4:57am Saturday -We met up with Aunt Christine, Uncle Kurt, Sophia, and Evan for our drive to the OBX. Jack and Malynn thought it was super cool to wake up when it was still dark and get in the car with jammies on! Plenty of snacks and a couple Disney movies made the drive smooth and easy for the kids.
The only rain we saw all week was a crazy rain storm we drove through just after crossing the N.C. boarder. We drove right through the heart of the red stuff on the radar, and Mike and I were taken aback when the kids rolled their windows! They squealed with delight as the spray hit them and whirled around the car -thankfully the curiosity was short lived. :)
The rain cleared up just in time to see the home of the Grave Digger and a few other monster trucks parked alongside the road. Melody had given us a heads up about driving by the monster trucks and she was exactly right with her prediction Jack would LOVE it! He kept saying he wanted to see more, and got sad when we didn't see anymore. Daddy had to promise to take him the next time the monster trucks come to town.
9:00am Saturday -We
cruised right across the OBX bridge. We were incredibly happy with the decision to leave so early in the morning. Deciding to drive up to Duck put us in crawling traffic, but we did find our house, scout out the town, and visit the sound. That sneak peek of the sound was our only trip to the soundside beach, because we all couldn't get enough of the beach and the pool throughout the week!
1:00pm Saturday -Nap time. Hmmmm....what now? The house wasn't ready till 4pm, and the kids were tired and cranky. It was time to drive Rt12 and hope to induce some car naps. Malynn fell asleep but Jack didn't. We found a spot to park down in Nags Head so Malynn could sleep without her head bobbing around from stops and turns, and we popped in Monsters Inc. for Jack.
I have to insert here a quick literacy development moment: Jack looked at the sign for "Sunsations" and said, "Mommy, Daddy, that sign says
store." I was so proud I teared up a bit! Obviously it didn't actually say "store," but it was his first effort to use letter-sound knowledge (he knows 's'=/s/) and contextual knowledge to read a word beyond logographic reading! I knew that's what he had done because I said, "Jack, that is so fantastic! How did you know that sign says
store?" and he replied, "The 'S' - Samma [his key word for 'S'], it has two 'S' - Sammas." Yes, it actually has three, but clearly he was using the single grapheme, to cue knowledge of the phoneme, and combined contextual information to make a logical guess for the word! I'm so proud of you my little reader!!!
Malynn got about an hour of sleep and we had a no-nap-Jack on our hands (although, that's not anxiety producing because he actually handles fatigue really well). When Malynn woke up we stopped at a Food Lion for the bathroom and a snack. The kids got rainbow Goldfish, which for kids who rarely get commercial snacks like that elicited hooping and hollering right in the store! Sophie and Evan got a snooze in the car too, and then we all met up at Sweet Frogs for more treats! (Mike and Ang: "Oh boy, are we really going to let the kids have this much carbs, salt, and sugar in one day? Well, it's the beach, a little deviation is ok." Malynn and Jack: "Coming to the beach is AWESOME!!!")
With about 1.5 hours to kill we thought we'd visit a public beach in Nags Head. I was very aware this would be the kids' first exposure to the ocean, and was giddy like a school girl about it. Before we could see the ocean we could hear it, all "soft and growly" like David's ocean in his conch shell from
There's a Sea in My Bedroom. The kids were in awe. And they weren't "scared of it...not at all." Malynn marched right into the surf and just stood there feeling the waves rush over her legs as she sank a little deeper and deeper into the sand with each one. Jack instantly took to the sand, grabbing handfuls to throw into the waves over and over. They both were getting a "feel" for the beach in their own ways.
Then it was finally time to head to the house.
Jack decided not to be no-nap-Jack after all and snuck in a power nap on the way back to Duck.
Arriving at the house, Malynn jumped all over the little swing under the house!
We all settled in and enjoyed a salad and rotisserie chicken dinner Christine and Kurt had picked up for us.
We love our drummies! Thanks guys!
Sunday: We powered up with an eggs and bacon breakfast and slowly but surely got everyone down to the beach.
The surf was a little rough, but Malynn was right back in the water just loving standing there holding Mommy or Daddy's hand, and Jack was busy, busy, busy exploring ways to use the sand toys (I'm not sure a regular ol' sandbox will ever be good enough again!). At nap time, the mommies made our big grocery store run for the week. Then the afternoon brought pool time (the community pool was right across the street) and Kurt Daddy fired up the grill for a sausage and hot dog dinner. Before turning in, we all had chamomile tea, which became a nightly tradition for the adults.
Monday: Beach time filled the morning stretch of the day, and after naps we all cleaned up to head down to Nags Head for dinner at the Outer Banks Brewing Station. It is wind powered and the wind mill is a sight to be seen! All the adults enjoyed a
real seafood dinner and the kids got to play out back on the pirate ship!
When we walked out there I thought the kids wouldn't play that much, because the ship structure was covered in big kids. However, Malynn released my hand, climbed up the ladder, and got right into the mix. I watched her standing there, so confident and proud, and felt myself in between a tear and a smile. (I succumbed to little of both.)
