it's a joy to be able to witness 2 almost 18 months old feel the sand under their toes for the first time.
it's a treat to watch the sand move under their legs as the tide comes in and to see the complete and utter confusion on their little faces.
there is nothing...and i mean NOTHING cuter than chubby baby legs and swimsuits.
watching a baby accidentally eat sand for the very first time is hilarious.
cate found it hilarious too.
this one kind of grosses me out b/c it looks strangely real. but that is a beach toy:
and i have to tell you...there is major satisfaction to be found in the simple act of taking your four children to the beach without your husband's help.
it was a major i CAN do it moment! yes...the bigs were there, but i didn't get any photos because they were frolicking in the ocean and i couldn't leave the babies for a second. :)
hope your monday is beautiful,blessed,and productive.
xoxo
they are adorable!!! it's amazing to watch little kids play at the beach. They are so in awe of it all.
Congrats on your solo outing!
Posted by: nicole | 05/14/2012 at 06:36 AM
you, my dear, are supermama.
and also a SUPER mama.
love you.
and those cute babies.
xoxo.
Posted by: gabby | 05/14/2012 at 06:42 AM
Looks like fun! We go to the beach for 3 weeks in the summer and our family loves it! Our girls have been going to the beach since they were 4 months old and they love it! They are 8, 12 and 14 and could spend the whole day just swimming! We have a ton of beach gear too, and I was doing it on my own, but now the kids are big enough to help!
Posted by: Stacey | 05/14/2012 at 07:02 AM
Hi Stephanie. I have said it before and will say it again, I LOVE reading your blog and think you are an amazing woman/momma. Hope your week is wonderful!
Posted by: Justine | 05/14/2012 at 07:08 AM
OMG!! Love these pics! Glad you all had a fun day together!!!
Posted by: Kami Pfingsten | 05/14/2012 at 07:11 AM
Way to go Stephanie. That is quite an accomplishment. I have so much respect and admiration for you. Happy Mother's Day! BTW-You are right, those chubby baby legs in their swimsuits are absolutely adorable.
Posted by: Sarah K | 05/14/2012 at 07:36 AM
so cute!! I remember the first time I took my girls to the beach..Faith was 9 months old and didn't want any part of it. Emilee was 3 yrs old and LOVED the sand..she had it in every oriface! LOL
Posted by: Kim Boken | 05/14/2012 at 08:00 AM
So, so cute!!!
And I agree that it is huge :)
Posted by: Mary Jo | 05/14/2012 at 08:04 AM
You are brave, lady...BRAVE! :) What adorable pics..little girl bathing suits are so cute. We lived in Virginia Beach when my twins were this age and I was too much of a chicken to take them to the beach on my own. I just knew they'd take off in opposite directions heading to the waves! They did that to me at the pool once and I about had a heart attack! lol
Posted by: Nicole | 05/14/2012 at 08:08 AM
AH!! SuperMom! They are gorgeous!!! Look at those legs!!! I love this! Hope your Mothers Day was great. ((HUGS))
Posted by: Shannon Shurtleff | 05/14/2012 at 08:20 AM
Personally I think you need to change your blog name to ONE BRAVE MAMA and her soldier husband!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Looks like the littles had a great time and what an amazing sense of accomplishment for you! I know you can't "hear" us but we are cheering you on!
Happy Monday :)
Posted by: Rosslyn Weigelt | 05/14/2012 at 08:23 AM
babies were meant to take pictures on the beach. so adorable! love the eating sand pic...and so glad that yours loved the first feel of sand under their toes. my youngest took a little while to get used to the sand :) but she loved the water! so glad the five of you enjoyed a special seaside day together!
Posted by: Kimber-Leigh | 05/14/2012 at 08:33 AM
they are SOOOO cute, thanks for the Monday morning smile, I needed that!! took the day off from cleaning and chores yesterday since it was mom's day...well lets just say my house is kicking my butt today...
Posted by: Laurie LaRiviere | 05/14/2012 at 08:39 AM
How adorable! Love Lucy's chubbiness & Cate's adorable smile. You are one brave mama! How did you manage to get everything down to beach? I bet it was a joy to watch you all!
