The May Family Blog Spot: I Love The Beach

As a child, I have so many fond memories of going to the ocean with my family. Grandma and Grandpa Oakes lived in Charlestown, RI, so we would go visit them all the time and it almost always included a trip to the beach, whether it was to spend the day there or just for a chilly walk on the shore. My great Aunt Eleanor has a small cabana on Misquamicut Beach and we used to go there so often as a kid. I have tons of pictures of us sitting on that beach, and when I think of Grandma and Grandpa Oakes, I tend to think about here.

I haven't been in years and now that Hayley is getting old enough to actually crawl around a bit, I decided to take a trip there. We went on Tuesday. We went with my friend Shah, her 2 year old Aurora and her 4 month old Morrigan, and a mother's helper, Stephanie. We left at about 8:30 in the morning - stuffed us all into the car. It was packed, but everyone was comfortable and it worked out pretty well. We got to Aunt Eleanor's around 10 a.m. to get the key, and were on the beach before 11. It could not have been any more perfect of a day to go to the ocean. There was no humidity, the sun was out, it was about 80 degrees, the waves were strong, the sand was warm on our feet, and great company to boot. Hayley loved the sand and she loved sucking the salt off of the shells (trust me, I tried to stop this over and over again, but finally I just gave up. Now I know she's not allergic to shellfish I guess). Aurora loved running in and out of the ocean, chasing the waves, and Shah and I even got a nice walk in up and down the beach. We stayed until about 3 o'clock or so, and made it home by 5. Amazingly, there was very little traffic. It was so much fun, when we got to my house and all got out of the car I said, "That was so much fun, let's go back tomorrow!" I honestly think I could have. I love the beach.

Here are some pictures we took of the day:

Hayley with her two favorite things - a doll and a water bottle. She was in heaven.