The Beach!

On Sunday afternoon, Sian and her girls came over and we drove to Newport beach. I'm a little ashamed to say that for all the visits to Mimi and Grandpa Joe's house, I've never taken Sofia to the beach, even though Newport is only a 25 minute drive from their house! After we found parking (yes, I had flashbacks of living in DC while we drove around and around looking for one stinking parking spot!) we had a great time at the beach! It was a beautiful afternoon, Danielle and Holland were fantastic with Sofia (Holland wanted to carry Sofia everywhere which was humorous since she weighs 60 lbs to Sofia's 30 lbs, but, she did it!) and we had fun playing in the sand. The water was a tad cold (despite my plans of going in, I only went to my knees) and since West Coast beaches are very different than East Coast beaches, Sofia was not as fond of the water. FIrst, the waves look huge compared to waves she's seen before, and they look like they are crashing right onto the beach. So, she only got her feet wet and otherwise wanted to be held whenever we walked near the water. She loved playing in the sand and with the girls.

Danielle, Sofia and Holland on our way to the beach


Looking out over the Pacific Ocean - she just needs a surfboard!


Her first dip in the Pacific, with Danielle and Holland


Not so sure! Hanging out with Mommy and watching the water approach.


Playing in the sand with the gals


Smashing sand castles! She smashed a nearby castle of a boy (ooops), so we built them up so she could smash her own. She loved it!


Sliding at a nearby elementary school playground that was right on the sand! She caught serious air on this slide, would land in a heap in the sand, get up laughing and head right back to do it again!


With the girls - Holland, Sian and Danielle - Sofia was unable to sit still!


With Holland, who was so fantastic with Sofia the entire time!