We never pass up the opportunity to go to the beach in our house. Thanks to an awesome groupon, the kids and I headed to Atlantic Beach with our friends this past week. We've all been looking so forward to this trip. It would be Leah, Rachel, Nathan, and Luke's first trip to the beach and we couldn't wait!
We started the first day at the aquarium learning about sea turtles...
pretending to be frogs catching swimming fish and splashing in the virtual pond (very cool!)...
watching fiddler crabs...
river otters...
and the live dive in the sunken submarine tank...
Then it was time to check in at the resort. It was a beautiful property...
with lots to do everywhere you turned...
There were several indoor and outdoor pools that the kids all loved...
They spent much of the week pretending to be sea turtles reenacting what they learned at the aquarium. Here they are hatching from their eggs...
and learning to eat and swim in the 'ocean'...
The beach was beautiful as always. We had glorious sunshine, a cool breeze, crystal clear water, and calm seas...
After a tough wipe out the first day, Nathan chose to stick to digging in the sand... while hanging on to the chair for safety :)
The kids are all sand lovers and were eager little builders. They loved the moat around their sand castle. I like the ice cream shop they point on land side.
They were all very brave and loved the ocean. Rachel and Julia could not get enough and were in every chance they could get...
Nathan decided by Day 2 to give it another try...
Success! Way to go Nathan!
Carter was practicing his boogie boarding. The waves were a little too tame, but he caught some good ones. Hoping for bigger ones when we go back in July.
and then set off to digging...
The flyovers are always a big hit. Being sandwiched by New River and Cherry Point MCAS, gives us quite a show of CH-46s, ospreys, jets, and helicopters...
At the end of the day another family gave the kids their 'pool' when they left. So fun!
It was nonstop fun. The kids all did great and played hard. Whenever they were still, it didn't take long before they were dozing...
Julia did well with her cecostomy flushes on the road. It's hard to have to stay in every night to do them, but worth it to be on vacation. I felt so bad making her sit in the bathroom for so long, she would beg, "May I please just go to bed now?" Unfortunately, I noticed while we were there that the granulation tissue is growing back again :( We'll call the surgeon Monday to find out when it gets burned off. We will also be experimenting with our at-home sedation meds to hopefully find a solution that works to get her through these procedures. Time to pull out my nurse's hat again and find a combo and dosing that does the trick, allows for travel time and long waits in the exam room, and has minimal side effects.
We all had a blast and made lots of great memories with our friends. The beach will always be such a magical place for us, made even sweeter when we share it with people we love...
We started the first day at the aquarium learning about sea turtles...
This time they decided to dig a pool. They drew it out on the sand first...
A friend is someone you can do nothing with
and enjoy it.
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