I'm a romantic beachist.

The kids love the beach! It's a huge sand box and the water is mixed in already. If you'll notice the beach we have near us is not the nice white beach that is seen in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie but is black sand. Luckily it doesn't matter to the kids and they enjoy it either way. We are on the western side of the island so the water they are playing in is the Caribbean Sea, not the Atlantic Ocean. It's still salty and the kids don't particularly care for that - but it doesn't keep them out either.

Marissa was the one I had to worry about because I'd look up and she'd be out up to her chin. She just had no fear and loved playing in the water. This was the first time to the beach and I didn't put on her water wings and she didn't know how to swim yet. Eventually she had to stay on the beach and couldn't go in anymore because she just kept going too far. We just went again yesterday and I put her floaties on and she did fine. She loved floating on the waves and even swam with her face in the water. She did spit a lot becaue of the salty water but she enjoyed it!

Ben is the one who really doesn't care for the salt water so he spends a lot of time on the beach trying to build stuff. He's like that at home too - building stuff out of paper or other stuff. When we went to the beach yesterday he put on Xiomara's water wings and enjoyed floating with the waves. He called it belly surfing. The beach we went to yesterday had lots of rocks, rounded from the water but it was a rocky shore with a small sandy spot. He kept finding rocks he wanted to take home with him.

Emily was a little outgoing as well, but was more willing to stay within the limits because she was also a little afraid. She liked to run at the retreating wave but then run away when it rolled back in. Luckily the waves from the Caribbean Sea are not that big so there isn't much threat from them. They all like to sit on the shore and have the waves wash up over their legs. Yesterday she was much more timid and wanted her floaties. Once she had them on she went out into the water and really enjoyed floating with the waves.

Xiomara is a go between. Sometimes she'll jump right in there and other times she just stays to the sand. She enjoys getting wet and dirty so the beach is a good place for her. Yesterday she got surprised by a wave and went under and tossed a bit but came up smiling. She did run to the shore for a time to regroup but went right back in for some more. She has such fun expressions and says some of the cutiest things - maybe it's the age. She still doesn't like any type of animal but has held a millipede so she is making progress. She tries to stick close to the others and is a little put out if she can't do what they are doing.

Check out that baby! Kemiah wasn't keen on baths when we moved to the island so to be in a dirty bath wasn't her favorite thing. She handled it pretty well but only sat there for a little while. Soon she was standing next to Kevin to minimize the exposure to the sand. She splashed a bit in the water but has come to prefer the pool. Yesterday she really wanted nothing to do with any of it - no sand, no water, not even the rocks were good enough. I did eventually get her to stand next to me and toss a couple rocks but she prefered it if I stood and held her away from it all. My sentiments exactly.

I like the idea of the beach. Watching the sunset at the shore line is neat (although I have yet to do that here, I just like the idea of doing it). Playing in the waves and walking on the shore is a fun thing - in my mind. I truly don't like it. I don't like the salt water, it leaves me feeling extra salty. I don't like the sand stuck everywhere - and I do mean everywhere. And really, that's all there is to the beach. I guess if you have the stuff to go along with it - snorkel gear, a boat, other activites - then maybe it's a better place to play but for me I think we'll stick to the pool.