I actually had a bit of a lie-in this morning! It wasn't until 7:30 that you, Forrest,  were ready to get up. I felt super rested too!  I haven't had such a good sleep in a long while. Daddy and Nixie came down maybe an hour after us and then I made you guys porridge and hurried to pack some lunches and snacks and then get all of us dressed for our little day trip to Charmouth Beach. 

I love how determined you are,  my sweet little Forrest. You always want to get dressed yourself these days. Shirts and trousers or shorts have become fairly easy for you but socks can be quite tricky and you'll keep trying and trying and most of the time you manage but sometimes you'll eventually ask for my help, like today. Nixie, you decided that your rhino, big chick and cat needed to come with us so you stuffed them into your shirt to keep them warm. 

It looked like an awful grey,  wet and gloomy day out today and that was also the forecast for the rest of the day in Charmouth but if there's anything I've learned is to not trust the BBC weather forecasts because they are always changing!  I packed our waterproofs and extra clothes thinking I was completely prepared. 

As soon as we got into the car you,  Nixie, said, "I wonder what kind of things will be there?"  I said maybe we will find sea glass and then you said,  "yeah maybe but I was thinking about the chips,  I wonder what the chips will be like there, I mean it is a different town from here so maybe they will be different? I think they will be better.  I hope so!", you really made me laugh. 

When I checked google maps it said it was about a 1 hour and 40 min drive but I think it took us almost 3 hours to get there. I was so impressed by both of your patience neither of you complained at all! At one point you, Forrest, really wanted num num but that obviously wasn't possible so instead I gave you guys treats which kept both of you happy until we got there. You,  Nixie, kept shouting out elder! every time you would spot some and I just love that you do this, it became a little game for all of us to see who would spot it first.

We were all so happy to arrive and to be able to stretch our legs. The view was beautiful as we walked towards the beach. I love the coastline here.  Before heading down to the beach we went and had a look inside Charmouth heritage centre which had a lot of fossils and information about the area.  Both of you seemed to really like looking at all of the things but Forrest,  you ended up hitting your lip really hard on the corner of one of the exhibits and it made your lip bleed.  You were absolutely fine after a minute of tears but I ended up needing to fill in an accident form before leaving. They were very concerned! 

As soon as our feet touched the sand we found sea glass, it was everywhere! This seems to be our family's current obsession, we just can't get enough of searching for sea glass!  Even you,  Forrest, were finding sea glass and bringing it to us and you,  Nixie,  found the first blue piece of the day.  We spent hours upon hours just wandering the beach,  taking it nice and slow looking for treasures. It was blissful!  

As it got later in the day the weather became nicer and nicer and I was so annoyed with myself for not packing swimsuits and towels. In my mind I had imagined it to be a bit of a gloomy day and didn’t think we would need that but I was wrong! So you, Nixie, ended up swimming in your pants and Forrest, well, you don’t use a swimsuit yet anyway so it didn’t affect you. Luckily we had extra hoodies for you both to use to dry off and get warm. Nixie, you especially loved exploring some of the rockpools and got so excited when you spotted some barnacles and sea anemones. We have been learning lots about them recently.

Forrest, you are becoming braver and braver when it comes to the sea! Now you pretty much will run straight into it, cautiously but no longer afraid. You were squealing with laughter as you stomped in the waves running in and out of them. You loved playing with any seaweed you could find, throwing it and then running to pick it up again.

After a while, you, Nixie,  started to get hungry and craved chips so we decided to head over to Lyme Regis. It felt great to be back here, Lyme Regis was where we went on our very first road trip when daddy first got his license when you were just over 1 years old, it felt very nostalgic being back here especially now that you, Forrest are here too! 

We headed straight to the fish and chip shop that was at the end of the boardwalk and oh my goodness they were so good!! Nixie, you were right, they were even better than the ones where we live! We brought them over to the beach and ate them there and you & Forrest had a lot of fun running around on the sand. Before the tide got any higher we went for a little walk along this path that is completely blocked off if the tide is high and both of you loved climbing up it and walking along the wall. Before heading home we found a place that was still open for ice creams and then went for a walk along the sea edge and enjoyed some beautiful views before heading back towards the car.

It was already after 20:00 by the time we reached the car and Forrest you fell asleep within 10 minutes of driving. You have been such a trooper and I’m always so impressed by how far you’re able to walk before needing to be carried. I had thought that you, Nixie, would have also fallen asleep in the car but you didn’t. The journey home wasn’t as bad and it only took us about 1 hour and 40 min. I carried you, Forrest, into bed and you didn’t even stir. Daddy ended up reading a bit of a story to you, NIxie, before you came into our family room and gave me the biggest snuggles before finally falling asleep too.