The Beach (Days 1-5)

(Poki's footprint in the sand--ahhhh)


Well! I'm at the beach! Whoa, let me tell you, it is about time! For weeks my mom has been singing, "We're going to the bee-each, we're going to the bee-each!" And now we are here, and if I could I would be singing, "We're at the bee-each, we're at the bee-each!"

My adventure began with a car ride. A very long car ride. A very, very long car ride. But let me tell you, I did so well! My parents could not believe it. They were really proud of me. It all began with a good nap, then we stopped for lunch and a run in the park, then back in the car for another nap. When I got bored in the car, I just played with my feet...



Or my toys...



Or Mom would put on shows for me with Broccoli and Meri.



Then we stayed in a hotel for the night. It was amazing! I love hotels. Especially the phones. I immediately spotted the phone in the room and it had a cord. A cord! My favorite game was picking up the receiver and walking backward to see how far the cord would stretch before the phone fell on the floor. I also loved the air conditioner. It was on the floor, so I would stand right in front of it until my face turned bright red and my eyes teared up. It was awesome. Hotels rock!



The next day, we got back in the car. I didn't sleep very well in the hotel, so I took a really long nap in the car--like almost 4 hours. Then we stopped for lunch, but this time, instead of stopping at the park, we stopped at J+R Superstore. This place was advertised on billboards for miles and miles, so Dad thought it would be really fun. Instead it was really scary. This place was so gross and dirty, my mom gave me a wipe bath when we left. It was just a giant store filled with old dirty toys and clothes and really scary dolls. They did have some pretty cool things though, like a ceramic frog who was also a pirate that could hold a wine bottle like it was drinking it. In fact, that was its purpose. It was a wine bottle holder--which is weird, because I thought wine bottles had a flat bottom so you could stand it up, but apparently I was wrong and you need a holder for them. They also had baby cowboy boots. My parents almost got me a pair, but my feet are too wide. The sales lady came to help us find a pair of boots in my size and when she saw me she said: "How ol's yur lil' gurl? Sayvin or Ayte munce?" I have no idea what language she was speaking, but it's not the one that I have been learning for the last year, that's for sure. My mom seemed to understand what she was asking though and told her that "he" is exactly a year, wondering just how big the woman's children must be.
There is so much to tell you guys about J+R, I couldn't possibly tell you everything, but it was fun...and frightening. My mom is really mad that she didn't bring her camera inside--but she did get a picture of us before we went in.



After J+R, we ate lunch at Shoneys (yuk) and got back in the car. Next stop: The Beach!

It was pretty late in the day when we arrived, so I didn't go down to the beach until the next morning.

Here I am walking down the walkway through the dunes to the ocean.



Here are me and my Mom--the wind was blowing in such a way that her dorky sunhat looked super glamorous.



And then dorky again.



And here's the moment you've all been waiting for! My first encounter with sand...other than at the sandbox. My first encounter with the biggest sandbox ever!



To tell the truth, I wasn't really that excited about the beach when I actually got there. See, I didn't sleep well the night before and by the time we all got up, fed, dressed and slathered in sunscreen, it was time for my nap. So, I was pretty cranky by the time we got there and I really just wanted to go home. After my nap, however, we went outside to play in the "kiddie" pool Grandpa Rolly got for me. There is really nothing "kiddie" about this thing.



I need one at my house. And the people who own the house left all these really cool boats that are perfect for the pool. But I think my favorite toy was Daddy's boogie board. It's the perfect Poki-sized surf board.



The owners also left a cool truck that Babushka pushed me around on.



Later that afternoon, Uncle Ross, Aunt Julia (with baby Georgia in her belly) and my (other) cousin Sam arrived. That, frankly, is when the real party began for me. First of all, I love my Uncle Ross. As soon as he stepped out of the car, I held my hands out for him to hold me. No one knows why, I just did, and I've pretty much wanted him to hold me since. I also really love Sam. He's a big kid (4 1/2) and really cool. I pretty much love everything he does, and I want to do it too. I also love Aunt Julia...when she is eating an ice cream sandwich--but I'll love her without that soon enough. I'll post some better pictures of them later, but for now, here is a picture of me, Sam, Aunt Julia (with Georgia belly) and Mom in the pool. I got a fancy space shuttle float!





That brings us to today, 5 days since I left my house, my kitties and almost all of my toys. And I don't really miss any of it! I went down to the beach early this morning, right after I woke up and I had so much fun. I loved every minute of it. See, Mom and Dad keep taking me down there right around my nap time, and since the sound machine I sleep with is set to the sounds of the ocean, I start to nod off every time I get down to the beach. But today, I was well-rested and ready to go and I loved it! I ran constantly around the beach and even got in the tide pools (which I really didn't like at all until today). I've even gotten the hang of using a shovel in the sand.

Here I am in all my swimmy-diapered glory.







I'm sure I will have tons more to post from today and the rest of the week, so check back!

(ps: The Harwells say hello to all the Poki family/friends/fans out there!)