Now for the actual "beach".....

We love everything about the beach- the sun, the sand, the ocean, the waves, the crabs and birds, the shells, the sounds, the smells, the sunsets. The kids are growing to love it all now, too. We had beautiful weather, only one day of rain. The waves were great- a mix of calm days and good surf days. Both the kids love sand and this is the best sandbox ever!
here's one of our many sand creations.....

Julia was eager to go in this year and by the end of the week was learning to ride the waves. She kept telling us, "My love the ocean. Mommy love the ocean? My love the beach."
Digging for sand crabs. We used to do this for hours as kids. It's fun to teach our kids to do it now.Julia loved to sit and watch the waves.....

Carter loved going in the ocean when he was young. The summer he was 2 he got knocked over a few too many times and swore off the beach all together. He refused to leave the security of the dry sand. When asked he always said he get closer when he was 5- recently he changed that to 6. We just watched him play in the hot sand and let him be. He has a true appreciation for the power of the waves and being the thinker that he is, he's explored all the possible mishaps in his mind. This year, was much the same until the last day (of course) when he ventured down to the edge on his own. before anyone even realized he was wet. It was sweet to see the sense of accomplishment on his face. He was so proud of himself! Note he wasn't even wearing a bathing suit at the time.Soon he was playing in the surf- we were so impressed- and happy to see him enjoy it, like we knew he would. Of course we had to leave the next day, so hopefully next year he'll be willing to pick up where he left off.

The kids had fun playing in the oceanfront "pool"........

One of Julia's favorite features at the house was the hose to rinse our feet. There's just something magical about kids and water- especially when they get to hold the hose. It was always a challenge to drag her away and inside for her nap. Here she is after a particularly messy swim diaper incident (I'll spare you the details).

Our sweet bare-bottom-bathing-beauty!

And on that note, we'll say.......................THE END.

Quick Break

Now for a quick break in our vacation coverage for the sports highlights of the trip...

With Carter in tow, you can count on daily sports and some healthy competition. This year was no different. He had definite plans to play golf. He started when he was 2 and has several courses there he likes. He went with Grandpa, Daddy, and Mimi on Tuesday. Daddy won and Carter actually beat Grandpa by one stroke! He told him, "next time he should probably use the plastic club they give out instead of bringing his own." Don't worry, there was a rematch later in the week and Grandpa brought his A game this time and won by 15.
We were thrilled to have the Olympics on this year. Our whole family loves to watch as much as we can. Its something we look forward to every 4 years. I actually watched my first Olympics in 1976 as a newborn laying on my Dad's chest and we have watched them together ever since. The 2004 games were actually during his R&R from Iraq and our family was at the beach together again. This is the first time Carter has actually been old enough to understand. He has loved watching all the events and cheering for the US. At his age, he is all about competing, racing, being the fastest, and medals- so this is right up his alley. It's the first time he has seen some events and has taken a liking to water polo (that sport exhausts me to even watch!) So within minutes he was directing matches in the pool. Mimi was the Chinese team's goalie and Carter was the US goalie. It was funny to watch how much he observed in such a short time- he's a sponge! he was commentating while everyone played. Our favorite, "And folks, this has been an emotional game." He's a nut!
Awww, he let one get by..........And then, there was baseball. He and Grandpa had fun following the MLB games on ESPN and in the newspaper. And he had numerous games going every day. At the pool......
Here he is as the catcher- his new favorite position. He was thrilled to find out that when he plays "coach pitch" next spring, there is a catcher! He already put a mask and mitt on his Christmas list. Big Mike had fun pretending with him. He made a great pitcher- very entertaining. They made up all kinds of pitches- high stinky cheese, blue angel, radio pitch.
And on the beach......going, going......................GONE.
And Grandpa's big hit, led to a .......
....close plat at the plate.
Carter putting the squeeze on Grandpa.......and some races with Mimi.

Sweet memories

The nice part about posting like this is that I'm reliving it all and making it last longer :)
But oh, if we could still be there, hmmmmm. That's okay, right now we're just happy to have daddy home from a week in FL and we're heading to the water park tonight- fun!

But now back to the beach....here are some of the sweet moments from the week....

Anderson, unfortunately was teething and had a really rough week- short on sleep and smiles. We all felt so bad for the little guy. Here he is passed out at breakfast after being up all night......

