Beachy Keen

About once a week this summer, we were lucky enough to spend a day at the beach with Finney's best buddy, Logan, and his mom, Gina. We built sandcastles, ate popsicles, saw leopard sharks (No kidding! Don't worry, they're harmless), and transferred about a metric ton of sand from the beach into my car, which has yet to be cleaned out.

Gina and I have enjoyed watching Shea grow from a wobbly toddler/new walker who threatens to fall down with every step across the uneven sand to a surefooted, brazen young waterlover. It's also been fun to watch the boys' water comfort levels increase noticably over the course of the season.

In June, Finn was afraid to get his hair wet and now, after many lessons from John in the pool and two weeks of swim school, jumps into the deep end of the pool and swims back to the edge on his own. Logan, meanwhile, can now hold his breath while swimming the entire length of his pool under water. Olympic competition is surely in their near future.

The biggest difference from the beginning of the summer to the end is that now both boys actually go into the water when we're at the beach instead of safely hovering just beyond its lapping reach. As was to be expected, the boys quickly discovered the fun of boogie boards; they've even managed to catch a few rides to shore already. Coincidentally, they ended up with the same style of rash guard after they ended up with similar rashes. Here are some of my favorite shots of double trouble, hamming it up with their newfound prowess.