A Trip to the Beach...

Yes, I said beach. Back here on the East Coast they call it the "shore," but you can't take the California out of this girl. Speaking of California, let me take this moment to brag about how amazing California is with their FREE beaches (which are truly breathtaking in beauty). Don't get me wrong - the beach here was beautiful, but having to pay $8 for every person over 16yrs old to get to go on the beach??? That takes the desire away to visit it as often as I would like (and let's be honest - gas money to drive 3 hours roundtrip along with a beach fee - money doesn't grow on trees my friends).
That being said, we had SUCH a fun time with the girls!!! There was a playground on the beach, lifeguards, trailer buildings with bathrooms, food trucks by the road... (perhaps I'm naming all the reasons why they charge $$$...)
After searching for free parking for a longtime (we weren't paying), we walked the half mile to the beach, got our tickets, and headed to the waves. Abby was scared at first, so Jason took her to the playground to play. Lilly LOVED the water! We waited for some friends who were going to meet us there, but found out they didn't find parking close. So we then walked another half mile down the boardwalk to find them.  It took us awhile to find them, but once we did, Lilly and Abby had fun with their new friends.
Sorry there are so many pictures. My friend Ashlyn took some AMAZING pictures that I just had to post! The other pics are from my phone. Enjoy!

Driving to the beach! I love how Abby puts her sunglasses on upside down!

We finally made it! Time to make the long walk to the beach!

Abby was a little nervous of the water at first...

Lilly loved the water!

 

Yes, I did bring my cooking utensils for the girls to use as sand toys. Luckily we had one sand bucket and some other toys. Thankfully our friends had more sand toys when we met up with them. 

This is what the beach/shore looks like... a bit different from the West Coast!

Abby started to warm up to the water!

When we met up with our friends, Jason had the brilliant idea of digging this little miniature kiddie pool for the younger kids. They LOVED it!

Lilly made a new friend too! Lilly and Boston had tons of fun collecting water to build their own little pool. 

 

Playing in the water was fun for EVERYONE! And the temperature was only 75 degrees. WOW!

Here are some of the amazing pictures Ashlyn took! Thanks so much Ashlyn!!!

A lot of pictures of Abby, because Abby was loving being around Ashlyn and her adorable little guy  Jacob. And who wouldn't - look at that ADORABLE FACE!!! Here is beautiful Ashlyn and Jacob. I can actually say I take credit for this shot... but the good looks are all theirs! Thanks again Ashlyn! 

Headed back to our car on the boardwalk that lines the beach. It was such a fun day, and even though a bit pricey, I think we definitely need to do it again!