The kids loved watching the dolphins at breakfast. Every morning the pod travels east up the beach, and every evening, back down.We spent two mornings at the aquarium in Pine Knoll Shores. It's an amazing place since their renovations. Carter was very into it and carried around his notepad to take notes and teach. He loved the divers in the ocean exhibit, the giant toads, the sharks, and the river otters, and the map of all the NC shipwrecks.
We had a great time with Mammy and Pappy. it's such a treat for the kids to be able to spend time with their great-grandparents.....

JuJu playing "my stuff". She just started doing this with her bags, baby, and toys. I think it's so funny the way little girls pack and carry around bags, but take one look at their mothers and you can probably see why. I have yet to meet a mom who doesn't own, and use, at least a dozen bags. I've told people before I feel like the equipment manager in our life.
Carter soothing Anderson on the swing. I must say this is one of our favorite spots at the beach house. We clocked some serious hours on this swing- all of us.
Julia dancing with her Grandpa- so sweet (and know I'm not letting myself visualize her wedding yet!) Anyone who knows my dad knows he's a music nut and has millions of lyrics in his head. He is essentially a walking jukebox and can even give you the artist, title, year, and world events for every song. Carter is always telling Mimi to "turn off his key" when he starts singing. Julia on the other hand thinks it's great!
This is what 3 consecutive all-nighters does to a person.....
JuJu and her Mimi. They share the same curls, brown eyes , and spunk......
(Coming next: actual pictures from the beach :)

The M&M Gang

It so neat to see how God orchestrates things. Some of our dearest and closest friends are Mike and Kim and their four kids Michael, Meghan, Matt, and Madison. We have known each other for over 25 years and have been stationed together at different bases around the world. They are such a great family- full of life, love, and a true appreciation for their family and friends. We planned our vacation last year, taking whatever was available after we had to change plans because of a family wedding. They decided at the last minute in July to take a vacation in August. We found out we were coming down the same week and even cooler....... their house was right across the street!! We couldn't have planned it this well. We had a great time together (always do!) Their house was always the place we wanted to be. There was always something fun and unpredictable going on and you never knew what fun game or activity Mike would come up with next. We have some great memories, and we're still adding more :)

We got the chance to celebrate Kim's birthday on Wednesday with a yummy dessert night.
My kids had a blast with them playing everything they could think of....
It's so hard to believe how much they've grown up. I used to babysit these kids when they were 1, 2, 6, & 8. I'm really feeling old. Two have graduated college and the other two are in college.

Madison and Anderson.....
Meghan and Carter having a ball in the pool.......

Matt and Carter after a game of football. Matt was just like Carter as a kid- all sports, all the time.......
And wherever Big Mike goes, there you'll find Carter, too......Thank you guys for all your playing digging, wrestling, swimming, building, pretending, running, and games- the kids are still talking about it!

(We missed you Michael! Congrats on the new job, sounds exciting.)

Emerald Isle 2008- A little piece of beach heaven!

I know you've all been eagerly waiting for pictures from our vacation. I had bold plans to post while we were away- sorry- didn't happen. We had an amazing week and feel so blessed for the time away. It's been a sad adjustment back to real life. I took almost 500 pictures and have been overwhelmed by choosing just a few, so here's the first set.....

We stay in amazing oceanfront house just steps from the beach with it's own pool. We are so thrilled to be back in this house for the second time....

Mimi and Grandpa had a surprise for Carter- his first set of utilities! He was beyond excited and assumed the role of "little Marine" immediately. I finally fought it away from him to wash after 3 days!
Here he is patrolling the pool on the deck...And he found it quite impressive that the Marines flew over twice a day as he played on the beach.....just checkin' in........
Julia didn't waste anytime getting into full vacation mode.....let the fun begin!We are definitely "water fans" , all of us. We get so spoiled having our own pool on the deck.....And Anderson fits right in. His happiest moments were spent splashing around in the pool....
Time for our first trip down to the water. Julia is in her element with Grandpa and Daddy, soaking up the love from her two favorite guys........Sand between my toes, it doesn't get any better than this :)We are all so happy to be here. We long for the ocean all year and look forward to the family time we get to spend here. I pray we all leave refreshed, renewed, and reconnected to each other and God who created this masterpiece we get to enjoy. It's true what they say, heaven's a little closer in a house by the sea :)

.........more to come...........

Vacation Time!