three amazing weeks of sand, sun, family and fun...i really wish i had taken the opportunity to write 'in the moments' of our vacation to truly capture the events of the weeks ~ it was such a luxury to have enough time to be away to relax, be entertained and have enough family time to feel completely fulfilled!
Dad at Jockey's Ridge flying our new kite on the Fourth of July!
Dad at Jockey's Ridge flying our new kite on the Fourth of July!
I left a week before lex because she was finishing up her summer school class. aunt suzy picked me up from the airport and she knew i was pregnant right away when i didn't order a drink at dinner! she was super excited and immediately coined the term 'baby granola' which i am certain will stick until the child is born. i had lovely accommodations at suzy's house and then i was off to the comforts of Chris and Anne's b&b. there i had a lush robe hanging on my door, my favorite body lotion and a luxurious bath in their tub :) A GREAT WAY TO KICK OFF THE VACATION! I spent the afternoon visiting with Cindy, Sasha and Cy by the pool, talking parenting, babies, fears and insecurities about this new adventure we are embarking upon. they are basically our role models and pioneers in our world of parentingand i am so thankful that they went first! 
then it was off the coast to meet mom and dad at the traditional Black Pelican for lunch - it's one of those things we've been doing for years and it sets the tone for the rest of the trip. The food is always delicious, the downer this year was not having a beer at 11am, or 12 or one or anytime during the trip, but it's a small price to pay for the next several months. Mom, Dad, Suzy and I had a relaxing few days before Amy and the girls joined us. Gradually throughout the weeks, we had more conversations about being pregnant, raising kids and the challenges they all had along with the joys. It was wonderful to have these conversations with the family on several levels - I want to have guidance from them, and I want them to have trust in us and our abilities to create an amazing family too.
then it was off the coast to meet mom and dad at the traditional Black Pelican for lunch - it's one of those things we've been doing for years and it sets the tone for the rest of the trip. The food is always delicious, the downer this year was not having a beer at 11am, or 12 or one or anytime during the trip, but it's a small price to pay for the next several months. Mom, Dad, Suzy and I had a relaxing few days before Amy and the girls joined us. Gradually throughout the weeks, we had more conversations about being pregnant, raising kids and the challenges they all had along with the joys. It was wonderful to have these conversations with the family on several levels - I want to have guidance from them, and I want them to have trust in us and our abilities to create an amazing family too.
The second night we went to a delicious dinner at the Colington Cafe..www.colingtoncafe.com.
It's a great little house with a unique menu - I had fat scallops wrapped in bacon with a salad and wasabi mashed potatoes..everyone else had a combo with lots of wine so I got to be the DD for the crowd :)
Amy and the kids arrived Saturday afternoon and we started our engines again at the pelican - it's great for kids because their meals are served on a souvenier frisbee - http://www.blackpelican.com/. It's right across the street from the ocean so we always put our feet in after we eat lunch :) The girls were super excited to see all the family - Hannah showed us pics of her boyfriend on her cell phone- she's growing up way too fast for all of us! Gracie showed her personality right away, making her rounds to all the laps during lunch.
The rest of the week flew by, breakfast at the Nags Head Pier - yummy! We got up early and ate with the fisherman - after breakfast, we watched a huge school of dolphins make their way along the surf, tricks and everything. It was quite the sight with the morning sun reflecting on the water. The girls posed on the biggest bobber
we'd ever seen after our delicious meal. http://www.nagsheadpier.com/
we'd ever seen after our delicious meal. http://www.nagsheadpier.com/
On Monday, all the girls took a day trip to shop in Duck - Amy and I finally broke down and bought floppy beach hats that we swore we would never wear..:) Mom and Suzy have been wearing them for years- I guess we are finally catching up!
A DAY OF SURPRISES
Wednesday, Amy and I took the trip to Richmond to pick Lex up from the airport, not without a lengthy stop to the Cotton Gin, however, to buy ourselves new Veras for the season :) Lex had been counting on some brother-in-law bonding time with Brian, as he usually picks her up and they drive to the beach together, but he was unable to leave that day. We decided to play a little trick on Lex and have her believe that Brian was still coming, but several hours after she arrived at the airport! So he called her around the time she landed and told her he had a fire to go to and would be a few hours getting to Richmond. She calls me immediately, telling me that she knew this was going to happen, she was just going to rent a car and come on her own. Meanwhile, I'm actually at the airport, walking into the baggage claim area to surprise her and on the phone she says, "Wait, what are YOU doing here?" Anyway, the surprise was a success and we got her and hit to road back to the beach safely.
What we didn't know was what was happening at the beach while we were in route to and from the airport. All we knew was that we were having grilled pork tenderloin for dinner and it would be ready when we got back. What awaited us was an overwhelming surprise :)
The table was set with balloons, a banner and gifts for a family BABY SHOWER just for us! I think we were both in total shock at the support and encouragement from the family with this gesture. The girls were super excited and we were completely overwhelmed. Lex was still jet-lagged from losing three hours, so it was tough to hold it together. We had a amazing meal and and then we celebrated the coming of our baby with carrot cake, hugs and lots of love - my heart was so full :)This was just the beginning of the fun...we continued the celebrations throughout the rest of the week...we got up early on the 4th and hiked Jockey's Ridge with our brand new kite (thanks dad!). We spent the afternoon of the 4th at the pool and then went back to the beach for a wonderful display of fireworks by the ocean. While we were waiting for the light show to begin, the whole family enthusiastically participated in a game of duck duck goose! We should have called it Ring Around the Rosie because by the end, we ALL definitely fell down!
Lex spoiled us all with nightly massages and Dad was the signature foot rubber!
Later on in the week, Lex, Mom, Dad and I took our annual trip to Okracoke Island on the ferry. We got up early and made our way to Hatteras, leisurely wasted away the morning at the most darling coffee shop ever! Not only is the coffee shop surrounded by pine trees and sand, there's a children's bookstore in the back- heaven to me! After the coffeeshop, we spent the afternoon on the beach where the sand is like powder and the water is like a bathtub- there's a reason Okracoke was voted the #1 beach in the country!
The rest of the week involved lots of beach time, a birthday party for our five year old pirate and lots of family laughs. One would think that three weeks would be enough, but there are always activities that we just don't do and have to keep coming back year after year to make more memories happen. We've been going to Nags Head for at least thirty years and somehow, we never seem to tire of it :0 ) Gracie said it the best on the night of her birthday party..."outer banks rules!"
