Day 3...

Yesterday was hot, hot, hot! The sun was out all day without a cloud in sight! It was the perfect day to work on our tans and to finally take a dip in the ocean (even though it was pretty chilly.) Adam also did some swimming, more napping, and accompanied us on a 2 mile walk in the morning and an evening walk to the seafood market. He is loving riding on Daddy's back! We also got to fly our kite! It was another great day and I think we're finally starting to get into a bit of a groove down here. Come on Day 4, let's see what you got! :)

Mmmm...garlic!

One of the best things about the house we are staying in is the fact that there is a fantastic fresh seafood and produce market literally at the end of our street! On our first night here we took a stroll down there and bought some freshly steamed and spiced shrimp which we had as an appetizer. Last night, we decided to order some raw shrimp and sea scallops to cook up for dinner.

I took my motivation from cousin Jackie. When I visited with them in Tampa (see blog post here) Jackie cooked up some amazing pink Gulf shrimp and scallops in a pasta dish. I figured, I'd try to recreate this for us.

All I did was cleaned up the shrimp, halved the scallops, and threw them in a pan with some butter, olive oil, and minced garlic. Once the pasta was cooked, I drained it and threw it into the pan with the seafood and bonus, it soaked up the leftover butter, olive oil and garlic! I don't think I'll ever cook pasta without throwing it in a saute pan first again!

















For sauce, I simply heated up a nice, light, marinara and served everything up along side a homemade garlic bread.









So yeah, it was good and we have garlic breath to prove it (even the next day)!!

Thanks cousin Jackie for the inspiration!! Wish you were here!! :)

XOXOXOX

Day 2...

Day 2 was filled with lots of sun, fistfuls (and mouthfuls) of sand, two 90 minute naps (hooray), game playing, a great morning walk, and a quick dip in the ocean. Adam was a bit weary of the sand at first, but he quickly found that it was fun to grab and mush between his fingers. I wish I could say that he found the ocean to be as fun...



I think we'll stick to the sand today! :)

Liddy's day at the beach...

Liddy is currently passed out in a little scrunched up ball on her bed in the family room, and she has good reason to be sleepy! She has had quite a day!

It all started with a mile+ walk on the beach, which included a lot of running around and tennis ball chasing for her. She also got her paws wet as it was high tide.



Then, this afternoon, we took Liddy for a swim! Adam and I stood watching on the shore while Andy threw the ball for her and even got a little wet himself! Liddy was in heaven! She loves ridding those waves and diving into the sand.



After her swim, she too got to enjoy the wondrous outdoor shower! She tried to escape a few times, but finally gave in to her scrubbing!

Then to finish it all off, she got some deck time with Adam and with us!

Liddy is one lucky pup, but we're even luckier to have her as a part of the family!

Day 1...

Our first day at the beach was fantastic! We grocery shopped, laid out on the beach, introduced Adam to his new sand toys, dipped Adam's feet into the ocean, tested out the Bjorn as a backpack, walked to the seafood shop at the end of the street for some steamed shrimp, and enjoyed our dinner out on the deck with the waves crashing in front of us. Doesn't get much better than that! Or does it? I guess we'll find out as we begin Day 2....

Beach Week 2010...welcome to "Toadal Getaway!"

It's been 3 years since we've taken an actual beach vacation, so we were definitely due for one. In 2006 and 2007 we vacationed at my very good friend, Sommer's, beach house in Rodanthe in the Outer Banks. We loved the house so much! It was the perfect beach house, just one row back, with great views of the ocean, super beachy on the inside and just all around perfect! Sadly, in 2007, Sommer's family sold the beach house, then called "Time Out."

We've since learned that the new owners are renting it out and lucky for us, have kept the rates affordable and bonus, they are pet friendly! So, though the exterior is now a striking (and perhaps neon) green, we decided to give the newly named, "Toadal Getaway" a try!



The inside still has a lot of the charm that Sommer's family put into it, the drapes, furniture, carpet, and even a majority of the wall hangings are the same. Most importantly, the outdoor shower is still in tact. I mean seriously, is there anything better than an outdoor shower!? I gurantee that I will not utilize a single indoor shower the entire time I'm here, and I'm happy to say that I'll be here for another 8 days!

