Beach Baby

Continuing to have pretty low-key days over here. Yesterday we all went to the beach in the afternoon, it was actually pretty warm but we hadn't brought our swim suits. We've got that classic California weather where if you're in the sun and the wind dies down, it gets hot quickly, but if the breeze is blowing, and especially in the shade, you need a jacket. Donovan has loved the beach-- yesterday he played in the sand with his bucket and shovel for a few minutes, then made a bee-line for the water, stood right where the waves (tiny 6-inch ones-- it is a lake after all) lapped at his feet, then squatted down and played for a long time (while Papaw sat right next to him to make sure he didn't fall in). Then Mom started bringing him buckets full of water and pouring the water out in front of him, so D could hold his hands in the stream, and he became obsessed with doing that over and over for another good 20 minutes or so. I think I might have a bit of a beach baby on my hands, which I'm kinda thrilled about. This is the first time D's been to a beach, I suppose we'll have to schedule in some family outings to Santa Cruz over the summer and fall.

One of the (many, many) nice things about having the grandparents around is that they could keep an eye on the kiddoes and I could spend time taking pictures. Most of them were, of course, of Donovan and Ryan playing (seriously, cuteness overload). I had our "new" 70-300mm lens with me, so I was also able to get some fun shots of one guy taking a nap on his raft out on the water, and someone else parasailing.

This morning we took advantage of the pool again. D had a great time, even when he seemed to get a bit chilled (his little chin started quivering, but he was still smiling and splashing!). I tried practicing some of the stuff from swim class with him-- he kicked like a champ (especially when he got excited) but he didn't want to hold onto the side of the pool, and I also didn't want to let his head go underwater and get his hair wet (and make him even more prone to getting overchilled). But, he enjoyed just playing and splashing in the water which is the most important part.

D's been extremely popular here at the resort. Probably half of the people staying here are groups like us-- families with young kids (there's at least 5 or 6 kids under 2 years old staying here) with grandparents and other extended family members in tow. Which means there's not only lots of kids for D to play with-- he's made friends with a girl a few rooms down, and a set of twin boys who're about 6 (and have a brother about D's age) who shout and wave hello to Donovan every time they see him-- but also lots of grandparents to swoon over him. Last night we went to the spaghetti dinner hosted by the resort, and D was sitting in his booster chair right next to the line to get food. He got lots of comments, smiles, and cheers as he speared tortellini with his little fork and managed to actually get them to his mouth.

I've been getting a lot better about taking my camera with me and not feeling so intimidated about taking pictures in public, which is great. They're not all great captures, of course, and I still need to get better at thinking through settings and composition, but hey it's an improvement. We're surrounded by lots of development and shops so haven't found too much inspiration there-- most of the (500+) pictures I've taken so far are from the beach. Philip's had his heart set on riding the Heavenly gondola to the top, perhaps we'll do that tomorrow. I think next week we'll be in a more rustic location, and might go on more hikes where I can get some woodsy pictures. And perhaps Cyrus and Julia will bring their macro lens and let me play with that, too... ; )

Zach, Jenny, and her friend Molly are driving up to meet us tonight. Tomorrow at some point we'll check out of here and move on to the house we rented for next week, and meet up with Cyrus, Julia, and baby Sophia, and then Lindsey (Ryan's mom) flies in Sunday morning. Which all translates to another fun-filled week next week. =)