Day 3 - Maggie learns to body surf

We had another fun, beach-filled day (though not quite as early a start, thank goodness). Today, Maggie loved digging in the sand. She's also discovered "tag" (the game) and wants to play it constantly. Suffice it to say her stamina far outlasts anyone else's, and she's ready for more while Bobby and I are begging for a break. I'm going to try to get some video of it tomorrow; it's just cute the way she chases everyone around on the beach. She also continued jumping over waves, with a little help from Daddy.

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Today, she learned to body surf too! This is my and my dad's favorite thing to do in the ocean, and Bobby's become a convert in recent years too. We don't need boards; we simply head out into waist-deep water and wait for the perfect wave. My dad is The King ... he and I can catch the same wave and he rides it all the way into the shore, while I may get half as far. The most fun is when you catch a really good one that lasts so long you can barely keep holding your breath. But I digress ...

Empowered with her swimmies, which I thought were silly for the ocean but brought anyway, she wandered out into knee-deep-for-her water and then lept forward on a wave. We weren't sure what she was doing at first, but then she held her head up while letting the wave carry her to the shore. Pretty soon, she was catching them like a pro. Well, an almost-4-year-old pro. She'd watch behind her, waiting for a good wave, and I was impressed at her patience -- she'd pass up the smaller ones and really wait for a good one. The water was so shallow that she had total control over how far she went; if she simply put her arms down to the sand, she could stop herself at any time. But whenever she rode one all the way to the end, she'd jump up and proudly say, "That was a great one! I'm doing it like a pro!"

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I also attempted a semi-professional photo shoot on the beach. Maggie was a little less than enthusiastic, since she'd just awakened from a rare nap, but I got a few OK shots. I'll try again tomorrow ... different day, different outfit. ;-) (I'm hoping a few will turn out beautifully, and maybe I can forego professional pictures this fall.) I'm hoping that with a little cropping and editing once I get home, some of these might be contenders.

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