New to the home is a tiki bar (which is kind of fun, I have to admit) and a palm tree that seems to be posing as a Christmas tree...I think they heard I was coming! :)





We were able to get an early check-in, so we woke up at 3:00 a.m., hit the road by 4:00 and walked in the door by 9:00. It was great to add an extra day to our trip and Adam was able to sleep for the majority of the drive (and ps: so did I! Thanks Andy for driving!) :)

Looking forward to a fantastic beach week! No doubt we'll have plenty more to share in the coming days....or minutes! :)

Excersaucer turned Jungle Gym turned Snack

This is how Adam used to play with his execersaucer....



And this is how he plays with it now...

And for dessert...

I have to say, at least he's making good use of it! :)

Shoe shopping

Yesterday was a big shopping day for Adam! After a breakfast with Grandma, Grandpa and Uncle Mark, we headed to Tysons to get Adam his first official pair of shoes.

He's, of course, already worn shoes, but with his new tricks of standing, climbing and assisted walking, it was time for a more sturdy pair to help him along. Grandma tagged along, because Stride Rite apparently only accepts payments from Grandmothers--who knew?! :)





It was so cute to see Adam get his little feet measured (right and left are both 3's) and he was very well behaved--far more behaved than his father is when I take him shopping! :)

After trying on a few pairs, we decided on a very adorable (and most importantly, Velcro) pair and wouldn't you know it, they also just happened to be on sale--Grandma liked that!




Adam was very excited to show Dad his new shoes when we got home. After the fashion show, we took a walk up to the shopping center near our house and had fun poking around. Adam even tested out a mini-Adirondack chair at World Market--he seemed to like it, but we'll wait for them to go on sale...or until Grandma can come along! ;)




Thanks Grandma!! XOXOXO

(pardon the blurry pictures, they were all taken with my new blackberry...not very quality, but convenient!)

Dinner with G&E

Saturday night, Greg and Erica came over for dinner. We were originally supposed to head downtown to the zoo for a Deloitte company picnic, but the weather squashed those plans. So plan B, a family picnic instead!

Adam was in the perfect mood, even so close to bed time, and was all smiles for his wonderful Godparents! He showed off his crawling and climbing skills and when it was time for bed, he gave kisses, and went down without a fuss so that Andy and I could get in our G&E time! :) What a good boy!

"Rub-a-dub-dub, Adam's first time in the tub!"

The "firsts" for Adam continued on Saturday afternoon when I decided that since we didn't get any swimming time in on the boat, that we'd compensate by letting Adam splash around in the tub!

We haven't given him a tub bath yet as the little infant tub has just been so easy and Andy and I have gotten his bath time down to a five minute science. But, on a lazy Saturday afternoon, why not let the little guy have some fun while he gets clean right?

And fun he had!! He loved splashing us with water and playing with his toys! I too had fun, even on the receiving end of the splashes, and couldn't resist giving him his first "shampoo mowhawk!" Classisc.





Bath time is now officially fun time! :)

Adam's first boat ride...

On Saturday, we gathered up the courage (and a lot of sunscreen) and decided to take Adam out for his first boat ride! The sun was shining and while it was a tad bit windy, it was actually perfect weather as the breeze helped to keep us all cool even in the sun.

In preparation, we had been putting Adam's life vest on him in the house just so we could get him used to it. Considering the life vest is a non-negotiable, we had to make sure that he wouldn't start freaking out in the middle of the journey. Mission accomplished! He was so calm and amenable to the whole process--we couldn't have asked for a better passenger!




Once we got out to our typical "stomping grounds" we threw anchor and enjoyed a quick picnic on the water. Once we were anchored we gave Adam a quick break from the life vest (don't worry, that is legal) so he could enjoy his lunch on the water! What a spoiled kid huh? ;)

Sadly because of the breeze, we weren't able to take a dip in the water, it just would have been too chilly. But we'll look forward to many more lazy days on the river this summer!

Meanwhile, after a few hours in the sun and on the boat, Adam was definitely zonked! :)

Clearwater Beach

I've been in Clearwater Beach, FL since Monday morning. I've been down here for a conference that I attend every year and in fact have been a speaker at it for the past two. It's always a nice meeting and you can't beat the location.

The hotel is right on the beach and my balcony overlooked the pool and the beach as well! I was even able to sneak out for an early morning walk on the beach the other day and followed that up with a great fruit plate and yogurt for breakfast.




We also had a beach bbq event on Tuesday night which was the perfect setting to catch the amazing sunset! I got a little carried away snapping pictures, but I couldn't resist.





As beautiful as that sunset was, I'm looking forward to heading home today to enjoy the sunset from my own home with my family!