Noah's Birthday Day

Wind: 35-52 mph. Sunny. 68 degrees. That could only mean one thing: it's time for a 2 mile walk on the beach! The surf was rough, the younger siblings were scared. But, the stroller came equipped with a rain shield to block the wind, and Noah and Elaina were up for the trudge.
So we headed north and fought the sand and wind for over an hour as we slowly made our way to the point. Noah coming along behind the stroller with his head down and his eyes closed when the sand was blowing too hard to see. Elaina taking pictures and taking shelter as required. Andrew and Molly taking turns being overwhelmed by the whole affair in their windless carriage.
Of course, Noah's trusty dog, Beah, was present for the whole trip and ran happily from person to person to piece of flying debris to birds. After the trudge and a rest at the point, enjoying the wind with no blowing sand, it was time to turn around and head home. On the way home with the gale behind us the stroller inflated and took off on it's own. A wrist strap for stopping the run-a-way buggy proved most helpful as releasing the handle resulted in the cart speeding away at increasing velocity.
At one point Noah was holding the wrist strap with Elaina and Molly in the stroller when he decided to just let the cart do what it wanted, which at that moment was to head pretty much straight into the ocean. The wheels were wet but not submerged when I grabbed it with the two hysterical kids howling on the inside. Noah was delighted with the stroller's close call as his feet were already quite wet from several similar trips into the surf on his own.

At home, after baths had warmed the troops, it was time for dinner and presents. Noah's favorites were a tethered remote helicopter that he controlled from a pair of levers controlling throttle and angle and one of the things in the picture that I have no idea how to describe with words. Dinner was hamburgers and waffles at his request and was followed by chocolate chip chocolate cake (gluten and casein free of course).

It was a wonderful day and Noah proved with every step that he was nine years old and faced every challenge of the day with a new resolution which was nothing short of joyous to watch. Someday my little lad will be a man and on this birthday the glint of that future was clearly visible in him. Happy Birthday, Noah. My Beloved Son.