Going to Narragansett beach has become a family tradition. Since my brother and his family live only 25 minutes away from the beach, it has become a no brainer to visit them in the summer and get some beach time in. While the weather forecast was iffy this year, it ended up being beautiful and we realized we have really lucked out with gorgeous weather the 4 years we've done this trip. It's been amazing to watch Noah and his cousins grow and play with each other each year.
We headed up to Rhode Island two Fridays ago, and for the first time hit no traffic at all. Anyone who's driven 95 through Connecticut knows that's a miracle, so I'm assuming it has something to do with our early departure time (7 am). We were at the beach by 11:30 and the kids (and Chris) were ready to play. I know I just said that Narragansett beach is our tradition, but this year my sister in law suggested going to Westerly beach on the Friday. It's a much smaller beach, but that wasn't a big deal at all. And while we were on a public part, just down the coast is where Taylor Swift's house and private beach are... you may have seen photos of her and her famous friends frolicking in the ocean on the 4th of July. We however did not see her... obviously!
I always laugh at how into playing with the kids Chris is. Back home, all of Noah's friends immediately gravitate towards him and even ask for him when he's at work. He's always up to play and comes up with the best games. Sometimes I feel bad because he's doing all the hard work while the other parents chat, but I really think he loves it (right???). Case in point, when we arrive at the beach, I immediately start to set up the chairs and umbrella, while Chris is immediately in the sand with the kids, digging holes. Right after playing in the sand, he was off to play in the ocean with the older cousins! Apparently we have our roles down pat... he plays while I photograph! Time and again he wins the "best uncle (and daddy)" award!
While the older cousins were happy jumping waves, the younger cousins were happy to dig in the sand. Noah usually loves following around Kaitlyn and Matthew, and rarely plays with Aidan, who's only a week older than him. But since Noah isn't a huge fan of the water, it was a nice change of pace to see Noah and Aidan playing together. They played in the sand with Grandma, Noah did a "magic trick" with the shovels, and Aidan even showed Noah how to recline the beach chairs. It was really nice to watch.
^^^ one shovel becomes two shovels... tada!
^^^ putting the chairs up and down provided endless entertainment!
Meanwhile, I went out to take some photos of the older kids, and a random woman showed me this piece of seaweed and told me that the white sac (in the upper left) was a squid about to hatch (???). Her kids seemed really into it and I figured my niece and nephew would find it cool too. She told me to get a bucket of water to put it in and you could literally watch squid push itself out. My 5 year old nephew was especially interested in it and watched the squid almost all afternoon. We joked around that he was being a labor and delivery nurse that afternoon ;)
While I take the majority of the photos on these trips (as I do in every day life), my mom has been taking more in an effort to get me in more of the photos. I really appreciate her doing this... now when we look back, we will know that I was actually there ;)
Limerick suit (on sale!!!) | hat (no longer available on Old Navy)
^^^ a rare photo of just me and Aidan... I love it!
After a day at the beach, we met my brother (who was working) for dinner and then everyone came back to our hotel for a swim. I shared some of my underwater photos last week, but it was definitely a different experience photographing in an indoor pool AND at night!
The week leading up to our trip, we were very worried about the weather on Saturday. They were calling for scattered thunderstorms up until the day before. The forecast finally changed to just afternoon storms, so we took our chances and got to the beach bright and early. While it was windier than we expected and couldn't keep our umbrellas up for long periods of time, it ended up being a beautiful day.
We were back at Narragansett beach, which is my personal favorite. But the part that I'll remember fondly on, is that Noah was willing to go in the water with Chris, even if it was being carried. While Noah loves going to the beach, he's not really fond of the water. I can't really blame him because I'm not a fan either and actually very rarely get wet at all at the beach. But Chris grew up swimming in the ocean and would love to share that experience with Noah. I have a feeling (or at least hope) Noah will get more comfortable with the water the more we go... we just need to be patient.
While Noah's older cousins have always been huge fans of swimming in the ocean, it was Aidan who shocked me! Only a week older than Noah, and he was out there boogie boarding with his dad (my brother). The look on his face when he'd ride the wave in was priceless. He kept asking to go out and do it again!
But after all that boogie boarding... he was done! Time to rest with his mom :)
Avengers beach towel
As usual, holes were dug and people were buried. Just a normal day at the beach for us ;)
These next photos crack me up. I really wanted to get a few posed photos. One of me and Noah, one of me, Chris, and Noah, and one of the cousins. Noah was not in the mood for photos so there was some bribery involved. While I did get a photo of me and Noah, the family photo and cousin photo didn't exactly happen. And as Noah and I were taking this photo, the waves kept crushing in and getting my dress wet. That bottom photo where Noah is walking towards Chris, I'm more concerned about my wet dress! Clearly I need to take a chill pill and realize I'm at the beach and am bound to get wet!
And speaking of that cousin photo...
Chris and I love writing the year in the sand and trying to get a cousin photo. Not only do you have to work fast before the tide washes away the year, but you also have to deal with the fickle moods of 3-8 year olds. Noah wasn't interested in looking at the camera and Aidan wanted nothing to do with it at all. Kids - 1, Mommy photographer - 0.
We finished our trip with lunch at our favorite seafood restaurant, Iggy's (which has become another family tradition) and some more hotel pool swimming. While it was a short visit, it was a wonderful one. I can't believe that the next time we all get together will be at Christmas!
Make sure to come back tomorrow when I share the video I made of our trip as well as some tips for making your own family movies.
To read about our past trips to Narragansett beach...
Liz at Chasin’ Mason | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram
Jessica at Sweet Little Ones | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram
Ruthie at Rear. Release. Regroup. | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram
Christina at Waltzing In Beauty | Pinterest | Instagram
Meghan at The Adventure Starts Here | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram
Meghan at The Adventure Starts Here | Pinterest | Facebook | Instagram
