And Keeghan makes 6: April trip to the beach!

It's school vacation week here so all the kids are home. The weather over the past weekend made a turn from winter to summer. We skipped spring all together. The temps have been well into the 80's and today was the last day of that really warm weather so we went to the beach. Keeghan, as you'll recall, was NOT fond of the sand at Aquatica in Orlando so I was a bit worried she'd be a total cling on all day. BUT after the weekend where she walked barefoot in the grass at the soccer field I had some hope that we might be ok. I was right. At first, we weren't so excited about sand but as with most things if you give Keeghan time she'll check things out. I try really hard not to force things with her and just let her have her time to figure out when she is willing to explore more and it seems to be working. I would hate to "convince" her to do something that she wasn't ready for and pay for it later. I'm sure there have been enough times in her life that she's been put in a situation that she was no where near ready for and not given the support she needs to do whatever in her own time and I want her to know that she can have all the time and support she needs from me. Certainly, there are things that are not negotiable...being buckled in the carseat, getting some sleep, not hitting...but playing in the sand or water or going down the slide are not necessities. Anyway, once we'd mastered the sand I gave in and walked Keeghan down to the water. She was ok with putting her feet in pretty quickly (as there were some holes dug that ended up with a bit of water in them) but once a wave came at her she was all done! She conquered that as well, adjusting to know when the water was coming and moving back a bit to be comfortable. We all had a fabulous time and now I can look forward to our Friday beach trips for the summer!!

Digging in the sand