A Great Day For The Beach!

We had not been to the beach since our trip at the end of May with the Stepp's.  I have been itching to go back all summer and we just never got around to it.  We decided we should end our summer with a day trip to the beach.  Tony took off work on Friday and we headed down to Wrightsville Beach for the day.  Tony and I agree that this was the best day trip to the beach our family has ever taken.  The kids behaved, the weather was perfect, water was clear and not too rough, and we were able to have a mix of relaxation and fun.  We spent 6.5 hours on the beach and had to tell the kids we MUST go now.  They did not want to leave and neither did we. 

Daddy and Reece playing in the surf together.

 Regan and Riley caught several small fish with their net and bucket.

 Here is what they caught...

 We had a very pretty day, the temperatures were in the low 90's, there was a good breeze, the sky was very blue with puffy clouds and the water was crystal clear.  In fact, by 4:30 pm we were starting to get cold.

 Regan playing in the waves. 

 Checking out the surf at the end of the island.

 Tony captured this funny picture (not staged) and he says, "This is how our family evolved!"  He even got them in the correct order. :)

 Riley and Reece enjoying the warm tide pools on the way down to the end of the island.

Our whole family got into this tide pool and pretended it was our own hot tub.  All we needed were some jets against our backs.  A lady walking by offered to take our picture.

 We walked down to the end of the island at low tide and played in the water between the two islands. 

The girls could have played here for hours.

Where's the rest of Regan?

 The water was so clear we felt like we were in the Caribbean for the day.

This was the best part of my day, the sand sloped just enough (like a chair) into the water and I just laid down and chilled. 

Long Time Friends....

We went to the pool with my friend, Margaret, and her kids on Wednesday, 8/15.  Riley and David have know each other all their lives and every time they get together they have so much fun.  They don't see each other as much anymore but when they do they just pick up where they last left off. 

Riley and David enjoying a picnic lunch together at the pool.



Marathon Monday....

This is our last full week of summer with the girls so we decided to do it up right.  We started the week with Marathon Monday which was jammed pack with fun!  We started the morning at 3:00 am when we woke the girls up and drove out to a dark area to watch the Meteor Shower that was taking place.  Regan spotted the most Meteors (she said she saw 13), Riley saw about 11 and the rest of us saw a handful.  The clouds started rolling in so our view was much less.  The girls did not last long (especially Reece) so we headed home for about 4 more hours of sleep.  Then, the girls and I woke up early to go to the lake with some friends from church.  We spent from 11:00 - 4:00 on the lake and it was great fun.  I had a blast skiing and learning to Slalom and the girls had fun swimming in the middle of the lake and jumping off the boat.  Riley tried to ski and got up for a brief moment but then fell.  The skis were too big for her and she just could not get all the way up and stay up.  I was proud of her for at least attempting it.  Unfortunately, we did not capture a picture of it because I was in the water with her helping her get started.  After the lake, we came home for about an hour and then headed off to a fun place called, Defy Gravity, with our friend's, the Stepp's.  Defy Gravity is a warehouse that has a bunch of trampolines, a foam pit, basketball area, dodge ball area and even trampolines on the side of one wall.  It was family night so we ALL jumped for an entire hour and had a blast!  We were all tired and sweaty afterwards, it is a great workout.  We ended our Marathon day with a much needed trip to the local yogurt shop.  Whew, busy day but extremely fun and we all slept good that night!!! 

I tried about 6 attempts to get up on one ski but couldn't do it.  However, my friends recommended I start on two skis and drop one.  I tried this and it worked first time.  I ended up slaloming three times and each time I just dropped a ski.  It was definitely harder than 2 skis but very exciting.

The boat is turning around and I got into rougher waters but I was able to keep standing. 

Yay, I did it!!!

The girls hanging out in the water with Mrs. Trish.

Regan loved floating out in the middle of the lake. 

This is my friend, Trish, who is my great inspiration.  She has a ton of energy, is in great shape and is about to turn 65 years old.  I hope to be just like her at 65.  Here she is slaloming, making it look soooo easy!

Riley on the boat...

Mr. Bob taking his turn at slaloming, he too is an inspiration.  He is already 65 years old and says he likes to hang out with younger people because they are more active and can do the things he likes to do.  I truly pray Tony and I are like this at 65 years old!

Mr. Bob was fun to watch - making all kinds of spray behind him.

Mr. Bob about to do a canonball to splash the girls.

Mr. Bob's splash...

Riley climbing out of the foam pit at Defy Gravity.

Regan's turn....

Even the dads were in line to do the foam pit.  Mr. Dave did not read the rules and dove head first into the pit.  Then, Jonathon (his son) tried it too.  The young worker watching was laughing because of what Dave had started but had to call them out on it, because the rules say you can't go head first.  We made fun of Dave for stirring up trouble. :)

There was an enclosed area with netting and curved trampolines where you could play an official game of Dodge Ball.  Regan and Hannah were very good at it and were playing with a ton of boys and men.  In this particular game, Hannah and Regan were two of the last people standing in the game and Regan won. 

Tony spent a lot of his time at the Dodgeball area, he enjoyed pegging people with the balls (luckily the balls were very soft).

This photo is blurry but gives you an idea of the basketball area.  There was a trampoline court and a goal way up high.  I loved this area and spent a lot of time here. 

Daddy bouncing Reece on the trampoline...

This was a fun area with trampolines on the wall. 

This video is funny....Tony did not realize the mat dropped off so quickly.

Hiking At River...

On Sunday, 8/12, we decided to forego our usual Sunday afternoon nap to take advantage of the gorgeous day.  It was in the 80's, low humidity and beautiful blue skies so we decided to go hiking at a nearby park/river.  We had a great time wading through the water, jumping rocks and enjoying God's beautiful creation. 

 Check out the gorgeous blue sky.

 Riley and Reece walked barefoot across this river.  Later Regan, Daddy and I joined them. 

 Tony is out in the river with them now.

Riley, Reece and I had fun jumping from rock to rock. 

After our hiking and rock jumping, we spent the later part of the afternoon at the pool.  It was a busy but fun Sunday afternoon outside.