We made our way from Isle of Palms, SC (after a week with Zack's extended family) to Ocean Isle Beach, NC to meet up with the Bakewells! It has been so much fun for the cousins to spend time together at the beach!! I have loved watching aunts and uncles, Grammy, Grandpa, Grannie and extended family members love on our boys while we have enjoyed a change of scenery and time with our boys! I took this first picture to capture some of the differences this year compared to previous beach trips! We are required to wear masks in public which makes for an additional accessory that mommy has to plan for and keep with us at all times. The boys are doing pretty well wearing their masks when in public. Some restaurants are closed but we have been able to grab take out from a couple seafood places.... this week was Inlet View... a yearly tradition! We also managed to eat out at Dockside with the Bakewells. It was a treat to get dressed in clothes other than our bathing suits and comfy clothes to take some pictures and eat dinner with a scenic view! Most nights we have cooked in and enjoyed evening swims at the pool!! The house we rented this year has a pool... we are absolutely loving the time together with family into the evening hours. The boys love doing cannonballs, going under to grab torpedoes or golf balls they have thrown to the bottom, and diving in from the side. This week Zack was able to successfully teach our kids how to dive from the side of the pool!! Since he was a swimmer growing up, I loved watching him coach the boys on this new skill! We definitely have two little fish that will miss the pool after this week! The Bakewells have already decided that a pool is a must have for future beach trips!
Zack and I took a selfie at Inlet View while picking up our take out!
The boys requested miniature golf one day so we were able to play putt putt and a little bit of tennis before spending the afternoon at our pool!
These boys love feeding the birds (Maddox even got nipped as he held up food for a bird to eat from his hand!) and jumping/diving through the waves! Daddy even got them a boogie board this year so they could ride the waves!
I can't say enough about how much we loved the pool! It was a great way to entertain the kids while the adults made lunch and we would swim after dinner most nights until bedtime. Since there are extra precautions with Covid-19, most community pools are closed this summer. This means that most of our swimming play dates with friends haven't happened like in years past. We were very excited to have our own personal pool for a whole week!
Dressed up for dinner at Dockside!
Looking for crabs, grabbing ice cream and walking on the pier.... all requests by our boys! Since we have come to the same beach for a few years now, they are starting to get familiar with some of their favorite things to check out while we are there!
I fit in extra cuddles with my boys these two weeks before I head back to work! The governor and our district are coming up with plans for what school will look like in the next few weeks. As of right now, it looks like Maddox will return to his preschool for Pre-K and Zander will be coming with me to work as he has virtual learning and I work from our building (at least for the first 9 weeks). I have really enjoyed time with these boys without focusing on school work and just watching kids be kids! (As you can see in my lap though, I still fit in a little bit of reading for the upcoming school year.) I've missed a few trainings these weeks that I'll have to make up when I return...... definitely glad I didn't try to fit those in while we were at the beach! It already seems like vacation went by so fast!
Grammy and the big kids on a morning walk to get out of the house and explore!
Got in some extra cuddles with my niece and nephew!
Grandpa splurged and got the kids Sunset Slush (a.k.a fruit slushies) two different days while we were on the beach... they were a hit with the cousins! Dad never purchased these growing up for us big girls so I can definitely tell things are different when it comes to spoiling the grandkids! ;)
Since we were not able to go out as often as in previous years, Grammy made a seafood dish complete with shrimp and grits and coconut shrimp! This dinner was probably my favorite of the week and tasted better than the restaurants we usually visit! I think this will be an annual tradition now!
The cousins in front of the house we stayed in for the week! Do you see all four kids on the front porch?! ;)
On the way home we stopped at Kalawi Farm to see where Uncle Boomer worked when he lived back home and have some yummy ice cream.
Until next year......I'll finish this post with one more comparison collage.... we've been taking our annual trip to the beach with the Bakewells for 8 summers now..... I can't get over how quickly our boys are growing up! I need time to slow down just a little bit!
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