Beach!

The storm clouds rolling off the coast...

Raleigh is really a great place to live.  3 hours from the mountains and 2 hours from the beach.  We don't get to the beach nearly as often as I would like to go.  This past Tuesday I got a text from my sister, Jessica:  "I know this is last minute, but do you want to go to the beach tomorrow?"....I'm not really a spur-of-the-moment kind of girl but I had been dying to get to the beach (and take the girls) so I was down!

Wednesday morning she arrived to pick up me and my crew bright and early.  4 kids and 2 moms and we were off!  It was beautiful and sunny in Raleigh, but as we got closer and closer to the coast, it was raining and storming.  Jess' in-laws live at the beach so we stopped at their place to wait it out and see what the radar was saying.  We were very hopeful it was going to pass so we loaded the kids back up and went to the beach.  We found a covered shelter to have our picnic--while it was still raining (and thundering and lightning).   By the end of the picnic we could see blue sky! 

Oh happy day!  We were undressed and on the beach faster then you could say "sea gull!"

Molly's first time setting foot in the Atlantic.

Baby girl loved it!

 

The last time Tim and I took Emma to the beach she was 11 months old (and it was October).  Her Mooma and Doodad took her one other time after that, but that is it.  She is 4 (5 in November) and has only been to the beach 2 times...and it's 2 hours away.

She had a blast!  She loved being in the water, jumping over the waves and rolling around.  She's my little mermaid.  She did not want to leave.  I hope to get to the beach one more time before school starts.  Maybe even make it more than a day trip. 

 

We went to Fort Fisher.  I would like to go back there and really explore one day.  Such a cool, historical place!

 

The cousins had a blast playing together.  Emma and Lorelei spent lots of time holding hands in the water where the waves were coming in and also helping Jack with his castle/moat creation.  He spent pretty much the whole time working on that.

Molly's napping spot.

 

We actually had to break out the sunblock and hats later in the afternoon!  The weather really turned around for us.  These few pictures I got of Molly are some of my favorite.  I love the color, crispness, her shadow/reflection...all of it!

I love how you can see Aunt Jess and the girls in the background of this one.

 

After the beach we went down the street to these beautiful trees.  It was probably 20 degrees cooler in their shade.  The kids loved this because the trees were so easy to climb.

With a pit stop at Jess' in-laws for some baths and a stop for dinner...we were on our way home after a long, fun-filled day!  Everyone was probably overly tired and we probably should have hit the road a little earlier--but we all survived. 

This beach day was just a perfect day.  You ever have one of those days?  Where you think back on it and smile.  It started out stormy...Jess and I were scrambling thinking about what to do if it rained all day.  But, God cleared it up for us.  I'm certain it was Him.  He knew how much I needed this day.  A day to sit back and soak it in.  Everyone was relatively well behaved and happy most of the day.  It was relaxing and fun.  It just makes me smile. 

I'm ready to go back...