.strands beach.

a goal daron and i have while living in southern california is to explore all the different beaches this area has to offer. even though i grew up here, it's shocking (or maybe not shocking ;) how little i know about this area and how few beaches i have been to. thanks to megan ham, we discovered strands beach. this beach is unique in the fact that there is a little trek to reach it. you have the choice of going down a lot of stairs or taking a funicular down to a short but steep hill (pictured above). along with carter comes a stroller and about 10 pounds of stuff, so we opted for the funicular. the beach has perfect sand. white and fluffy. and the water is a gorgeous blue. it's also very family oriented with children and families stretching along the shoreline. i must say though, the water was ice cold(!!!) and there were rocks in the water. 2 things i'm not so sure about. but overall, the beach is a winner!

daron and i found the perfect spot, plopped our stuff down and set up camp. we bring an umbrella every time even though we enjoy shade for 2 seconds before carter is bolting to the sand. he loves watching the sand run through his fingers and i don't blame him! later, we tested out a new spot. we wanted to see if he would like the "in-between" sand. there are less rocks, dry seaweed, shells etc... for him to shovel into his mouth but the freezing water doesn't come up high enough to reach him. we were so happy because he loved it. he could have stayed there for hours. that's what i call a win win.

^"in-between" sand, the good stuff

^if you are wondering what carter is saying in the above, left picture- it is, 

"dad, i love you.

you are my favorite."

it's a fact of my life. these two have something unique between the two of them. it's been there since the day this kid was born. it's my favorite thing to watch. and i don't mind it at all. i actually adore it.

for my personal favorite pictures of day...

^that pointer finger in that mouth! he cracks me up. this is carter's new trick to help him stuff things into his mouth. my child is a chipmunk. another story for another time.

^and, "mom! what the heck!? i was going to eat that seaweed!"

this picture really represents my life at the beach,

i am swatting carter's hands all day long

until next time strands!