Beach Family Vacation

We just got home from a beach trip! We joined my parents, sisters, and my sisters' families for a week at Corolla Beach in the Outer Banks. It was such a fun week of playing in the ocean and on the beach, hanging out by the pool, eating way too much food, and enjoying our adult time in the evenings once the kids (all 9 of them!) had gone to bed. It was Madeleine's first trip to the beach, and she absolutely loved it! It was such a joy to watch her enjoy the sand and the water like both Caleb and I do. For the first time we stayed at the 4x4 part of Corolla, which is less crowded since it's accessible by 4WD only. There are wild horses that roam that section of the Outer Banks, and they would walk right through our yard! I'm always sad when a vacation like this comes to an end, but I'm grateful for the fun memories we made! Here are a few pictures, if you'd like to see...

Gulf Coast Vacation

We returned home Saturday from a week at the Gulf Coast with my whole family. We had such a great vacation laying in the sun, playing with the kids, and mostly just being together. All seven of my nieces and nephews love playing in the sand and/or water, so it was really fun to be in the sand or out in the water with them! The three oldest girls are also learning to swim, so it was so cute to watch them get a little braver each day. One night the girls went shopping and another night the guys went fishing, and we also spent a cloudy morning at the Naval Aviation Museum. Other than that and a few donut runs, you could find us playing on the beach or in the pool or hanging out in the condo after the kids went to bed. A real vacation for me is bathing suits all day and no makeup or having to fix my hair! We are so thankful for the time we had together, especially since as the years go by we seem to geographically spread further and further apart! Here's a few pictures of our week, if you'd like to see.

Dominican Republic Vacation

Last week we spent the week in paradise: we went to the Dominican Republic for vacation! It was actually our first time staying at an all-inclusive resort, and it was my first time in the Caribbean. We had a wonderful time and it was SO relaxing. We were completely unplugged for the week: no phone, no TV, no internet. I didn't even take a watch so I never knew what time it was. It. was. glorious. We spent our days on the beach looking at the gorgeous water and soaking up the sun. We had perfect weather for our whole trip, which was such a blessing. I read several books, and Caleb spent a lot of time learning to windsurf.  We went kayaking and snorkeling, and we ate delicious food (and a lot of it!). We really enjoyed taking a break from our routine, especially because we were in a gorgeous place! We are always so thankful for the time we have to get away together! Below are a few pictures of our trip, if you'd like to see...

Our Beach Vacation

We arrived home on Sunday after a week at the beach with my family.  It was such a great vacation!  We had beautiful weather and it could not have been a more relaxing week.  The house my parents rented was right on the beach, so I spent the entire week bouncing from the beach to our pool to our hot tub.  I didn't wear shoes once and I came home with hardly any laundry because I lived in a swimsuit.  A perfect vacation!  It was so great to spend some extended time with my family, and a week at the beach was the perfect goodbye to summer.  Some of my favorite parts of the week...

*walks on the beach with my husband

*celebrating our nephew's 1st birthday

*talking by the pool with my sisters and mom

*sandy little hands reaching up for my hand at the edge of the ocean

*snuggling with my 4-month old nephew

*watching our nieces swim around the pool on their own (they're getting so big!)

*crab stomping our last night there

*my oldest niece wanting me to fix her hair like mine and put on my makeup

*celebrating our 2nd anniversary

*getting to talk with my parents each night when everyone else was busy putting their kids to bed

Vacation Part 1

We're home from our vacation!  We actually got back last week, but I came home with a bad summer cold and am just getting over it.  We had SUCH a wonderful vacation!  We split our time between Charleston and Folly Beach.  We actually stayed in Charleston, but drove the 15 minutes to the beach each day to spend the day by the water.  It was so relaxing. We talked and swam and read and just enjoyed doing nothing together.  The weather was perfect:  sunshine and a constant breeze.  Here's a few pictures of our beach time, if you'd like to see.  More on Charleston tomorrow!