All good things come to an end

We all had a fabulous week in the Outer Banks last week - to be honest, this week was some what depressing simply because we were back to the same old routine and not spending our mornings poolside and afternoons at the beach! And that's probably why it has taken me so long to get this post up.

I was a little worried that little miss Emma would not enjoy the beach or the water. Why? Well for one, when we took her to the children's museum during the winter and tried to convince her to put her feet in the sand in the Ancient Egypt exhibit she wanted nothing to do with it. Secondly, swim lessons during January proved to be torture - for everyone involved. But, I am happy to report that Miss Emma loves the beach and water as much as the rest of us.

We slathered her up regularly with SPF 50, even putting some on her little bald head. She spent almost every morning into after playing in the water with Aunt Nee Nee and Uncle Brian.

This little tent was PERFECT and allowed for some shade. It also provided some shelter from that cool ocean breeze.

I think someone's hair might be a little curly!

When she wasn't busy playing the ocean or digging in the sand she loved to walk with Ga and pick up shells from the sand.

Some days we started out poolside - most of the beach houses in the area have their own private pools which provides a break from the beach. Even though the beach access was only a short walk up the street it was nice to just relax poolside.

All of my memories of our failed attempt at swim lessons were quickly replaced by a little girl who absolutely LOVED the water. And her Ga's raft which she quickly took over.

At first she was a little unsure...

But that quickly changed- each toss into the air would be followed up with an "Again Uncle Brian!, Again!"

Someone loves their Daddy!

Of course we also set up a little wading pool in the shade for some outside water fun with out the sun burn. It was a hit!

Somone else loved the water - both at the ocean and in the pool.

Each morning when we were getting ready to go out Max would pace by the back door. As soon as the door and gate were opened he made a beeline for the water.

Swimming laps, fetching his toys, lounging on the stairs - it didn't matter as long as he was wet he was a happy dog.

But this guy was more happy basking in the sun - so spoiled!

Once someone went down for a nap this is where you could find me - floating in the pool with a Margarita!

When you live in a beach town it's common for the ice cream truck to make the rounds multiple times a day. It didn't take too long for someone to figure out just what this meant.

And because it was vacation we splurged!

We only ventured out to dinner once - but instead opted to stay in cooking fabulous dinners with all the fresh seafood for sale along NC-12. From fish tacos, to crab legs, to clams - everything was delicious. And led to some very lazy post-dinner's spent on the balcony.

Watching for the ice cream truck.

Playing with toys.

Or checking out videos on the iPhone.

Overall it was a fantastic week - and I would go back again tomorrow in a heart beat. Minus the 11 hour drive and diaper explosion in Virigina. But that's a whole other post.

Family XOXO

Life's a Beach!

Okay, I know that title is incredibly cheesy but I cannot help it. I am SO very excited for Saturday morning to get here. I've spent the past few nights doing laundry, folding clothes, filling the dining room table with necessities for both Emma and Max, and making lists of things not to forget. Tomorrow I took the day off to pack everything into neat little suitcases or rubbermaid containers and run a few last minute errands to pick up things I forgot the first time.
And come Saturday morning we are off. To sunny Corolla, North Carolina in the Outer Banks. This will be our 5th year making the 11+ hour trek from Ohio to the Eastern Coast.

This is the house we will call home for the next 7 days.

Corolla holds a special place in our hearts. For one, where else can you see wild horses on the beach?

Secondly, our first trip to Corolla was in the summer of 2006. My dad was still alive at the time and although he was sick and already on oxygen he came with us and absolutely loved the beach town and talked about coming back each year. Each time we cross from the mainland to NC-12 to drive North up the coast it's a little bittersweet as the balmy salty air blows in through the open windows.

But we still manage to have fun - because dad wouldn't have it any other way.

We are hoping that Emma loves the water as much as she did last summer. After a disastorous attempt at winter swim lessons I am not so sure! But last year we had a hard time keeping her out of the pool.

Same goes for Max who has come with us since he was a puppy. A true water dog you can often find him paddling around the pool. Or jumping into the waves.

Emma wasn't so sure of the ocean last year - instead she liked to sleep on "Gaa"s chest with the cool ocean breeze blowing on her bare skin. I don't think my mom minded one bit.

For the past few years both my Aunt Nancy who lives in Boston and our dear friend Kelley have joined us on the adventure. This year due to circumstances out of their control they are unable to make it which makes us all very sad.

But I am sure we'll manage to still have a good time.

Especially with this little girl; a whole year older and ready to explore.

And eat copious amounts of popsicles in the sunshine.

More to come as our adventure unfolds...

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Last year Duane and I decided to experiment with a tiny little garden in our backyard. A scraggly patch of grass behind the dining room got the perfect amount of shade and sun. Both of us never having attempted such a thing read a bit about it online, visited our local Home Depot and talked to friends and family who were in our opinion "experts". We grew tomatoes, zuchinni, cucumbers and peppers.

This year we broaden our horizons and tripled the size of the space. It was an all day project (ok, it was an all day project for Duane) but of course we had a little helper.

"These are my Emma's" she kept telling me as I tried to get her to pose for a quick picture on the deck. I wasn't sure my little girlie, girl would be that into the dirt - but the girl does love her Daddy.

She quickly got down to work proudly announcing "I help Daddy!" with each plunge into the soft ground. With all the rain we have had we were lucky that the ground wasn't too hard. And not to mention the fact that Duane works for an outdoor power tool company and he was able to borrow a tiller!

Notice the tiny shovel of dirt - she was so serious as she carefully manuveured herself over to the wheelbarrow to dump her load.

Max watched from the shade under a nearby tree, although I think he probably would have been rolling in the dirt had I let him. He'll get his time when we leave for the beach next week!

The finshed product - seven long hours later. One thing that I do love about Duane is that once he starts a project he refuses to rest until it is finished. In a few months we'll have 3 different kinds of tomatoes, red, green & jalepeno peppers, snap peas, green beans, wax beans, cucumbers, zuchinni & a watermelon - that is assuming the 3 ft high fence and bricks keep out the plethora of bunnies & deer we have in the backyard.

I sure hope so because this little girl can't wait to "help Daddy" harvest the crop!