Our Final Moments - Day 18

I woke up at sunrise and laid in bed watching it rose over the ocean... Beautiful.  After a little while I heard the sweet voice of Sammy singing in the living room.  I peeked out the door and motioned for her to join me.  We snuggled, talking about our favorite parts of vacation.  Then Tyler slipped in and we all snuggled and texted Dad.  It was the BEST morning!

We ate breakfast and gathered our last few things.  Katie did a last minute check of all the dressers while I cleaned the kitchen.  Tyler was more than willing to help take out the trash - when you are almost 200 ft up, it's crazy to listen as the trash bags fall down the chute.

Then we all went out on the balcony to take some pics and say goodbye to the ocean.

Before leaving Sammy asked, "why we not live here?"  I explained that we have our home in Michigan... "Why we not have two houses like Uncle Roger and Aunt Gretchen?"  I wasn't quite sure how to respond... but I totally understand the feeling, kid!

We got on the road a little after 10 and headed to the mall for a coffee and present for the kids to motivate good behavior and waiting on the plane ride.  Hey, I admit it, I'll do anything to help my kids behave on an airplane because there's nothing worse than having some stranger give you parenting advice at 50,000 feet.

We checked in, got through security and waited for our plane to board.

Tyler and Katie say 5 rows behind Sammy and I.  The flights were good.  Sammy had a little trouble at the end of the first flight but held it together in spite of the noisy babies on board.  

Daddy picked us up at the airport at 4:30 and we are now safely home and all unpacked.

I am so blessed to have spent so much time making memories with my family.  Another fabulous trip to cherish... I love you guys!

Our Biggest Adventure Yet - Day 17

We made the plan for the day over breakfast... Katie was only halfway through her waffles with the kids ready at the door.   Today we would head south to Huntington Beach State Park!

After almost an hour in the car, we were approaching the park when we saw billboards for Brookgreen Gardens and remembered Gretchen's earlier recommendation. We have never been  so we decided to go... No planning, nothing packed... Total spontaneity!

We should have known something was up when we pulled in... Four lanes wide, waiting to get in.  Apparently it was their annual fall festival so families had come for miles to carve pumpkins and take hay rides.   This meant parking was a bear!  But we walked the trek to the entrance, then waited patiently for a trolly to take us the rest of the way to the zoo.  There were found an incredible low-key but well done zoo with native animals in their natural habitats.  It was a quiet relaxing walk in the woods... And right up Tyler's alley.  He actually said it was like his birthday!

We spent a little time on a fairy tale playground before deciding to go.  It was a beautiful park and we will certainly visit again... Maybe when it's not so busy!

 

It was after lunch time so we drove a bit further south and found a Mcdonalds.  Then it was time for the state park.  As we drove in, Tyler spotted an alligator in the lake beside us... Very cool.

Next we took a walk on the boardwalk to see the salt marsh at low tide.  It was amazing to see so many animals up close!

 

Afterwards we visited the education center.  Sammy remembered the boat outside and immediately jumped in to play!

Then took a stroll on the beach and found lots of shells.

Katie and I grabbed some food from JimmyZ on the drive home then started the big job of packing.

I had to run to the store for a few items so we turned it into an ice cream run too.  Then we stopped by the Kroeger parking lot to catch a glimpse of this beauty!

Tyler and I worked hard to pack up the van, make returns to 2703, and then the daunting task of hauling out all of our cardboard creations.  We were wrapped up by 9:00 pm with just enough time for a TV show before Daddy's call.

It was a fabulous day and a great way to finish off our vacation.

Some More Golf and Swimming - Day 16

It was super windy overnight so Katie and I both had a hard time falling asleep as the patio furniture banged around against the windows or the railing.  So a coffee was definitely in order this morning.  We all walked over to the Embassy lobby to grab a Starbucks and chocolate milk.  When we got home, I whipped up eggs, bacon and toast for breakfast.

Next we headed out for mini-golf, because, apparently we haven't played enough yet this trip!  So we ventured north to find "that one course with the dinosaurs"... Yup, I knew just the one.  So we played a round of golf with the dinosaurs...  Lucky Miss Katie shot the only hole-in-one!

After a quick stop at Crumb Buns, we set out to find a Chick-Fil-A for lunch... two stops and 21 miles later, we found it!  The chocolate shake alone was totally worth it.  After lunch we stopped by the Tanger Outlet Mall to do some shopping.

Then it was home for another afternoon on the beach.  The waves were even bigger today!  I couldn't even take the kids out as far as yesterday, as the waves there were over my head.  So we stayed in the shallower waters and fought the side currents.  It was so much fun but quite a work out!

Of course, we played on the beach for a little while... running, kicking, throwing, you know the drill!

Then it was the usual pool / hot tub visit.  We ran into the same group of people in the hot tub that we met yesterday and the kids remembered that one of the men was celebrating his 60th birthday today.  So, of course Sammy decided to sing "Happy Birthday"... in a hot tub... to a stranger... and the entire group joined in.  It was actually really sweet!

