We arrived at our place around six. Ella was such a trooper during the car ride. She only slept for an hour, but the rest of the time she played with Uncle Grizz, watched Blue’s Clues on the iPad, ate snacks or colored in her “handy dandy notebook”. All day she said, “Go beach?” or “Go sandcastle?” but she was patient nonetheless.
After dinner at IHOP (where we learned that Ella likes orange juice), we said, “Ella, we can go walk on the beach for a minute, but we can’t get in the water.” She looked Mommy in the eye and said, “Yes, beach,” completely understanding the gravity of the situation.
On the beach, she pranced as she held onto our hands. Afterwards, she calmly walked back with us. During bedtime, she gladly followed our instructions. She had her bottle, brushed here teeth, and I read her a book about Corduroy, the bear in green overalls with a missing button. She seemed to like the familiar routine in a new environment. After pointing out Mommy and Daddy’s bed and Ella’s bed, I sang her our bedtime song, laid her down, and she settled in falling asleep quickly.