First Beach Trip of 2015

Last year we made it to the beach a grand total of one time.  That's pretty sad considering we live two miles from the ocean.  It always just seemed like such a hassle, especially since Elliot wasn't walking until almost September and the amount of crap that we figured we would need to lug out there was overwhelming.  So we only went once and it was by bicycle.

This year we are determined to get out there more. We figured we would start with the unofficial kickoff of summer (Memorial Day weekend).  We decided to go Sunday figuring that the crowds would probably be the smallest of the three days so it hopefully wouldn't be a mess. We got the boys up, fed them breakfast and got them dressed and sunscreened up so we could be out the door at 9:45.  As I was packing up all the crap we needed I couldn't help thinking about how different a beach trip is now compared to five summers ago. Preparing for the beach is no longer a 10 minute endeavor!

We got out to Sullivan's Island and found a parking spot down by Station 18.  Andrew was so excited about going to the beach and couldn't wait to get out there. We unloaded the wagon from the back of my car and plopped both boys in there along with the beach toys we brought along.  Jonathan pulled them and carried his chair and bag while I carried my chair and bag and pulled the rolling cooler with the tent and the boys bag balanced on top. We made it halfway down the boardwalk before I had to rearrange and carry the tent and put my bag on the cooler.  When we got out to the beach we saw that there wasn't really all that much beach. I thought the tide was in, but I think it's just the way that section of the beach is normally.  There is no tide pool like there is down around Station 25 (the perfect place for little kids to play).  We decided not to set the tent up yet, but wait to see if we needed it.  Andrew wanted to head straight for the water, but I had to get Elliot in his swim stuff first.  Little dude is swimming in his 18 month swim trunks and 2T rashguard:

He wasn't too keen on the water - I think because when Andrea took him to the beach he got knocked down by a wave. He was much more content to sit and play in the sand:

Andrew wanted to play in the water, though. Thankfully Jonathan obliged since the water was a little nippy:

Some friends and their kids joined us and it was perfect for keeping the boys entertained:

Andrew loved building drip castles with his daddy:

Finally after over 3.5 hours it was time to head home so Elliot could take a nap.  Andrew was pooped from all the running around and playing and fell asleep in the wagon on the way back to the car:

Of course Elliot fell asleep during the short ride home, but luckily I was able to get him cleaned up and down for a real nap with no issues. The little dude was tuckered from all of the playing and took a 3 hour nap.

I'm so glad it was a successful trip and wasn't full of meltdowns and screaming. Hopefully that means we make a lot more of them this summer.  Next up is a possible boat outing this weekend. I'm not as optimistic about that, but we'll see how it goes.