beach day in october

we really didn't get to the beach all summer. well, sarah took aleah once or twice but daddy and i hadn't taken her. there was a beautiful warm afternoon when it felt like some beach recovery time would soothe the spirit. and it did. we packed ourselves up with some lunch and headed to our favorite beach. i thoroughly enjoyed watching the little one and the big one play together as i tried to capture the moments to revisit again.

we brought buckets and shovels and strainers...

you wouldn't guess that she was pretty hesitant to even touch the sand, but daddy showed her how to get the most out of the beach experience.

she was so seriously focused on the new fun, she rarely even looked up :)

castle-building!

a throne built for a mini-sized queen...

bright sun.

i loved this one with her hair blowing back and catching her mid-stride. so timeless.

checking for sand crabs or shells.

plenty of seagulls around.

loving the feeling of water splashing on her feet and legs.

footprints!

looking out and filled with love and gratitude for the blessings of family.