New Norms

Since our move to the beach, there have been things we have done that we could have done back in Athens but just didn't. For instance, bathing (in my bathing suit) with the kids.  They love it when I get into the bathtub with them.  Now, I could have done this while living in GA, but putting on my bathing suit and getting all wet never seemed very practical nor fun.  However, coming in straight from the beach or pool can be very chilly.  I often don't have time to grab myself a dry change of clothes so the best solution to staying warm has been to get into the tub too.  Last night we added bubbles to the mix and had so much fun playing together before getting down to the business of getting clean.  Luckily, the bathtubs at our townhouse are jacuzzi tubs so they are plenty large enough for the 3 of us to sit in comfortably.  For those wondering, Bobby was actually the person to initiate this practice.

I have been told that parenting baby #2 is often more laid back and less obsessive, and for the most part I am experiencing that to be true for myself.  I am glad to have a dynamic backyard with LOTS of room and soft sand to allow Liam the freedom his little boy heart desires to explore and roam. I can't imagine sitting him on wood chips at a playground and letting him go, but at the beach it seems very natural.  Who knows, he's heavy enough that I might have gotten over myself really quickly and not worried about bugs/germs/splinters/etc and let him go on the playgrounds back home too.
I am thankful for our beach backyard.  Liam goes in all directions.  He loves chasing (very slowly) after the seagulls.  He points and talks to the birds all day.  He loves them so much and desperately wants to get his hands on one.  He also loves crawling in and out of the water.  Thankfully, he somehow knows not to go in too deep and crawls out before big waves get a hold of him.  When the bank down to the ocean water gets steep enough he likes to scoot on his booty like a slide down to the water.  He's very silly.  Amelie also loves the beach.  There are so many things to do we have yet to be bored of it. We spend our days building castles and collecting seashells, as well as playing (and reinventing) games.  We changed red light/green light to red shovel/green shovel.  We have to hold up the color of the shovel instead of shouting the words because the distance and wind often makes it difficult to hear. 
 Recently, we started playing a form of ski-ball in which we dig tennis ball sized holes in the sand and try to roll/toss the ball into the holes, all of which are different point values.  The list of endless possibilities of things to do at the beach could go on!  We love having the beach as our backyard!

Daddy and Amelie helping Liam chase the seagulls.

I'm not sure if it was the move itself or a shift in our mindset (or the combination of both), but we have really slowed the pace of our family down.  It has been so refreshing to enjoy the little things throughout our day that we can do together.  Whether that be building a tent in the middle of the living room or designing a log house out of popsicle sticks, the time is there for us to do those things and not be rushed by the next event or thing we have to do.  If ever I've wanted to stop time from ticking it's now.  I know that's not possible, and am continually reminded at how fast time flies (I can't believe we have been here over a month!), but I'm trying to truly cherish these days and these memories.

-Kelly :)