Fun at the beach

Mr F took Little G down to the water to skim stones. He is really good at it and can get 4 or 5 bounces. I am totally useless and get 0 bounces, just a big plop! I was in charge of Baby L, who absolutely loved splashing in the sea! I always wonder if it is due to my water birth that she loves splashing in water so much. If only the water had been a little warmer she could have stayed in it longer but she was shivering and so we went to sun ourselves on the beach mat.

Devon has lovely red sand and it is perfect for building sandcastles. When I was a little girl my dad used to make amazing sandcastles. Mr F wanted to make one but Little G kept stomping them down! He went off in a huff and so I took over as chief sandcastle builder. I had secretly wanted to take over anyway so this suited me fine (control freak? me? no no no).

I showed Little G how to make a sandcastle by patting the sand down, quickly tipping it over and giving it the ‘magic tap tap tap’ to loosen the sand. We dug out a moat and decorated the castles with shells. Of course, after I had taken the photo she stomped all over the castles!

We also had fun writing names in the sand, she loves writing and takes any opportunity to make marks in different media. We found a sturdy stick and she wrote her ‘name’ carefully, telling me which letters she was writing. She is very good at her phonics for a 2 year old and has recognised ‘g’ from quite an early age. However, despite having perfect pencil grip she has no idea how to form letters let. I find her little scribbles so cute, a mish mash of lines and circles. I see so many parents try to rush their children through stages. They learn at their own speed and so I praise her when she shows me her scribbles. She is always so proud of herself and I am proud of her too.

Skimming stones, building sand castles and writing our names in the sand. To some this is not the best use of time spent at the beach. Some people will enjoy lying on their mat, baking themselves to get a tan while their children play. I slapped on the factor 50 and had fun with my children. I was building memories. Children are small for such a small amount of time and it is so important to embrace every second spent with them.