Sometimes I wonder how it is that kids find wonder in such small things.  I like some simple things - like sitting on my couch reading while a breeze blows on me from the open window, or drinking a cherry limeade, or seeing duck bums in the air.  Every once in a while I will think that I'm seeing through the eyes of a child.  I do that a lot when I go to the aquarium.  Some of those creatures are amazing, and I am always in awe of how beautiful the little jellyfish can be.  Sometimes I giggle like a little girl at things that I think are cute, which I will admit that I did when we watched The Land Before Time as a family a few days ago.  There are still some things that baffle me though.  And although I don't always understand, I'm glad that I get to be part of that wonder and joy for my daughter.

Breakfast around the Lee house is usually a simple affair, but I think the kids enjoy it all the same.

While the rest of the United States is buried in 19 feet of snow and sheets of ice are covering the roads and causing school to be cancelled, here in my little corner of Oregon we have been enjoying the weather, which has been 65 and sunny for the last several days.  So what do we do during that time?  The only thing there is to do arond here: go to the beach.

Noah hasn't been to the beach before at any point when he was mobile, so this was a new experience for all of us.  I assumed that he would get some sand in his mouth, but I didn't expect him to be shoveling it in by the handful.



I guess dad needed to let his inner child play a little too because he needed to do a little bit of digging.  He lost something in the hole though.

Of course, Noah didn't mind one bit.  He was loving being dirty and being buried.  On the other hand, Kennedy was telling Brett, "Don't bury Noah!" or "Don't get sand on me!"  She was also squatting down to avoid actually putting her behind in the sand.  She sounds a lot like me as a kid, wearing pearls to the beach and playing in the sand from a chair.

Although it does seem like the beach is the only outing we ever really have around here, I have to say, it really can be a beautiful one.