Mother's Day and Eleanor's first trip to the beach

This year was my first real Mother's Day! Last year I was kicking my 6-month-pregnant-and-still-sick feet up and relaxing:

This year I spent chasing an almost crawling, almost (seems like) walking, almost likes the ocean, almost 9 month old around the beach for the day. Eleanor started crawling today - the girl gave me the gift of one last day of immobility for Mother's Day. Life is different this year, but life is rich.

Our day started out with Chris waking up early (because Eleanor did) to make me strawberry scones for breakfast. They were delicious, and we sat outside on the back porch enjoying them. I also got a card from her (that her daddy helped her write) and a frame that she made at school...melt my heart.

We headed off to spend the day at the beach after breakfast, and I can't imagine a more perfect day for it. Uncle Robert and Auntie Joanna were in town visiting and a couple of our friends from town came along. Eleanor napped on the way there and on the way back, but there was too much going on at the beach for her to nap while we were there despite our best efforts. At first she seemed a bit intimidated by the ocean, but I think that was more related to the sound of the waves crashing. After her first little foray into the water, she kept trying to walk forward toward the ocean and we had to pick her up to keep her back. The water was cold but didn't seem to bother her. She also seemed to enjoy the sand, which thankfully wasn't too hot. A lot of the day was spent just playing with her toys and chatting, so I spent some time relaxing and reading my book while she kept herself busy. We left the beach with joy in our hearts and a sunburn-free baby (which is more than I can say for the tops of my feet!), so all-in-all a success.

(Favorite activity of the day was eating the sunscreen bottle)

(Couldn't get this adorable hat on her head long enough for a picture. She wouldn't have it)

Thanks Uncle Robert and Auntie Joanna for coming to visit! Happy Mother's Day to our moms (and now Eleanor's grandmas!) and to all the other moms out there.