More Vacation Pics

Yesterday I woke up and looked out our balcony. There was a boat close to shore (we think a shrimp boat), and there were several dolphins following. It was very cool - they were jumping out of the water and just swimming along - very easily visible to the naked eye.

We then walked down the beach a ways to look for shark teeth. We not only found about 15 shark teeth, but we also found a small hermit crab that made Kaelin giggle.

Hailey had a blast playing in the water yesterday, and when she was on the beach she like to lay right down on her belly - what a goof.

We also went down to the Villa pool for a bit. Kaelin swam around by herself with floaties. She was so excited and proud of herself for kicking around the pool on her own!!

Jecca also did a mini photo shoot for our friends Kathy, Peter and Claire. I love this picture of Claire - she will be 3 in September.

Today we spent more time playing on the beach and looking for shark teeth - enjoying our last day at the beach.

After dinner this evening we took the girls out for a last walk and to fly kites. Kaelin LOVED flying her Princess kite, while Hailey could have cared less. She was more interest in playing in the sand and water.

Poor Kaelin got the tops of her cheeks (just under her eyes) burned today - we thing she wiped her lotion off. Justin got FRIED today. His entire back is burnt.

Jecca took this shot under the pier tonight - I love it!

Our car is now loaded :( . Tomorrow morning we are going to head to Outer Banks (a few hours from here) for lunch and to look around for a bit. Then we will start heading home. We are planning on staying somewhere about halfway tomorrow night (probably around Springfield, VA). Then Sunday we will continue home - we are hoping to get home late afternoon/early evening.

It has been a wonderful vacation!

Vacation - Tuesday and Wednesday

Yesterday and today were beach days. It is so fun to watch the girls play in the sand, and gather shells. Hailey likes to play and run from the waves. Until today Kaelin could have cared less about the water, she was interested only in the giant sand box :). However, this morning she too was having fun running from waves and splashing.

Yesterday morning we took a walk down past the fishing pier. It is fun to watch the little sandpiper run from the waves. We came upon a porpoise that had washed up the night before. Kaelin was intrigued, but didn't really seem bothered by it.

This morning we woke up to a thunderstorm, so the girls spent the morning playing with playdough, but the sun came out again - so out we went! Justin and I got to go out to lunch while the girls napped and enjoy some time together. Then this evening Kaelin got her hair cut (like Abby's, she says). She was tired of it being in her face (and so was I)!

Kaelin's new hairstyle:

The weather is supposed to be 82 and sunny for the remainder of our stay! We are hoping to spend more time on the beach, possibly take another trip into Wilmington for a Brew Threw trip (T-shirts), and go out to dinner tomorrow. We have to be out of our house at 10am Saturday and we are still unsure when we will be home. We are trying to decide if we should take a scenic route down to OBX for a day, or go to Luray Caverns in VA, or just drive halfway and stay the night. Either way we should arrive home sometime Sunday afternoon (mine and Jecca's birthday for those of you that need a reminder :) ) We are having a blast and I am so glad we took this vacation as a family!

Vacation - Children's Museum

Yesterday afternoon and evening we spent some more time on the beach. Justin caught a crab and I missed it, but Jecca caught it on camera!

Hailey and Daddy - I LOVE THIS PICTURE!

Cheesy Kaelin

Jecca took this shot from our beach access - I think it is pretty.

Last night, Kathy, Jecca and I took a late night walk on the beach. We found a ton of ghost crabs running around, eating and digging holes. We even saw a pair doing some very inappropriate actions for the public beach :). We also saw several Large jellyfish - one was at least 15" in diameter.

Today was rainy. We drove into Wilmington this afternoon to the Children's Museum. The kids had a ton of fun. Kaelin loved mixing dyes to make different colors. Hailey liked crawling in a camping kayak and pretending to paddle :). Both girls really liked shopping in the mini market and playing in the kids' diner. Then while our munchkins napped in the car, Jecca, Justin and I drove around looking at houses and restaurants. Hopefully the rest of the week will be nice - weather wise - if not our next rainy day activity will be an aquarium.

Hailey playing with the trains.