Tuesday: After two big ol' beach days, we ended up spending most of Tuesday at the pool. The kids were all so eager to try new things at the pool, and it was never too crowded, so we were happy to indulge them with as much time as they wanted there. Jack got a ton of swim time in with Dad, and the very first day he was floating with noodles all on his own! Malynn and Sophia could not get enough of pushing off the steps into my arms, and by the end of the week they were really jumping an impressive distance! They all got nicknames: Malynn-fishy, Sophie-mermaid, and Jack-shark. I added Evan-minnow. :) It actually was quite nice being at a community pool, because of the interaction with other kids. Several times Malynn announced, "That's what the big kids do, and now that's what Malynn & Jack & Sophie do." The big kids inspired our kids to jump in off the side only holding Mommy or Daddy's thumbs after a few days and put their
whole heads under water, too! The other kids loved interacting with Evan, who is a natural charmer. And Jack had fun playing with the water cannon with the big kids who would hold a beach ball for him to aim at. That night Aunt Christine made everyone the best fish tacos we've all ever had! Seriously -5 start restaurant quality! Gotta get that recipe!!!
Wednesday: It was back to the beach for the day. It was an AMAZING beach day: the waves were calm and just beyond the breakers we could stand with the kids in clear water and soft sand. In the evening Christine and Kurt were the first to go out for our "date night swap." We had all the kids, which went remarkably well -there seems to be something about reducing the number of adults that simplifies the dynamic! We played on the wrap around deck for a stretch, got super messy with a huge chicken wing dinner...
plopped straight into the bath, and the big kids got a little coloring time before bed. Christine and Kurt found a recommended restaurant, Blue Moon, and enjoyed an evening stroll on the beach.
Thursday: We made sure to work in a must-do item for the week: a morning of Duck Donuts!
Yum! Fruit and donuts made for a streamlined breakfast, and our beach prep was streamlined by that day too, so we were ready to head to the beach by 9am!
This led to our favorite line-up for the day: first couple hours at the beach and then back to the pool for swim time and lunch before naps. The beach conditions were a repeat of the day before -AMAZING, and then it was really nice to come back in the house after a good rinse at the pool! That night it was our turn for "date night swap." We headed out not knowing where we wanted to go and ended up with a perfect line up. 1) Tour of Wright Brother's Memorial. Reading quotes from Orville and Wilber's journals and telegrams to their father, seeing pictures of the wind and sand they worked tirelessly in, walking the stretch where the first machine powered flight occurred...it may be cheesy, but I have to admit I teared up. It was a true moment to be there, in that space, where the brother's accomplished such a momentous goal. Their perseverance is unlike any other I've known, and I have an infallible admiration for it.
Okay, okay, so then 2) Blue Moon for dinner. Christine and Kurt said we wouldn't regret it and they were right. It's not a fancy place, but the food is outstanding! 3) We capped off the evening with a walk along the boardwalk in Duck and stumbled upon the Coastal Cantina, where we enjoyed a drink, live music, and the sun setting over the sound.
It was a fantastic date night and the perfect way to celebrate our 10 year anniversary (officially Friday).
Thank you Christine and Kurt for the Happy Anniversary sign you and the kids made us and for making our night out possible.
Thank you Mike for 10 "happy, happy, happy" years!
Friday: For our last day we went out with a bang! First was a repeat of our successful beach then pool morning. The waves were a little stronger and the water was a good bit cooler, reminding us of just how lucky we were to have such perfect beach days the two days prior! At nap time Christine and Kurt joined us for an anniversary classic: cheesecake and champagne! And that evening we took everyone back to the Coastal Cantina for dinner,...
...hanging out on the dock,...
...and ice cream cones!
Once the kids were in bed, we spent the evening talking about plans for returning next summer!
Saturday: We started packing up the car around 6am, loaded up the kids at 7am, cruised through (as promised) a Brew Thru at 7:45,...
...and headed home. We made it home right about 1pm, just in time for naps in our own beds!
On the drive home we talked about our favorite things about the beach:
- airplanes pulling signs. Malynn's favorite was the Brew Thru sign.
- Daddy digging up hermit crabs. Jack liked them, Malynn didn't.
- Kurt Daddy's paddle boarding. We had so much fun watching him silhouetted out on the ocean. Mike even gave it a go and got up several times! Way to go our super daddies!
Jack emphatically said his favorite thing was the sand. I agree. He said he loved "picking up sand" and "putting it in buckets." Jack played in the sand more than anything else: digging holes, driving his car, making castles (even adding sea shells and wet drizzles!), and when we made a tunnel big enough for the kids to crawl through, he didn't want to do it at first and then when no one was looking he snuck over and crawled through it on his own!
Malynn said she liked the sand too. She also said she liked the Lion King about the trip, which is certainly true, that kiddo can sing along with all the songs! Specific to the beach though, I would say "swimming" in the waves was her favorite:
Just past the breakers, at low tide, where the sand is soft and the water is shallow, I held Malynn as much as she'd let me, we'd jump over the rolling waves and I'd lift her over the occasional foamy crest, and she declared, "I love this so much Mommy!" That's when I knew we were officially a beach family.
