A Warm Winter Beach Day

Today was one of those rare days where we didn't have any plans, play dates, or appointments. Glenn had to work, so it was just me and the kids. I let Oliver choose what he wanted to do with our afternoon. "I want to show Pearl the beach!" Pearl is four and a half months old and had not yet felt the salty spray of the sea on her face or the mush of the sand between her toes. I loaded up all of the essentials in a beach bag and we headed down to Avila Beach where the weather was 76 degrees!

Oliver wanted to make sure we had all of Pearl's "beach firsts" captured on film. Here is "Pearl's first time with her toes in the sand."

Next we have "Pearl's first time with her toes in the ocean."

I captured "Pearl's first time watching the waves." I think she enjoyed watching her brother screaming with delight and running from the waves more than the actual waves.


The beach was a huge hit. It was therapeutic to sit in the warm sun with two happy children all afternoon. I felt so filled with gratitude for my family and deep contentment with my life as Pearl and I watched Oliver discover shells and rescue lady bugs (so much so that I felt like blogging instead of eating chocolate and moping).

Oliver was rewarded with an ice cream scoop for his great idea on this unusual January day!

Oliver Update

This blog has been neglected recently due to my new obsession: craniosynostosis. I will be so happy when this seven-syllable word takes backstage to our normal lives. For those of you who want to keep updated on Oliver, we have started a CaringBridge page. Here is the link:

Oliver's Page

Surgery is scheduled for February 16 in Dallas, Texas. We are flying to Dallas for surgery because one of the best craniofacial teams in the United States is located there.

Oliver doesn't yet know he will be having surgery. We have been hiding our worries and tears (just mine; Glenn is going to get ulcers if he doesn't cry soon) and spelling out any suspicious words. We are going to tell him three days before surgery, so he has enough time to process the event. Glenn had surgery at the age of four as well and he keeps telling Oliver about his good hospital memories (such as his dad reading to him).

Here is Oliver on New Year's Eve, being silly as usual. Pearl is smiling at her funny brother.