Kaelin and Hailey in the pirate ship.

Hailey in the dentist chair.

Hailey gathering her pile of play bread in the diner - of course - bread for Hailey!

Hailey lining up her ice cream.

Kaelin playing chef.

Kaelin playing waitress.

Dress Up of course.

Kaelin practicing her balance.

Justin and Hailey in the pirate ship.

Vacation - Day 1 - Topsail Beach

We left home at midnight Friday night/Saturday morning. Justin drove after drinking a 19.2 oz. Red Bull (Thanks Brad!). Hailey slept most of the way until the breakfast stop (around 6:30). Kaelin on the other hand was SO excited, she only got about 2 hours of sleep. We ate at Cracker Barrel where the hostess thought Jecca was my daughter!!! Apparently I had her when I was 7 :)!

We let the girls play in a grassy area and got them dressed. We ended up getting to our destination a little before 1 - but we couldn't get into the house until 4. So we had some BBQ for lunch, bought a boogie board, and gave the girls their first hour at the beach.

Hailey hated the sand, water and anything to do with the beach for the first 5 minutes. It didn't take long though and she warmed up! Kaelin liked it right away - however a bit of salt water got into a scrape and she decided it was time to come in. I told her that Jesus put salt in the water to help our booboo's heal. Then I told her to taste the water on her fingers (trying to prepare her for the taste if she got some in her mouth). She thought it was funny and recovered quickly. It was an afternoon of play and fun and we are looking forward to the rest of the week.

Here are some pictures (Jecca has already taken about a 100!)

Both girls did better than expected the first night! Hailey slept in a pack n play in a room with Jecca and Kaelin in bunk beds. Kaelin did wake up twice - once crying and once just fussing, but I was able to calm her down once and Jecca checked on her the second time. I think she was just over tired! She LOVES that she gets to sleep on a top bunk.

Here is the view from our bedroom balcony:

We spent some more time on the beach this morning after breakfast. It got a bit chilly after being wet. Kaelin said that Daddy could bury her to keep her warm! She honestly could do without the water most of the time, she loves the sand. Digging, building castles, finding shells and twigs - she is having so much fun!

Hailey likes to find rocks and shells and toss them. She also likes to dig and bury my toes, and then find them again! She likes the waves - for short amounts of time.

We also played with mini mussels and sand fleas. There a several holes along the beach, which we learned house 'ghost' or white crabs. The girls actually already got to see one!

Nap time is ending, time for more fun! I will post more soon!

Backyard Play

Tonight after dinner we (Ray, Jecca and I, later joined by Brad) took the kids- Kaelin, Hailey and Dominic outside to play. Here are some pictures and some stories:

Hailey loves the playset. She wants to use all the swings and LOVES to slide. She thinks she will someday make it up the rock wall.

Kaelin spent a good amount of time collecting the whirly seeds aka helicopters from our yard and porch. Then she would throw them up in the air so they would fall into the pond.

Showing her handfuls of seeds:

Dominic was hard at work mowing the lawn.

He was striking the most adorable poses.

Dominic as he came down the slide.

More cuteness with a cheesy smile.

And yet another adorable pose.

The story of Kaelin playing with the helicopter seeds continues. I told her at least four times to step back from the pond. Unfortunately her flip flop slipped and in she went. Jecca happened to be holding the camera, so I whispered for her to get a picture while I helped Kaelin. Kaelin proceeded to freak out for the next 20-30 minutes. She didn't like the dirty water that stank! And she says she now needs new Tinkerbell flip flops (they are fine, I just had to rinse them). Anyway here are the pictures - it wasn't funny for her, but I will admit I wanted to giggle a little.

FYI - we are removing the pond. Most of the large pieces of rock are removed. We have to drain it and fill in the hole. Hopefully it will get done in the next month.

After we got her cleaned up and in her pj's she was in a better mood. She said her poncho made her cozy and started striking poses.

Last but not least - we made popcorn for a snack. Hailey was not patient while it popped! She was throwing a fit - the girl LOVES her popcorn. Jecca caught this picture of Uncle Ray teasing her :).