and later in the year, so warm and fun. Even now, in February, we could put our feet in the water and not freeze. Our children could not wait to experience the singular delight of that first frozen shock and then the waves running over their legs, making them crow with joy.

I forget every time we plan to go, while we're busy packing up this and that to accomadate our every need, how much I just love being at the beach with children. Children take such delight in all the sights, smells and sounds. They don't feel the wind blowing sand into their faces as an unpleasant experience the way I do, they feel the uniqueness of sand and pour it all over themselves, reveling in the texture and feel of it. Babies eat it, just to check it out!

Sophie picked up tons of pieces of shells, and I kept trying to convince her that she wanted whole shells. Finally she convinced me, she wanted what she saw as beautiful, not what I saw as imperfect.

I am grateful to be given the chance to see life through the experiences of my children. I am grateful that I get to share in the wonder that is childhood every single day. It makes life worth living for me.