sand...

This photo just warmed my heart. Yesterday, Omi, the kids, and I went to Monterey and we've made it a thing to try something new every time we go. Our routine has always been to park by Lover's Point, walk the path, say hi to the harbor seals along the way, go to the aquarium, walk down to a little beach on Cannery Row, typically eat at El Torito's, then walk back and head home.

Another (newer) tradition we have is to spend the day at the beach the day before school started. Since I have to work the day before, we decided to go yesterday instead.

So, we did our usual aquarium visit, briefly, and then found a new beach, San Carlos Beach, just down the street from Cannery Row. It's typically where divers enter the water so it was neat to see a few divers heading out in the bay. The kids also found some neat tide pools.

But, what really warmed my heart was this sand writing E did for her Omi (grandmother). No one prompted her to write it, so as she was finishing up the heart and patting it down, I snapped this photo. Okay, so secretively, I wish she would've written Mommy, but I was still filled with adoration and pride as she wrote this out for my mom.