OBX 2012! (Part One...)

Well, it's no secret that we love the Outer Banks. And we have a nice little tradition of visiting every year, even if it's just for a couple days. This year we were able to stay longer than a weekend, and we enjoyed watching Charlie in the sand and ocean for the first time!

There are many photos in this blog post, since this is our family album. Enjoy!

Charlie enjoyed being dipped in the water! (Clearly Jimmy enjoyed it too!)

Inspecting the sand:

We tried putting Henry in this tent...

...and then we moved under the pier. The shade of the pier kept us a lot cooler!

One of my favorite ways to enjoy the beach is sitting in or near the surf with a book in my hands. I brought down my Jane Austen book one afternoon and enjoyed the pier's shade and the water washing up on my feet! Another afternoon I sat out on the porch in a rocking chair and finished that book.

Big yawn!

Charlie liked sitting in the chair, but he did not like when the wave washed up on him!

Mom feeding the peanut on the beach. She does wear a hat well, doesn't she?!

Henry did not care one iota that he was at Nag's Head.

Charlie liked playing in the sand- he played with his bucket and shovel mostly. And like all kids probably do, he tried to eat it. Multiple times. As for the water, sometimes he would run down to the edge and then run back when the waves would come, sometimes he liked it when we would both hold one of his hands and help him jump the waves in the surf, and once or twice he got the wild notion to head straight into the water. I guess only time will tell whether or not he'll be a beach bum!

True to his Charlie nature, though, he had a great time people watching and waving at everyone. He got super excited whenever he saw puppies or a lifeguard's four wheeler, and he tried multiple times to run off under the pier (like under the pier house- where it's only tall enough for Charlie to explore!). He also liked to pick up various pieces of trash on the beach (he got his first taste of tobacco from a cigarette butt when no one was looking... hope it's the first and last taste!...).

Charlie socializing with some people we met that week!

Puppy love

Back at the beach house...

Sand shoes!

Picnicking on our deck

Baby Henry relaxin'

Getting some good snuggles with Granddaddy!

Both boys in Granddaddy's lap!

Charlie enjoying a book with Uncle D...

...and a dance party with Granana!

The guys watching baseball.

The Byrd family sleeping arrangements! Ha! We all four squeezed into the same room... a queen bed and two pack-in-plays. Whew!

Jimmy enjoyed bike riding several times while we were at the beach. He biked quite a few miles with my Dad one day, and he and I took a ride together another day. I hadn't been on a bike in YEARS, so I was scared. But once I was on, it was so much fun!

Here we are getting ready to go!

Charlie enjoyed watching those wheels!

We found a playground nearby at Nags Head Elementary, which Charlie enjoyed every bit as much (if not more) as the ocean. He loved going up and down the stairs!

One day when we went to the playground it had rained earlier that morning. Charlie had fun splashing in all the puddles!

He also liked the basketball court.

SLAM DUNK!!!

Vacation has a bit of a different feel when you have an 18-month-old and a two-month-old. Enjoyable, of course, but busy! We were therefore especially thankful when Mom and Dad gave Jimmy and me some date time while we were at the beach. One night we walked a couple miles down Beach Rd. to our favorite ice cream place, American Pie. On the way there it started pouring rain, so we dashed across the street and under someone's carport! The rest of the way there it drizzled, but it was nice to walk in it. After eating our ice cream (we shared key lime pie and strawberry flavors), we walked the two miles back on the beach. It was fun to see the pier lit up when we got back as well as the waves crashing at nighttime.

Our other date- and one of my favorite times on the trip- was our dinner at the pier! We ate out on the ocean front deck, the ocean just a few yards from us! Talk about ocean front dining! We went during Happy Hour and took advantage of some specials- 10 cent shrimp, 25 cent wings, and $1 tacos. YUM! We got a lot of food for not much money. We just sat there for a good while, munching, talking, and enjoying the ocean. Afterwards we tried out a new frozen yogurt bar we hadn't been to before.

Daniel has gone to a couple local fish markets for years now, and we tagged along one day to see what it was like and get some fresh seafood for dinner.

Jimmy got blue fish and I got scallops. My brother got (at different times) shark, red drum, and oysters.

Our vacation also included Cold Stone Creamery!

Charlie likes to eat in Granddaddy's lap. Just about every morning when Dad got up, Charlie would whine to get in Granddaddy's lap and then want to eat some of everything he had! (Including his Diet Coke!) Sweet times. : )

Me with my "Sinless Smoothie" as it was called. Pretty much fruit, Splenda, and ice!

More pictures to come! (Hard to believe, I know...)