testing the waters...a beach adventure

my 2 bestest long time friends and a baby are in town so...today, we went to the beach. yes, with all 4 kiddos in tow +1...i'm exhausted and trying to remember what exactly happened just made me more exhausted. it was the twins 1st trip to the beach ever and our first trip for the summer. if it weren't for visitors i might never have gotten there.

going as a parent isn't nearly as cool, calm & casual as it was in the days of college. then i would just show up in my hot little bikini whenever i wanted & for however long i wanted with just a towel. oh how those days now seem completely foreign. it's like it wasn't true reality but just some tv show or a cover on a magazine. i rarely even thought of sunscreen yes, stupid me. but hey, did you take care of your skin in your invincible years?! 

the on-goings in the house this morning to get ready were on the brink of complete and utter chaos. first i had to reorganize the van thankful for my 8 passenger capability with an extra carseat that's 5 carseats people! & the jump seat. i was dripping sweat off my eyebrows by the end. gross! and then it was getting everyone little boy in the house dressed & slathered in sunscreen. packing bags of towels, snacks & drinks. the umbrella & strollers. it was a full load to say the least.

what the back of my car looked like minus the adults

the hardest part isn't even the getting ready, it's the getting from the car to the beach and back again. its hard work lugging the stuff and the number of small children we had through the hot sand to the most desirable location on the shore. in the end we just plopped down & put the umbrella up.

and in no time, {matty} was trying to conquer the small mountain of sand that was supporting the umbrella and {sam} found something to put in his mouth...a handful of sand. {ben} found something to help him dig and {gabe} took off for the water. surprise, surprise. i was more than grateful for the extra set of hands.

it didn't take him long to figure out that he could shake it back & forth

i never knew that eating sand could make you happy

it was a day full of moments i wish i could freeze & keep forever. you know those kind? where you feel like you're watching a movie reel of life. when you hope your memory won't fail you and if it does please let these be the times i relive.

{gabe} still feeling out the water with {aunt b}
and {matty} already has a sand mustache

my fearless {matty} just loving everything about the beach

{ben} was loving the waves breaking over him.

{gabe} befriended the water but really
preferred chasing the advertisement airplanes

and then my bubble was burst when the time had come to head back to the car...and again, once everyone & thing was in & buckled safely...i was dripping sweat from my eyebrows. at least i can say i went to the beach once this summer.