Outer Banks 2014

Several weeks ago, we spent the week at our most favorite place {aside from home}--the Outer Banks of North Carolina.  We traveled down that Sunday morning and made our traditional lunch stop at Sonic.  After getting settled in, the kids rested.  We then went to the grocery store, had dinner, and headed out to the beach.  High tide left tide pools that we enjoyed that night and several other times.

 

 

We kicked off our Monday morning with yummy Duck Donuts then hit the beach.  Avery loves the beach, and her most favorite things are running up and down the sand by the water and jumping in the surf.  Sam enjoyed playing in the sand and loved buckets of water to scoop and pour.  Sometimes he liked playing at the water's edge, and sometimes he didn't.  He become a beach runner this year also.

 

One bucket of water had a fish!

 

That night, we got take-out then headed back to the beach to play in the tide pools.

 

 

We were back out on the beach Tuesday morning, running, splashing, and snacking.  That night we had a delicious dinner at one of our favorites, Black Pelican.  We had some fun on the deck after dinner.

 

We were back on the beach Wednesday morning as well.  With no morning naps to work around, we could be on the beach by 9 a.m. or so, beating the crowds and the heat.  When Sam grew tired of playing in sand, he "drove" and fixed the wheels on Ned's fishing cart.  A bungee cord also made a great Captain Hook hook.

 

 

 

We knew it would be hot that afternoon, so after naps we went north to the village of Duck and did some shopping.  Avery fell in love with Lilly Pulitzer and chose a romper after I unsuccessfully tried to convince her to get a dress that matched my shorts.  That just meant Mama needed a pair of shorts also. We came back and had dinner at Capt'n Franks then went back on the beach.

 

The radar looked like rain was coming Thursday, so Ned and Avery went to the beach for a quick run and splash {after some fresh donuts} then we went to the aquarium.  We enjoyed the inside and then took a stroll down the visiting dinosaur path and saw some big, realistic dinos.  Sam would jump and laugh each time they made a noise.

 

 

My parents arrived that afternoon and stopped by before checking into their hotel.  We had big storms before dinner with lots of lightning and thunder.  Luckily they stopped and Yaya and Poppa were able to meet us at The Lone Cedar for dinner.  That's my favorite meal at the beach, but it seemed to take a long time this year.  Luckily Sam did very well each time we ate out.

Friday morning was cloudy, so we had a lazy morning and then went swimming at my parents' hotel.  They enjoyed watching the kids swim, and we enjoyed the indoor pool.  That afternoon we made a quick trip to the outlet mall but walked away empty handed.  We had dinner at Capt'n Franks with my parents.  The kids played on the play set while we waited for Yaya and Poppa.  That play set caused two crying spells for Sam.  Once when we had to go eat and again when we got in the car.  He perked right up when he realized we were going for ice cream.  Ned fished on the pier that night, and I enjoyed the awesome views from our deck.

 

Saturday morning I delivered donuts to my parents and of course picked some up for us.  We spent the morning on the beach and then went back after naps.  Avery fell in love with the boogie board while Sam covered himself with sand.  My parents came for pizza that night and we ate under the cottage and watched the kids play.  Ned and I enjoyed some time on the deck after everyone went to bed.

 

 

 

 

We got up Sunday morning and got take-out for breakfast.  After last year's sleeping fiasco, Avery got a treat each morning for sleeping well.  We were out of treats and beach experiences to reward with, so her treat was pancakes.  After breakfast we packed and loaded up, reserved the house for next year, and headed home.  We got back home a little after 12, just in time for lunch and naps.  We had a fantastic vacation together this year.  Each time I'm sad about the kids getting older, I think about how much easier traveling is getting.  Easier…not easy!  We hope to get back in the fall for some sand, big water, and food.