It's been several years since I've been out to Virginia Beach so Matthew gave me a trip to the beach for my birthday this year. This past weekend we took that trip and showed Benji the beach and the ocean for the first time.
It was a fantastic weekend! The weather was just right, the crowds hadn't started yet, and Benji loved the beach. Some people had told us he would be scared of the water or would eat the sand, but in reality he couldn't have been happier! Of course he didn't know what this was all about, so as we walked across the sand he had to stop and clap for the beach music from a nearby stage. When we finally got to the water he ran in enthusiastically, but fell over when the first wave came. I thought he would be scared of the water and would be done with this adventure after falling in, but it obviously had no lasting impact. He was a bit timid for a while and his legs would buckle every time even a small wave came by and we had to hold him up. But he quickly figured out how to stand up in the little waves and ran in and out of the ocean with unadulterated joy!
We tried hard to strike a balance between letting him run happily and grabbing him so he didn't get washed away. Safety first, of course. When the bigger waves came in we'd grab him by the armpits and lift him up like it was a game (we didn't want him to be scared of the water, so "jumping" in the waves made it more fun and he sure got good giggles from that).
After a while of running in the water he decided to sit down in the sand, where the waves could still reach him. Daddy showed him how to cover his feet with sand and he laughed when the waves came in and washed the sand off of his feet. One slightly larger wave even turned him sideways and really startled Daddy, but Benji thought it was loads of fun.
Overall we spent about 2 hours on the beach on Sunday afternoon, until Benji looked like he was getting bored. I think we timed it well since he didn't put up a fuss at all when we decided it was time to go in. Trying to get the sand off of him, however, was a different story. He did not like getting cleaned up at all (I'm guessing it felt a bit like sandpaper although we tried to be gentle and rinse it off more than rub it off).
Given how much Benji likes swim class and how much fun we had at the beach, I think we can classify Benji as a Beach Bum!
(Important note on the video clips: There is quite a bit of wind in the microphone which leads to loud background noises. Start with the volume low. And, as always, this is not for dial-up.)
Miommy, may I have some of your ice cream?
Mmmm! Dairy Queen Blizzards are yummy!!
Benji's first view of the ocean.
Hi Mommy! This is neat!
I'm going in!
Uh oh! I fell!
Mommy, come with me to the water please.
The ocean looks different from the height of a toddler.
Ooohh! The water feels funny on my feet.
Beach bums!
Almost up to Benji's knees!
Whee! Bouncing in the big waves is fun!
Whoops! Almost went down with this one.
Benji loved the waves around his knees. He wasn't scared of the water at all.
Look how deep his foot got stuck in the sand. It makes it a bit harder to keep balanced when the waves come but it feels good to wiggle toes in the sand.
Daddy showed Benji how to bury his feet in the sand.
Will we bury all of Benji in the sand?
Uh oh! We lost both feet!
Now we lost his legs!
Oh, there's his feet again!
Benji tried to cover up his feet in the sand, too.
i sincerely do not know what you are doing here. are you lost? were you
looking for your delicate calico cat, and did you follow her up two flights of stairs
to this room? she is not here. she was here, yes. we gave her a warm bowl of milk, we talked with her about campaign finance reform for a time, and then she bid us good day. i believe she was
going to the post office two blocks down, but i don't quite recall.
for surely you did
not find your way from prinsiana, the least traveled site on
the internet. if you did, though, perhaps you are looking for humor. perhaps you are looking for profundity. perhaps you are looking for answers.
i'm sorry, but you shall go naught-for-three.
