last few days

A big storm was supposed to pass through the last full day of our trip, so we knew we had to take full advantage of our last beach day!  Some cute memories from that day...

Love this one of Colby watching his Daddy!

Dad thought he was funny and wanted a picture with the board Kevin rented.  Kevin REALLY wanted to get some surfing in, but the waves were not really in his favor.  The one day with big waves was so crazy windy, that I didn't want him out there.  We saw a lot of kite boarding that day, which was so cool, but also scary how fast the wind ripped them to and fro.  As the evening progressed, it seemed that the kite boarders were multiplying, and when we saw helicopters combing the coast, we knew something was up. Apparently a boarder went down, and they were trying to locate his body.  Although it was so sad, it was pretty cool to see the kite boarding community come together to look for a fellow enthusiast.

Kevin spent SO much time with Brooke, and I honestly started feeling a little jealous!  Colby only wanted me, which was fine at first, but I felt like I was missing out on time with Brooke.  I finally told Kevin that he would need to distract Colby so that I could get some time with my little beach-loving girl. I really loved the fact that she was completely content to wander the shores looking for shells, run back and forth to the water's edge, splash her feet, and climb the dunes with Ellie.

My constant companion, haha.

I mentioned that the shells were amazing, but just look at this!  There were entire stretches with amazing shells.

It was a pretty breezy that afternoon, but it actually reminded me of being on the beach in California. My Mom used to take us to the beach every Friday during the summer, which I know was no easy task. In a way, it felt like deja vu sitting with my Mom on the beach with the wind in my hair.  It was surreal to then be experiencing that same thing with my kids.

Did I mention the wind, haha?

Enjoying the beautiful sunset...

The weather predictions were correct, and the next day was a rainy one.  We had plenty of time to read stories, watch movies, and eat yummy food.

I actually really enjoyed being inside with the heavy rains, but the house seemed to shake quite a bit with the winds, which were only 25-30 mph.  I couldn't even imagine what the house would be like in the 80 mph winds of a hurricane, like the one that hit a few years prior.

When the rain finally stopped, we did one final walk along the beach. Loving the wind in their hair, haha...

Our little princess :)  (Nay Nay brought the girls both a new dress-up.)

Our crew...

It was pretty sad when the week came to a close, but I had a cute little helper to help tidy up the place :)

When the house was clean, we made the 4 hour drive back to Norfolk to catch our flight back to Dallas.  We had a week's worth of priceless memories, a gallon bag full of shells, sand in our suitcases, and about a million pictures to look back on.  I'd call that a win!!

kitty hawk and more beaching

My sister-in-law Madison wanted to head into town (we were staying all the VERY bottom of the Outer Banks, so we were an hour and a half from Kitty Hawk) sometime during our vacation, so we opted for a rainy day since the beach was already out of the question. It worked out perfectly, and the kids loved the small children's museum since we had the whole place to ourselves!  April is a perfect time for vacation :)

Colby got his work-out on, haha.

Brooke and Kevin did some deep sea fishing.

Uncle Jeffrey took a nap, haha.

Following the museum, we went for ice cream at a local ice cream shop.

And we ended the day with some miniature golf.  We really had such a blast, and Colby was hilarious with the golfing.  We have a classic video of him (sitting) trying to hit the golf ball.  When it wasn't going where he wanted, he picked it up and bum-scooted over to the hole to drop it in.  Then clapped for himself, hahaha.  Seriously, so funny!

The next morning, we were ready for more beach time...

We tried to get a picture of Mom and Dad with all the grandkids, but Owen just wanted to pick at Brooke's hair :) I loved being all together, but wished that Kimberly and Josh could have been there as well to join in on the fun.

I love the way Brooke adores Kevin, and I love that I was close enough to capture this moment in time.

That night after dinner, we headed back out for a little campfire and s'more action.

I'm writing this post almost a year after we went (I forgot that it was a draft this whole time), and I am filled with gratitude for such an incredible trip as a family.  Having time around a camp fire, on a beautiful (almost private) beach, was pure bliss. I just want to go back!!

crew was complete

Mom and Dad arrived late that night (just in time to kiss the kids and tuck them into bed), and in the wee hours of the next morning, Jeffrey and his family arrived at the beach house to complete our crew.  They drove all the way from Pittsburgh, and we were sure happy to see cousins in the morning.  This was the first time we all met Owen, so it was extra exciting!  One of the big perks of driving was that they could bring a bunch of stuff, including toys for everyone to play with.  

But there was still time for good old fashions games, like hide and go seek, haha.

Once we all had food in our bellies and sunscreen on our skin, we were ready to hit the beach!

I ordered the kids those sweet shell collecting bags, but some shells were just too big for the bag!

Do you love how we really had the whole beach to ourselves??  It was amazing!  We spent some time flying kites as well :)

We were happy to have Nay Nay and Papa on this trip as well. They love to see their grandkids experiencing new things, and this trip was chock full of memory makers.

The air was a tiny bit chilly since it was April, but the warm sun made it bearable to be in our swimsuits.

One of my favorite pictures from the trip!  He was a little scared of the waves at first, but he was fine as long as he was holding someone's hands.  Once the waves receded, he noticed that his feet were sinking deeper and deeper into the sand, and he thought that was HILARIOUS!  His giggles were infectious, and Kevin captured the moment brilliantly.

The girls got right to work burying their legs in the sand...

Over the next few days, we took many walks along the beach, and collected too many shells to count.

Kevin brought his hammock as well, which he strung up between the pillars of the boardwalk. This was definitely a favorite spot for the littles to cuddle up to Daddy.

Kevin really is the best Daddy and loves his one-on-one time with Brooke and Colby.

Colby still wasn't walking on this trip, but he was a champ at standing and I wanted a picture of him in his adorable fedora.  He, unfortunately, wasn't keen on the idea. 

So, we opted for a picture together, haha.

The second day, we raided the beach house shed and carried this inflatable raft and boogie board over to the beach.

Kevin and Jeffrey were the only ones brave enough to go catch a wave.

These cute beach explorers had a blast on the sand dunes.  They slid down a million times and had all sorts of sand in their swim bottoms, but all for the sake of fun, right? (Also one of my favorite pictures from the trip!)

One evening after dinner, we took a stroll down to the beach to watch the sun set.  It was super windy, which made for quite the adventure.  We all had sand in our eyes by the time we walked back, but it's just so peaceful and calm at night!

Nay Nay had a cute idea to write the kids' names in the sand and take their picture with it, which was adorable.