Even though it's officially FALL I figured it was better late than never to finally do a recap of our family vacation to the Outer Banks this year. One of the many reasons I try to stay up to date on my blog is because I am beyond behind with my photo books. This blog is a great reference to look back at when I am making my books, it's kind of a virtual scrapbook that allows me to put it on paper with a lot less thinking.
Anyways, let's start with this view....this is the first year we decided to skip the pool and splurge for the ocean front house...
and then talk about this amazing weather and crystal clear water we had...
We had the BEST weather we've had in years and it was amazing. This meant we spent hours upon hours at the beach. The girls had a blast jumping in the waves, building sandcastles, and playing games with Grandma, Pap, Uncle Brian, Carla, "T" aka Aunt Kristen, and Bryan.
We have a very active beach group. Some of the highlights this year were can jam, catch, golfing (both mini for the little one and real for the big kids), and last but not least paddle boarding. We may not spend as much time laying and relaxing on the beach as we used to (although we did get to a little bit thanks to Grandma and Bryan watching the girls during naps) but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
We shared some special memories with the girls. First, we celebrated Bella's FIRST birthday while we were at the beach. Can you believe she is one already?!? Next, we took the girls on a walk one morning and walked by the place where it all began. Eric and I got married in the Outer Banks over 4 years ago and we stayed in that pink house the week of our wedding. It was one of the best weeks of our lives and it was surreal to walk by it again with the family we've created together.
Family beach pictures have become a tradition every year. Here are some of my favorites from this year!
Another one of our favorite traditions is extending our vacation by renting a pontoon boat on check out day. This year it was extra special because we had our own person dolphin tour. We must have seen 40 dolphins, some coming only a few feet away from our boat, it was really cool and the perfect way to end a perfect week at the beach.
