Beach Day: Newport Beach

a few of James' little friends

June in Southern California is gray, misty affair. In fact, it could be said that California's weather never does what you wish it would: it's blazing hot in December, and overcast and cold in June. Just when you want to pull out the flip flops and the sunscreen, the sun disappears behind a marine layer and doesn't come out for a month.

We went to the beach anyway.

And it was a lovely day: Soft and pastel, but lovely all the same, and not even that cold, in the end. James had a great time running up and down the beach, chasing beach balls and makings sand castles. And the friends! It was so great to have so many friends there with us! Speaking of...

Internet, you have to meet James' little friend Amara. What a girl! Seriously - you look away for a millisecond, and she was gone, rushing toward the water. She had been heading back up the beach with a grownup, and I was standing down by the water talking to a friend, when suddenly I looked over, and she was waist high in the water with a wave rushing towards her. I ran in after her, slinging my camera over my back and praying it didn't get wet. (Notice how my first instinct was to pray for the camera and not the child. Hmmm. Priorities people.) Did she come up smiling? Oh yes, she did.

See her mom's expression? She's saying, "what am I going to do with this kid??" They were at the beach for like... an hour? After that, her mom was like, "we need to go home now. I am pregnant and I am done."

She's a fire cracker, that one.

My mom came and did a bit of painting while we were there. I love the relationship that James has with his grandma (all of his grandparents actually!). He calls her Kimmy, and he adores her. Whenever we pull up to my parents house, he has a sharp intake of breath, and then he yell "yaay!" I think that's pretty cool, because neither Nate nor I ever really had relationships with any of our grandparents, and it's so wonderful and unanticipated that my kid has such great relationships with his.






All in all, I'd say it was an excellent day. And more to come!