We headed up to my parent’s place on the Sunshine Coast for a short break over Christmas. I went up a week before Anto, as he had to stay and work (and seemingly he worked ridiculous hours instead of hanging out on a beach like we did).

The last 2 visits Astrid has been a huge fan of the beach.  She often went to ‘the little beach’ which is a sand cove on the canal in front of my parent’s place, to play in the sand and paddle in the water. This visit the little beach wasn’t so exciting and I think she only visited once! This time Astrid was much more interested in the ‘big beach’, which involved a 10 minute car ride to Mooloolaba.  Every time we went to the big beach it required us to take enough stuff for a trip to Europe! Still, Astrid enjoyed it so much that we made an effort to go a few times.

Fitting around a 2 month old wasn’t easy so we tended to go down early. Given it was hot, we were all up at the crack of dawn, and it was busy at the beach being holidays, early was a good plan.  It isn’t a bad spot to spend the morning!

Unlike Astrid’s first ever big beach visit, which resulted in much tears and screaming from her, Soren’s first visit was a calm and placid affair. Astrid was almost 5 months when we first visited the beach and was not a fan! Soren, at just 2 months was happy to just lay in the beach tent, nap, listen to the waves and be cuddled……

His second beach visit was more of the same! The second time we went for the beach umbrella rather than the tent. Soren was happy to nap on a towel under the umbrella and spent quite a long time oblivious to the very crowded, and not particularly quiet, beach.

After some quality napping, Soren did have to wake up for some grinning and cuddles!

Once Anto and Mikl had arrived for Christmas, and Christmas day was done and dusted it was time for more beach, this time with all 8 of us…….. which required 2 cars and a lot of stuff 🙂

Soren’s 3rd trip to the beach was more of the same! Sleeping in the tent and having cuddles. He certainly enjoyed his fresh air. Given how hot and sunny it was we didn’t take him out near the water much but there was time for a quick visit with his sister and a look at the water…….

Unlike her brother, who pretty much slept through every beach experience, Astrid had a ball every time! The first trip, there were a few waves (unusual for that beach) and Astrid wasn’t the least bit worried and enjoyed jumping over them and playing in the white water.

When she wasn’t playing in the water, Astrid was happy to play in the sand. Building castles, getting her legs buried or her new favourite game of having a big hole dug to sit in and play with the water. Lucky Gramps, Granny and Anto got lots of hot sand digging!

When you aren’t playing in the sand, you are running and jumping on it!

Every beach trip also involved a break for morning tea, usually watermelon and a jelly snake. These photos were actually taken on 3 separate days but you wouldn’t know! After the first day when we had watermelon, Astrid insisted on taking watermelon with her every time, so she could sit on her chair and have a snack….

Astrid managed 4 beach visits during our trip, and I somehow think there are more in our future on the next trip. Maybe by then Soren will be old enough to have a splash in the water too!