Remembering the beach on a wintry afternoon...

I grew up with the majority of my spring break weeks falling in April. 

So sometimes it still feels odd to me to hear of March Spring Break plans...but nevertheless, we took our spring break a few weeks early this year, joining my parents, Katy, and Alex at Kiawah Island for a few days around Dad's birthday!

(And since they're calling for some wintry weather tonight and tomorrow, I thought I'd linger on some slightly warmer weather today!)

Here are some favorite places and moments from our recent trip.

I love these palms. As we were driving through South Carolina, Nathanael saw the first palm tree and said "There's a palm tree. We must be at the beach."

We had some chilly, cloudy days at the beach...where I was quite thankful for Uncle Alex who was adventurous enough to set foot in the icy water since I apparently have crazy children. But they love the water, no matter the temperature.

We also had some gorgeous days at the beach...though they were windy ones. The beaches were still pretty deserted. Mainly seagulls, pelicans, and a few people walking dogs.

My favorite Madeleine quote, as she ran towards the water above: "Come on, Hadleigh! Let's be mermaids!"

They were quite pleased with their sandcastles and "wells"! I'll never forget, however, the look of astonishment on Nathanael's face over how quickly the waves erased all signs of his castle.

I think this is my first beach trip where I've been drinking hot chocolate while the kids opt for popsicles.

I love the mix of the spanish moss on the old oaks and palm trees, like they do here on my way to a relaxing morning at the spa for a manicure/pedicure.

This time of year is perfect for the playground at the beach...it's really too hot during the summer on the play equipment. We made the most of it with a picnic lunch and bare feet in the sand for Madeleine.

 And oh, the food at the beach. This artisan veggie pizza is one of my very favorites. So yummy.

And you know you're enjoying good southern food when it's harder to choose your side dishes than your entree. I picked grits and tomato pie to accompany my crab cake. Sweet tea, she-crab soup, and blueberry pie rounded out my meal. (Stono Market's Tomato Shed Cafe is not to be missed if you're near John's Island!)

Our last day on the beach was incredibly windy, so instead of playing in the sand, we scoured the beach for treasure and found many. I think the kids finally believe me that taking a walk to look for shells is maybe just as fun as splashing in the water. Maybe. We found so many conch shells...mainly ones that were still alive (and we threw those back in the ocean) but we were able to bring a few home.

Madeleine is convinced that all the broken sand dollar pieces she finds can be glued back together. So we brought back approximately 918349837 sand dollar pieces.

And lastly, I can't see the sky today for the thick blanket of clouds, so I'm going to imagine this sunset again. It was incredible. Sunsets at the beach are right up there with Texas sunsets in my book.

So is it warm or cold where you are today?