Family Night at Seal Beach

i am a firm believer that unplanned family outings are always unexpectedly the BEST. i think kids get too excited when they know something fun is coming up and start to act out, so i like to be spontaneous with them. this was the case last night. my husband announced he wanted to take the kids surfing at Seal Beach. within a few minutes, we packed up, put on our swim suits, jumped in the car and headed to the beach.

we arrived at the beach around six o'clock. luckily we found a great place to park on Ocean Avenue & 6th Street. there was still at least 1-½ of sunlight left.

you don't have to pack a ton of stuff for a quick beach trip. towels, a few sand toys, waters, a chair (which we didn't need) and boogie boards is all we brought. the less, the better, in my opinion.

we picked up Subway sandwiches across the street from the beach.

 for some reason my boys have been begging to go to Subway for the past month, so they thought we were awesome for getting it for them. i was just happy not to cook or have to do dishes.

we all played in the sand....

and the boys were in pure bliss playing in the wave with daddy. you see, my husband grew up learning to surf at this beach. he loves that the nice sandy ocean floor, and the fact that there isn't a drop off and the waves a rolling. perfect for beginners learning to surf and boogie board.

watching my hubby play in the surf and boogie board with them was magical.

 they were all smiles!

and all of them played and played in the water. jumping and splashing and livin' it up. the water was surprisingly warm...not even a bite of chill. it was awesome.

 there is something about nature that soothes the soul, washes your troubles and cares away, and brings the love that a family has for each other to the surface. it's not the big fancy trips or elaborate plans that create the special memories your children remember. it's the unexpected moments of pure bliss shared together that matter most.

and as they played in the sand as the sun began to set. i sat there thinking. all. is. good. the perfect recharge a momma needs in the busy life of worry about everyone else.

this unexpected family night enjoying the sand and water of Seal Beach was all i needed. what a beautiful place.

we could have walked over to the pier, played on the playground on the beach or enjoyed the beach shops running along Main Street. however, the boys were content just playing in the waves. Seal Beach is a wonderful beach to take the family, it's clean and nostalgic and has some great places to eat. if you would like to check out where we went, here is where we went.