Beach Babe

Last weekend was a very beachy weekend for us: we ended up spending both Saturday and Sunday hanging out on Clearwater Beach. The weather was gorgeous, we spent some quality time with good people, and Ellie had an absolute BLAST. I still feel like there's sand everywhere though.

Beach family!

Get ready for some pictures - because if you ask me, there is nothing cuter than a baby at the beach. (Except, maybe, a baby playing with a puppy at the beach. But we didn't bring a puppy on this occasion.)

On Saturday we met up with my mom and Gary at the beach for the afternoon. I think my mom may have been a little excited to be reunited with her grandbaby. (Just a hunch, of course.)

Ellie and Grammy

Playing games!

Grandpa Gary was also happy to see Ellie, of course.

Ellie and Grandpa Gary

Ellie made herself at home right away by climbing on the beach chairs and crawling all through the sand.

Just hanging out in my beach chair, catching some rays

Beach babe!

With our help, Ellie did a little walking through the surf, too.

She kills me.

She's off to the races!

And if she felt walking was slowing her down, Ellie would hit the ground and crawl fearlessly into the waves.

Heading straight for the Gulf

Soaking in that saltwater

We brought a pail and shovel for Ellie to play with, and Grammy brought Ellie all kinds of fun new sand toys. So, we played in the sand.

Ellie and Daddy building sand walls

Climbing!

Sand play is very serious business.

Buried alive!

Ellie also took it upon herself to befriend some of the locals.

Hey girlfriends, what's the latest gossip?

As the afternoon wore on, the clouds covered the sun and the breeze turned chilly, so Ellie bundled up a bit.

Still beachy in her little coverup!

Then, we got cleaned up (Ellie was super mad at the idea of rinsing off in the showers), changed our clothes and went to Frenchy's Rockaway Grille for dinner. Delish!

Cuddling with Daddy before dinner

The girl loves to put her feet up when she eats.

It was a great day at the beach, and one that left Ellie thoroughly tuckered out.

Sleepy baby!

But, the fun wasn't over! On Sunday, we went back out to do it again. Our friend Jeff and his fiancee Sarah were in town from D.C. to plan their upcoming Florida wedding (hooray!), so we met up with them back at Clearwater Beach for lunch at Crabby Bill's.

Ellie with Jeff and Sarah, modeling the ankle bracelet (with her name on it!) that they gave her

Lunchtime cuddles

After a delicious lunch (Ellie tried alligator!) we went back to the beach for a little more fun in the sun. The girls played in the sand while the boys tossed around a Frisbee and a football.

Ellie watching the boys

In this picture, she was on her way to crawl over to a random woman to give her a hug. My kid is a little bit sociable.

It's possible that at some point, Ellie may have faceplanted into the sand a little bit. But I can neither confirm nor deny.

Many sneezes ensued.

After the beach, we rinsed off (Ellie hated it yet again) and then went in the pool at the Sandpearl Resort for a bit.

Don't be fooled - she loves the pool. She's just still mad about the shower.

Better!

By then Ellie was starting to get tired, so we only enjoyed a short dip before drying off and saying our good-byes to Jeff and Sarah. The next time we see them may very well be for their wedding! How exciting!

All dry and ready to wrap up another beach day!

Bye, friends! Until next time!

It was such a wonderful beachy weekend, it almost felt like a vacation. Being able to get that feeling any old random weekend without leaving town is certainly a big, fat checkmark in the "pro" column for Florida!