Cooper came to the beach with a pretty clear agenda: get in the water, chase birds, and keep Mom and Dad moving. Preferably all at once!
Family photos? He’d have to fit those into his schedule - haha
Courtney and her son were some of the first friends we made after moving to Venice, FL. What started with our kids sharing toys at the splash pad on a random Tuesday turned into park meetups and a playdate at our home. So when I showed up without my kids and with a camera in my hand, Cooper seemed understandably confused. Where were his friends, and since when was I the paparazzi?
Luckily, he had Mom, Dad and an entire beach to keep him entertained.
There were birds to chase and waves to investigate. There was running into the water, followed by Mom and Dad’s very reasonable—and only occasionally successful—attempts to keep him out of it. There were games of peekaboo, rides on Dad’s shoulders, tosses into the air, and plenty of Momma’s kisses squeezed in between adventures.
Cooper is a little guy with a lot to do. And watching Courtney and Noah love him through all that motion was the sweetest part of the evening.
Noah’s shoulders gave him a place to rest his legs without missing any of the action. Courtney’s arms brought him close enough for another kiss before he was off again. They chased him, scooped him up, laughed with him, and somehow managed to keep pace with a boy who seems to have an extra set of batteries hidden somewhere!
Their love for him showed up in every bit of it. The hands holding tight to his little legs. The smiles when he did something funny. The way they both leaned into him when they finally had him tucked between them.
There’s something about this age that makes you wish you could bottle a little of it. The sandy fingers. The dangling feet. The complete confidence that Dad will catch you and Mom will always have room in her arms. An ordinary evening at the beach is a very big adventure when you’re little—and having your parents join in makes it even better.
Someday, Cooper will be too big to sit on Noah’s shoulders. Courtney will have to reach a little higher to kiss his cheeks. They’ll look back at these photographs and remember the little boy who kept them running, made them laugh, and could turn a trip to the beach into a full family workout.
And Cooper will have these little glimpses of his childhood, too. Proof of how they held him, played with him, and looked at him when he was busy looking at everything else.
He may have spent most of the evening on the move, but he was surrounded by so much love with every sandy step.
Courtney and Noah, I hope these photos always bring you back to this version of your little family: your boy in your arms, sand coming home with you, and bedtime just around the corner.
Hopefully a very sleepy bedtime.