After showers, we decided to get our schoolwork done for the day and eat a quick meal.  We are trying to use up groceries before we head home, so the meals are getting less impressive.  Katie swears she doesn't mind though!

As the sun started to set, we headed over to the Apache Pier for a walk.  Of course there was lots of fun along the way.

We grabbed some ice cream for the walk back and then watched movies before bed.

It was a fabulous day.  We've heard that the weather at home was miserable... rainy and unseasonably cold.  It made us appreciate our weather a little more knowing that we will be returning to it very soon.  The kids are definitely thinking more and more about home and asking about the time left... it won't be long now.

So Many Laughs - Day 15

When I look back at today, the thing that stands out most isn't grand... but its the recurring giggles that filled the air.  Today we didn't do anything special compared to any other day... it was just fun!

We started off with Apple Turnovers (thanks Gretchen for the cookie sheet) for breakfast.  Then we decided to change it up a bit and headed right down to the pool for a morning swim.  We played for quite a while, swimming through each others legs and practicing our floating.  Brr that water was cold!  Thank goodness the temperatures were up today and the hot tub wasn't far away.

While we were there, Katie snapped her sunglasses in two... this is not a good place to be without sunglasses.  So we decided to head out to buy her a replacement.  So we headed up to our condo to get ready to head out.  First, we stopped at Red Robin for lunch and played a few rounds of Uno while waiting for our food to arrive.  Once we finished, Sammy absolutely insisted on taking a photo with the Statue of Liberty in the lobby.  

 

Then we headed to Target to get those sunglasses and a cool drink.  Tyler was so excited to find a Frozen Coke machine.  It was long before I heard a loud POP and when I turned around Tyler was half giggling / half whining for help.  There he stood covered in the sticky frozen beverage.  Apparently that POP had dispensed a large amount very quickly and it blew the top right off Tyler's cup.  What a mess - but we just couldn't stop giggling.

We hurried back to head out to the beach.  We started with a walk to the north on the beach.  On our way back we had a quick visit with Aunt Gretchen.  Then it was back out to those waves!  The waves came in big and strong with such a windy day.  They were consistently inconsistent - different heights, different directions, and really close together.  It was a ton of fun to jump and get splashed.  Sammy would turn around to watch Katie and just giggle as she'd take in a splash to her face. 

We came out of the water to play in the sand a while.  I successfully buried each kid, much to their delight!  Tyler was buried quite deep and couldn't free himself.  We all had a laugh when the surf came up past him on the beach.  Eventually we had to dig him out.  

Sammy took her turn and really seemed to enjoy the deep pressure it gave.  She insisted that we not unbury her until she was good and ready!

Some clouds rolled in and the air temp quickly cooled down.  We headed up to the pool area.  I had hoped to only visit the hot tub for a quick warm up but it was FULL of a group of friends so we made the trip to the pool.  Soon the kids made a fun game of jumping in to splash me... Yup, that was fun!

Remember how I said the hot tub was full?  Well, since our routine has been beach, pool, hot tub, we absolutely could NOT proceed to the condo without that trip to the hot tub.  So, I peeked around the corner saw the large group of adults enjoy their conversation and beverages.  Yet, I took my kids by the hand and headed over.  (Ugh I felt so uncomfortable).  But, they were wonderful... made room for us, chatted up the kids, very hospitable!  Once we had that checked off the list, we headed up for showers.

Rog and Gretchen brought Pizza over around 7:00 pm.  The kids enjoyed a lot of laughs and a good chase around the condo with Uncle Roger.  Then, they took me for a quick ride in their new car!  Once home, we played a few rounds of Uno and then said our good-byes.  The Adema's are headed back to Raleigh for the weekend.  It is always hard to leave them!

The kids made a quick call home to dad and then it was bedtime!  As I look back on our day, it stands out to me for all of our laughter.  I had lots of fun with them in the pool and really cherished their snuggles as they clung to me while we played.

Today's Weather: 84* and sunny!  Ocean temp: 78*

A Perfect Day In So Many Ways - Day 14

After a lot of minor disappointments... no pan to bake my apple turnovers then finding out WAY too late that they put coffee in my chai (Yuck), my day took a significant turn toward improvement when I found these waiting for me at the front desk.

We had a great lunch at Uncle Rog and Aunt Gretchen.  It was a fabulous recipe!  After we finished, Rog and Gretchen had to get back to work so we headed down to our condo to prep for the beach.  We started off with a great walk.  The kids loved running in the surf again.  Then it was back to our cozy spot with our umbrella and beach chairs.  It wasn't long before we found ourselves in the ocean for a LONG session of body surfing and jumping the waves!  

Next it was time to dig holes... and bury ourselves!  I was so excited to see how well the kids worked together and kept themselves busy.  Katie and I were able to relax and enjoy their giggles.

We did the usual ritual of beach, pool, hot tub, then home for showers.   Even though its been repetitive, it doesn't get old!  Neither does this view.  

We had dinner at home and then prepped for our crab hunt.  Below is a giant one we found... bigger than any we've seen before.  The kids spent some time chasing it down the beach with their flash lights... shrieking as it scooted in their direction and jumping out of the way.

So much fun today!