The Outer Banks - Part 1

This past weekend, as one last hurrah before school starts, we went to the Outer Banks in North Carolina.  David's boss owns a beach house down there and invited us to come for a couple of days. The drive was horrendous, but once there, I realized that it was worth it. Growing up, I didn't go to the beach but a few times. They were always super crowded and lined with hotels. Basically, they were tourist traps! But this place was different. It was secluded and quiet and clean! We have taken the girls to the beach before in California. Although quiet, secluded and clean they were, they were also freezing! This was a wonderful escape from normal. 

Aliza seems quit the natural on the beach! She pretended to surf and she loved the sand. Her most favorite part was collecting sea shells. If we had let her, she would have brought home every shell she found. 

These two pictures are proof that I was indeed there! I am going to try to get better at including myself in the pictures. No one loves the way they look in a picture, but I know I'll be happy I included myself. 

Carmen also loved the beach. The water was her friend! She had so much fun chasing the waves and being chased by the waves. She wouldn't go in very far, but she had fun splashing around. She mostly pretended she was a dog the whole time... she enjoyed the sea shells as well. 

Some of the many shells we found. I hope to find a nice jar to put the best ones in as a reminder of our trip. I've never been to a beach that even had shells on it. So this was fun for me as well!

We had to keep moving our stuff because a rather large tide pool kept forming right where we had made camp. Turns out, the girls loved this part! It was only a few inches deep, but just right for splashing around and they felt safer without the waves crashing into them. 

Charlotte apparently thought this was some other kind of beach!

We managed to keep her swimsuit on the majority of the time though. She wasn't such a fan of the water or the sand. She mostly just wanted to stay on the blanket and eat. Or she preferred to be back at the beach house playing with her stroller and baby doll. 

I, on the other hand, could have sat there all day with my toes in the sand. If I could have been left unbothered and didn't have to keep a constant watch over my children, I would have really enjoyed myself more. But it was relaxing and so enjoyable to watch my family having fun together.