Stinson Beach

 August 4th we decided to make a trip to the ocean. It's always a favorite thing we look forward to. Jaxen had already started his school year but Kaeryn and Tristan hadn't yet. This was our end of summer break celebration. We hadn't been to the beach yet this summer and we were all begging to go! We choose to go to Stinson Beach. It's one of our favorites but we don't go there very often because of the long windy road you have to take to get there. Someone always ends up car sick. But it is worth it once you get there. It's beautiful.  Of course once we got there Jaxen hit the dirt and started digging in the sand. He could live in the dirt if we let him.

 Jaden was of course nervous at first and unsure of the texture of the sand. But once he saw Jaxen playing he reached for the truck and started playing as well. He realized it wasn't so bad after all and it was fun! I just love his smiles.

 After a while Jaxen moved on to bigger and better things. Someone had started a big hole that was in the wet sand area. Jaxen loves that area because the sand sticks and is easier to build and dig in. He was able to dig the hole pretty deep.

 Jaden was pretty much contented playing in the dry sand with the dump truck. Ron and I would take turns and sit with him while he played.

 While Jaden learned that he liked playing in the sand he was still very curious about his surroundings. He would often look up and around at what was going on. What other people were doing and the sea birds flying around. The sea birds were all around where we pitched our tent and chairs. I think they were hoping we would leave some snacks for them. Jaden loved the birds.

 Eventually we decided to see if he was ready to go closer to the water. At first he was okay being near the water as long as daddy or mommy was holding him. After that he would watch the waves with wonder.

 Ron loves to tell me that he loves me. This is always one of my favorite ways he does.

 I love the ocean waves. They are beautiful, powerful and yet peaceful. The sound of the waves will always be one of my favorite sounds to hear.

 Kaeryn and Tristan never spend much time playing in the sand. They spend as much time as they can in the ocean. They love the water and playing in the waves.

 I let Kaeryn practice her photography skills with my camera. It was quite fun to go through the pictures she took, many had only half of us in the frame. But these two turned out beautiful. She did fantastic with these ones.

 One of my favorite tools on my camera is the multiple release. Especially when I'm at the ocean. I can set my camera to take multiple photos at a time. It's perfect while watching the waves because you can catch the wave building up and letting go. The following is an example of this.  One.....rising up.......

 two.......reaching it's highest........

 three.......letting go and showing it's power........

 four.........the calm afterwards.

 No matter how many times I watch the waves I am always amazed by them.

 Jaden eventually stood in the water with Ron. I love the look on his here as he is watching the waves. He is amazed by them but a bit unsure of them as well.

 He did manage to smile and take a few steps with daddy.

 But he's still not sure, he did let a wave come up and Ron lifted him up as it came and he did smile at that. I think Jaden is beginning to love the beach as much as we do.

 Jaxen eventually left the sand to play in the water. Running in and out of the waves is so much fun. The kids love to race the waves. I love that we can give them a time when they can have no cares or worries, just fun!

 I'm learning that if I want to be in the picture with my kids I have to do the asking for someone to take it. Ron is always nervous using my camera but I think he did a beautiful job. I love this photo of Jaden and me. I love being able to share moments like this with my little ones. I treasure these memories.

 This is one of the sea birds that stayed around our tent and chairs. The people next to us left their food out and the birds had a hay day with that. They really are not that shy at all and would come within just a few feet of us. They are very entertaining to watch, I think anyway.

 Kaeryn and Tristan rarely left the shore. They would check in with us but continued to walk in the waves, race the waves and walk the shoreline looking for treasures. We do have a beautiful collection of shells and rocks the kids have found. I love that both of them do this together as friends as well as brother and sister.

 After a while both Jaxen and Jaden began to feel tired out. Kaeryn and Tristan still wanted to explore the shore so  Ron, the boys and I came back to the tent to rest for a bit while the older two continued to explore. Jaxen snuggled for a bit but soon fell asleep. Jaden had fun playing in the tent with daddy. There was still too much going on around for him to fall asleep. I went to sit in my chair to watch the waves some more.

 People had started to leave because it seemed like it was going to storm. It was quite overcast that day and so much cooler than in the valley. A lot of people were there in there jackets and here we come in our swim suits shorts. We stayed despite the signs of a storm. It never did rain and there was a break in the clouds a couple times. I'm glad we stayed because during one of the breaks in the clouds light shone through and reflected on the surface of the water. It was so beautiful! Nature never ceases to amaze me. I love being able to be a part of it. We left soon after this because we didn't want to get stuck driving the windy road in the dark. I thought this was the perfect way to end our day at the beach. It really was another perfect day.