California Beach Trip 2010- Beach

This year was the coldest one in many years. It was quite cold for a few days with clouds and rain then it cleared up and we had most of the week with sun all day and cool nights. It was perfect. When we stay in California, we go to the beach nearly every day and we stay the entire day. The beach is perfect for kids because it is so entertaining with so much to do:

Play with the human rubber band. I can't describe it but it is a blast.

Dig deep holes and tunnels, or play in the ones that your uncles dig.

Bury yourself or your cousin in the sand. FYI every picture I have of Maranda is from the back heading towards the water because that is where she always is. Here is at least a side profile.

Dig for sand crabs and make dribble castles. Here, Andria played with Lexi and helped her feel comfortable near the water. She even showed her how to build a dribble castle.
Take a little rest in the cabana. Zan didn't actually nap this year for the first time but she did want some down time with a snack.
Boogie board with your cousins. Dan and I call this group the "mids" In our family we have the big kids, the mids and the littles. They are distinct groups and they seldom cross lines.
Play in the sand with your cute baby cousins. This is Ruth and Zan with Teichert. I keep scarfs on my girls heads because I braid and bead their hair before we go. With tiny braids, we never need to comb the hair, just wash the sand out. The scarf is to cover the bare scalp and prevent burning. We learned this the hard way many years ago with checker board burned scalps. Sunblock spray works too but scarfs make our children easy to see in a group. Plus I think they are cute even if they do look like cancer patients.
Sit together and chat. Only teenagers do this.
Take a nap, again with the teenagers.
Body surf with your siblings and cousins or just decide the water is too cold and get out again.
Boogie board-these are the big kids, see, no mids
Match your cousin on accident (so cute!)
And spend the afternoon with 7 or 8 cousins taking goofy pictures of each other.
Also you could walk down the pier, get an ice cream cone, find crabs in the rocks, look in the sea shell shop, learn to surf, read a good book or enjoy the cool breeze.

We love the beach and we love our cousins!