Posted by: Ginny | 05/14/2012 at 08:53 AM
Great pictures!! The girls are so beautiful!! And kudos to you...taking four kiddos to the beach alone is quite an accomplishment!! You must have been exhausted last night... Thanks for sharing :)
Posted by: Dawn | 05/14/2012 at 09:20 AM
So cute! I do love the sand in the mouth expression....we're going to be seeing that this summer from our youngest, but I've got the photos of the big one to remind me. :)
Posted by: Miriam Prantner | 05/14/2012 at 09:20 AM
they are cute so darn cute Steph! yes you can do it and I bet it was so worth it!
Posted by: Mary R | 05/14/2012 at 09:38 AM
Ooh, I love love LOVE Cate's bathing suit! And those pics are fabulous. Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Dana N | 05/14/2012 at 09:41 AM
They are so cute! And you are incredible for taking all four of them to the beach by yourself. Definitely a huge moment.
Posted by: Bernice | 05/14/2012 at 09:57 AM
THey are SOOOOO cute! I admire you for taking 4 kids to the beach on your own. I only have two and I've never done it!
Any tips?
Posted by: Michelle L | 05/14/2012 at 10:06 AM
I just kind of flew by the seat of my pants. There were a whole bunch other wives I knew there and they all had their kids with them too. I think that made me brave. Ha!!! I wasnt really prepared at all and didnt take much. I think I was just lucky!
Posted by: Stephanie Howell | 05/14/2012 at 10:08 AM
Awesome!! Looks like fun. You are Amazing! Those girls are beautiful!!
Posted by: ylisa6875@yahoo.com | 05/14/2012 at 10:18 AM
i love absolutely everything about this post. everything.
Posted by: Acompton | 05/14/2012 at 10:42 AM
How cute are those bathing suits!!!
Posted by: Tara LeClaire | 05/14/2012 at 11:28 AM
Adorable! I allways say babies must be chubby (not only because it's healthy, but they are too cute too!)
Happy mothers day Stephanie, I think you deserve not a day but a week of celebrations with all your hard work (but as I write it, I think your 4 blessings are the best celebration)
xoxo, Bea
Posted by: Bea Monforte | 05/14/2012 at 12:26 PM
Continue to ENJOY
Posted by: Michelle | 05/14/2012 at 01:12 PM
You took all 4 to the beach! By yourself!!
My twins aren't even totally mobile yet and the thought of doing that scares me!
You are so totally my inspiration!
And, those girls are so stinkin' cute!
Posted by: Sarah | 05/14/2012 at 01:16 PM
This beautiful post made my day! Thanks for sharing!
Posted by: Linda E | 05/14/2012 at 02:16 PM
OMG. they are so cute. they have the perfect amount of chunky baby on their legs!!! love love love.
Posted by: kristen cox | 05/14/2012 at 07:15 PM
Totally adorable! Och, Stephanie you are some woman. These girls are the most cute & gorgeous wee ones I've ever seen. Good for you getting away to the seaside with no help...you're fab!!
Posted by: Bessie Segal | 05/14/2012 at 07:26 PM
You are definitely super woman!! Such great pics too! I can't wait to take my new 35mm lens to the beach this year! You inspire me in so many ways :-)
Posted by: Kaila | 05/14/2012 at 08:38 PM
Looks like you all had a blast.....good for you for braving a trip to the beach with your four girlies......Cate and Lucy are absolutely adorable!!!!!
Posted by: clippergirl | 05/14/2012 at 09:34 PM
SQUEE!!!! They are so stinkin' cute!!!!!!!
Posted by: Gayle W. | 05/15/2012 at 05:28 AM
Sooooooo adorable!!
Posted by: Katie Rose | 05/15/2012 at 05:42 AM
Adorable! Love that shot of Lucy with a mouth full of sand! Reminds me of a pic of our son, same look with sand in the mouth, but he's also holding his sand caked Nuk! :) Good stuff! Oh...I agree about Lucy's photo...looks kind of real and like it's about to bite her too! ;)
Posted by: Kathy Martin | 05/15/2012 at 06:10 AM
they are SO cute. love this and so glad you had a good time in HH. ;)
Posted by: Susan Weinroth | 05/16/2012 at 07:53 PM
is Lucy looking like Sadie or what?!!? they are scrumptious and you are a wonderful mommie for giving them that experience. How fun!
Posted by: Kim S. | 05/17/2012 at 04:17 AM
PLEASE tell me what settings you used to take these!! I'm assuming you used your 50mm lens? They are great pics!! We are leaving for the beach in the morning and I would like to try to duplicate! Thanks :-)
Posted by: Kaila | 06/22/2012 at 06:45 PM