South Haven, Michigan - Beach Days



Early on Saturday July 19th, we packed up the van and headed to South Haven, MI.  While our rental was much less than we were expecting, the beaches were much more.  It was just beautiful!  South Beach was our favorite - although to be honest we only tried out two different beaches.  The last three days of our trip the weather was just too chilly to hit the beach with the kids.

We were lucky enough to have Nonna Carlotta join us for the trip.  The car ride was much more bearable with her playing  interference and she even let Brian and I head out on the town a couple nights while she watched the kids.  The best part was how excited the boys were to have her there.  When we asked Max what is favorite part of vacation was he didn't hesitate when he said sleeping by his Nonna every night. 

 All three boys loved the beach.  Max was very brave.  He didn't seem to care that the water was chilly.  He just jumped right in.  One day was a little windy so there were more waves.  He stood at the shore line and jumped over wave after wave as they came crashing in.  It was so fun to watch.

 

Max was such a little explorer.  He was fascinated with the sand and enjoyed digging to see what he would find.

Each morning before we hit the beach I would pack up a lunch.  Since we were on vacation we splurged and bought potato chips.  Will was in heaven.  Every day when we arrived he would say he was hungry and dig into his bag of chips before he hit the water.

This little squirt toy was Will's favorite.  I bought one for each of the big boys at Easter knowing that they could use them on the beach.  Will and Max had so much fun filling them and squirting each other that I couldn't get a picture of them sitting still.  They were too busy running and playing.  Like most  brothers I'm sure, Will and Max don't always get along the best.  Watching them play on the beach was priceless and shows me that they really are building a loving brother relationship, even if it doesn't always seem like it.

Then there was this little guy.  He was a total beach bum.  He had no fear and wanted to dig right in as soon as we arrived each day.  He tried so hard to keep up with his big brothers and he did a pretty good job of it most of the time.  I'm not sure which he liked more, the water or the sand.  Both were a huge hit for him. 

The only time he had a rough go was when he would get a mouth full of sand.  Poor baby would try to clear out his mouth with his sandy little hands, which would just make things worse.  I think the best part was when he took a sweet little nap in my lap as I lounged and watched the rest of my family play.  It really doesn't get any better.