carolina beach

 

for kai's birthday (i'm only a month behind!), we spent the weekend at carolina beach.  i love the beach in the Fall - the water was still warm enough for swimming and at night it was cool and crisp. our hotel room was right on the beach so we enjoyed great views and the sound of the ocean made for excellent background noise.  the girls loved playing in the sand , taking long walks on the beach and our trip to the aquarium. Taty joined us on this beach adventure, and was very helpful managing our two little crazies, even allowing Kai and I a dinner out at a nice nearby restaurant.  we took the ferry to Southport, where we enjoyed a nice seafood lunch, on the way home.

take me to the river

We finally made it down to Captain and Taty's River House for a fun and relaxing weekend filled with lots of kayak trips, good food and outside time.  The kids had a wonderful time and Jack enjoyed his many swims chasing us around the river.

Numero Uno

Our sweet, sweet Ruby turned 1 on September 3.  She's such a gorgeous little girl - both inside and out.  I love her big smiles, the way she throws her head back and laughs when she's happy, how she nestles her head into my shoulder when she's tired,  her scooting method that takes her wherever she wants to go at breakneck speed, and her babbling cooing noises.  She really enjoys playing with Luci and harassing Jack. She fits into our family so beautifully. It's truly been an awesome year getting to know Ruby.

baby you can drive my car

beach bums

we spent the weekend enjoying the sun, surf and sand on Wrightsville Beach.  both girls loved playing in the sand and splashing in the ocean.  and amazingly, both mostly behaved and slept awesomely.  though it's definitely a 'trip' when you bring the kids v. a true vacation without kids, as illustrated by kai pulling his hair out, and a mischievous Ru getting into a baggie of cheerios that was in the diaper bag.