A FAMIY DAY AT THE BEACH

Ah, the beach. There is nothing so therapeutic as a few days spent frolicking in the sun and surf, and then a few weeks getting sand out of places you didn’t even know you had places.

My family and I just returned from a beach jaunt, and I am pleased to tell you that we had a blast, and the headaches that come with traveling with two small children were fairly minor in comparison to the fun we had.

This was the first vacation we took as a four-person family. I was more than a little impressed that we actually had some room in the car after I finished packing. When my daughter was first born, I would pack the car with the contents equal to that of Tempe, Ariz., and would still manage to forget crucial things such as a stroller or my wife. But with a second child, I have grown wiser and can pack a more streamlined car. Only the essentials go: clothes, toiletries, and 24,000 Disney movies.

Yes, we have a TV in our car, and it is one of the most vital devices I own. If you do not believe me, I recommend taking an eight-hour trip with a child who is screaming, only pausing to scream more. So we knew that our daughter would be fine. The unknown part of the trip would be Parker, our three-month old. Parker has not taken many trips in his young life, so were unsure of exactly how he would behave while strapped in for three hours. And we were pleased to know that he is an absolute dream of a passenger. Assuming you stop every six or eight miles to feed him.

But all in all, we made it with relatively little fanfare. Our daughter, Allie, was very excited when she got there, mainly because you can get a child that age excited about anything. Just the other day, she was very excited about getting carrots for lunch.

Once we got out to the beach, she had a huge time collecting sea shells. And to her, “sea shell” is a broad ranging term that means “anything on the beach.” After about six minutes, she had filled everyone’s pockets with shells, crabs, sticks, jellyfish, bottle caps, Tom Hanks, etc. But a fine sea shell collection was begun, without a doubt. Parker, meanwhile, expressed his sheer joy at his beach visit by drooling.

In addition to frequent beach walks, we also spent ample time riding bikes. Parker, of course, had to be wedged snugly in a basket on the front of the bike. Ha! Just a little humor there! Parker stayed home, but one of the bikes had a toddler seat for Allie. I now know why children should wear helmets when biking. Sure, they can protect them in the event of an accident. But far more likely is that said two-year-old will fall asleep in the seat, and the helmet is a nice buffer against her noggin flailing to the side.

That was pretty much the most effort we exerted during our trip. More than anything we just enjoyed the time relaxing. After all, that is the point of a vacation. You need to relax and rest up. You’ll need all the energy you’ve got to get that sand out.