Outer Banks Part I

We had such a wonderful time at the Outer Banks this year! It was probably our most successful family beach trip ever. We had a great house, great weather, and all the kiddos stayed healthy all week. The girls had so much fun playing on the beach and running and digging in the sand. One minor setback we had was that our air went out for a few days. It got Super hot inside! You know how good it feels to come in and cool off in the a/c after being out all morning...well, sometimes it almost felt hotter inside than outside when we came in for lunch. We may have had a little more pina coladas than usual to compensate, but by Wednesday night it was fixed and we were good to go for the rest of the week. Savannah and Ben had a love/hate relationship all week. They were mostly buddies and had a blast chasing each other around, but there were a few cousin altercations over some important toys:)

Skylar playing with Ben's Thomas magnadoodle
Day 1 on the beach...a little cloudy, but they don't care!
Savannah got hit by a rocky/sandy wave on the first day that really scared her..or actually just made her mad. So, she didn't really have much to do with the ocean after that. She would forget for a minute and come down to see us all having fun by the surf and then she would see a wave and book it back up the sand away from the ocean. She still had fun, but hopefully next year she can try the ocean again and not be scared.




It's a miracle!- all four of us looking at the camera!

Pampers shots...

Uncle Ryan and Sky



Playing Scrabble...

Watching Wonder Pets...




Baby pool in the pool..

Reading on the porch..
Daddy's glamor shots pose:)...
One of the most frustrating things all week was trying to get Savannah to be in a picture. No joke- she is an absolute nut about having to be still for one second to be in a picture. This is just one of many funny pictures- I have enough to do an entire post on hilarious Savannah outtakes and the faces of the rest of us that going along with "dealing" with her. The first time I took Ryan, Jenny, and Ben's picture they just got together real quick and said "cheese" and were all smiling beautifully and looking like the cutest little family....and it took less than 30 seconds. I was like seriously!? Not that I think everyone needs to be looking perfect all the time- I love candid shots. But every once in a while it is nice to have a family picture that doesn't have Savannah in some contorted pose and Tyler and I looking like we hate each other because she is making us break a sweat trying to keep her wrangled up for a picture. She will be a complete angel for a picture when she feels like it though. Skylar is usually great and cooperative, and it will be so awesome when she can stand up by herself for a picture.

That was another hard thing at the beach...to have a sweet 30 pound non walker to get to and from the beach everyday. We stayed one lot back from the beach- but it is a long way down a 3 story house, down the street, up the steps and over the dunes, and all the way back. She got lots of piggy back rides and got carried by grandparents, but hopefully one day she can do it on her own. It's just one of the simple things that make our life different, and that most people don't even think about.

Even with all of that, it is amazing how much easier the girls are getting, and how much better they are at traveling and being away from home. They ate awesome all week and got to have a picnic lunch out on the beach almost everyday.

Savannah ready for lunch in the tent...

Ben loved the ocean and the beach! He could have played outside all day.

Ben trying to chase Savannah and get her to come sit back down for a picture...

Savannah escaping from her spot...

Beautiful!

Gramp and Grammy and grandkids..

Digging with Gigi and Aunt Jenny... Grandude had to stay home with Phoebe, their sick dog, so he missed the beach this year:(

We went out to the beach to play a few times later in the evening. One family always left their tent/toys set up and Ben and Savannah were fighting over one particular shovel.

Savannah pulling with all her might...

Look at her happy little skipping face:) We were laughing that the shovel might as well have been a pitchfork with horns to match.

The same family had a really fun sand wall right in front of their spot. I'm not sure how much of it was man-made or was made by the waves, but the kids loved it. It was like a giant sand slide!

Savannah and Ben climbing to the top and sliding down. So much fun!

Uh-Oh...tumbled down...white dress and all...