It was 80 degrees today in Daly City, which is extremely abnormal. We're used to cooler temperatures here. When it's 90 degrees in San Mateo (which is about 15 minutes north) we love our little 70 degree sanctuary. We decided to take the kids to the beach to escape the heatwave.

No matter how well we plan, it's always a scramble to gather everything together. I could start getting ready hours before we're scheduled to leave, but it always seems we're rushed in those last couple of minutes. We managed to get both kids, all of the toys, the dome shade, chairs, cooler and blanket in the car by 11:45 a.m., and made our way to Pacifica State Beach.

In my infinite wisdom I thought it was a great idea to put both boys in their swim diapers before we took off for the beach. I didn't want to have to worry about diaper changes in the gritty sand. However, this planning backfired. I was unaware that swimmer diapers literally have NO absorption. Before we even were able to get Christian into his car seat he had wet through, which not only required a diaper change, but a change of shorts as well. When we arrived at the beach, Manny soaked through his diaper. So I ended up having to change diapers in the gritty sand anyway.

I don't know what it is about a beach that makes a person so relaxed. As soon as we got out of the car I knew we were going to have a great time (even as I was dragging Manny across the parking lot kicking and screaming because he didn't want to hold my hand). The air smelled of sea water, and suntan lotion. The sky was a perfect shade of blue. The sand was soft under our feet. Beautiful.

We set up our shade, laid out the sand toys and let the boys make a mess. In a matter of moments Christian had sand in his mouth. I pictured his butt crack full of sand as soon as he started digging, and I tried not to think of the mess that we would need to clean up afterward.

This was Christian's second trip to the beach. His first trip happened when he was only a couple of months old. However, I'll consider this trip his first "real" trip, as he really got to enjoy himself.

The moment I plopped his butt on the ground he instinctively dug his chubby little fingers in the sand. He loved the texture. He loved the open air. He's my little observer so I could tell he was taking in all of the scenery.

Manny spent the first couple of minutes at the beach crying (it wouldn't be Manny without a little drama). He was still upset about having to hold my hand in the parking lot. Once he saw the sand toys he immediately snapped out of his funk and got to work.

You know how most kids build sand castles at the beach? Not my boy, he builds rock castles.

Unfortunately (or fortunately if you're obsessed with rocks like Manny) Pacifica State Beach is littered with rocks. It made John a little worried when Christian tried to venture away from our safe zone. I'm sure he pictured him falling and cracking his head open. However, Manny couldn't have been more excited.

Once he was bored with all of the sand, I took Manny on a "rock hunting" walk. He found big rocks, little rocks, soft and smooth rocks, and he knew exactly what he wanted to do with them. With the help of John and myself, Manny stared to build his rock castle.

He was in the "zone" for a good thirty minutes. He scoured the surrounding area for the perfect rock to meet his needs. I would see him pick up a rock, study it, and then put it down. When he found a rock that met his requirements his eyes lit up. John was so proud of his boy :)

Of course, what's more fun then building a rock castle? Total destruction. He knocked down the entire structure when he was finished. Here's a couple of more pictures of his castle before its demolition:


We left the beach shortly after 2:30 p.m. and were met with a parade of cars that wound all the way up the highway. When we saw the line of cars John and I were so happy we decided to go to the beach when we did.