The Beach, Times Two

Of course, the best part about going to Florida is going to the beach. When my sister and I would go for our yearly visits to my grandparents' house in Orlando, our big trip (other than Disney or Sea World) would be to Cocoa Beach. This year, we went to Lovers Key. The weather was very windy. It was high tide and the waves were pretty big.

And, much to our surprise, Kailey was not into the beach at all this year. In her defense, she was tired. But, she was also very reserved. She didn't want to play in the sand and she really was uncomfortable about going in the water - again, partly due to the big waves, high tide, and the strong undertow. She was interested for a little while just being near the water with Bill or I holding her. But, with the undertow, it was hard to stand straight, and the incoming shells were very hard on the feet if you didn't move around.

This trip, it was Heather who was the brave one. She was pretty excited about the waves, as long as we were holding her. She didn't cry when the waves went in her face and didn't mind standing in the shallow water on her own. She also complained about the hard shells on her feet, but she had a great time. (As you can see, Bill and I got wet as we played in the surf too - lots of fun!)
Because we really felt Kailey would have played more if the waters were calmer, we made another trip to a calmer, more sheltered beach a few days later - Fort Myers Beach. The sand was softer, the wind was less and the waves were smaller.
After some exploration, Kailey and Heather both decided this would be ok and they both played in the sand, walked into the water and had a good time.

Notice our own Little Mermaid.

By the end of the afternoon, everyone was feeling very comfortable around the beach. And, best of all, no one got burned!