Indiana Dunes - Spring Break 2009

We hadn't been to the beach in about 3 years - when we lived in Alabama. Indiana Dunes is on the way to TEDS in Chicago (David's school). So we went with him for the day last Thursday. The beach was chilly at first, but warmed up beautifully. We had a picnic and shared it with all the seagulls for miles around. Other than those greedy birds, our part of the beach was pretty quiet. Then we did some hiking and birdwatching and cactus-touching. It was a wonderful day.

It was fun to watch how each kid experienced the beach in their own way.

Choosing just the right rocks for throwing....

And putting every bit of his little body into tossing those rocks. Who needs expensive toys?

It is fun to watch their little spirits relish the open space and calming sensations of the sand and water.

The free spirit....

Doing Cartwheels....And mid-cartwheel!

Bub.... Feeling a little worn-out before we left the beach for some hiking and birdwatching. (They get all that drama from their dramatic dad, you know.)

Everyone hiking at their own pace. There was a really great marsh along this trail with sounds galore to try to distinguish: bullfrogs, birds, insects... love it.We like to learn hands-on. But they quickly learned that a cactus is NOT a good hands-on learning experience. Ouch! Daddy did surgery when we got back to the van.

It was one of those days that I felt like I needed to be home cleaning up and catching up and keeping up. But I'm so glad I just jumped off the wheel and took a day with my family.