Birthday Party

Yesterday we were invited to a birthday party for our little friend, Reid, who was turning 3. Adam was actually invited by Reid's sister, Ava, who is only two days older than Adam.

They had a little petting zoo and a moon bounce for entertainment. Adam is too little for the moon bounce, but he was able to hold a baby chick and a little rabbit. It was pretty adorable!






Adam and Ava got to hang out a little bit, though with the heat, both kids were a little mellow. Adam also got to enjoy a few bites of birthday cake, which he loved!




All in all, it was a fun little party and we wish Reid a very happy 3rd birthday!!

Father's Day Weekend!

We had a very busy and family filled Father's Day weekend! Sadly, I was under the weather for all of it, but I rallied as much as I could to make sure it was a great weekend for all the dad's in our lives.

On Andy's wish list for the weekend was some boat time. So we lathered up with sunscreen and headed out to our favorite spot on the river, Belmont Bay, and watched as Adam enjoyed his first dip in the water. He much preferred the river to the ocean! It was so fun to watch him splash around and he was kicking his little legs with such gusto! Andy and I had fun pushing him back and forth and would quickly hide under water and pop back up again much to the delight of our little boy!




Adam was such a great boater and I have to say the warm sun even made me feel better (for an afternoon at least!)





Then on Sunday we had a great breakfast with my dad. Adam was the perfect gentleman and behaved so well. He was all smiles and giggles for everyone, which was present enough for Grandpa (though I think he also enjoyed his golf shirt and picture as well!)



Sunday night we had Andy's parents over to celebrate and we even got to see Heidi, Garrett and Isabella as well! We were happy to have been able to see both of our dad's on Father's Day! (sorry, no pictures from dinner...told you I was sick) :(

Of course Adam was also very good to his dad! He had a card and two gifts for Andy. A great coffee mug with a picture of Adam and Liddy on it and a set of chili bowls and a serving dish to serve up the chili "accoutrement" with! Of course these little gifts don't even come close to rewarding Andy for what a great dad he is, but it was Adam's (and my) little way of trying!










We love you Andy (Dad)--you truly are SUPER! :)



XOXOXOX

Day 9...the last day...

It was definitely sad to see our beach week come to an end, but at the same time, I think we were all ready to get back home and to finally get the sand out from our toes. Our last day was pretty laid back. We got some beach time in, some more ladder golf in (played on the beach this time) and one last swim for Liddy. The rest of the time we spent gathering up our belongings, which had quickly spread to every square inch of the house! After a nice dinner, Ommy and Poppy hit the road and taking a cue from them, we decided to load up the car and do the same. We left around 9:00 p.m. and were home by 1:20. It was a great trip and we look forward to heading back in August with Grandma and Grandpa!

Day 8...

I can't believe that yesterday was our 8th day here at the beach! Being able to check-in early last Friday really made a difference. Yesterday was another sun filled day. Aside from our oyster and mussel adventures, we also spent more time on the beach and Adam got a little more swimming in. After some baby pool time on the sand, we even took Adam back to the ocean and he did much better! He wasn't nearly has scared, and I might even say he enjoyed it! We ended the day with a yummy rib dinner and then it was off to bed early!

Oysters and Mussels and Clams, oh my!

Yesterday morning Andy, Poppy and I went on a little adventure to find oysters, mussels and clams. I never knew you could find these things outside of a restaurant so it was quite an eye opening experience for me.

After purchasing some fabulously fashionable aqua socks, we headed to a little inlet on the sound and walked on in. I have to say I was a bit weary at first. I wasn't sure what kinds of creatures lurked in that kind of place...snakes, crabs, sharks, alligators...you name it, I was sure it was there! Once Poppy assured me that I was probably insane, I just went for it!

It's amazing how many mussels and oysters you can find just by sticking your hand down into the water. Well, maybe it isn't quite that easy, but if you have a good guide, like Poppy, then it can be.

The key is to reach around at the bottom of the bushes to find the mussels. They put up a bit of a fight so you really have to pull hard and use your mussels (pun totally intended) and before you know it you've got three bags full of them.



The oysters were fun to find as well and felt like an even bigger accomplishment. Mostly you'd feel those under your feet, reach your hand down and hope that what you pulled up wasn't already eaten. I think in total we wound up with about two dozen pretty good sized oysters. Sadly we never found any clams.




I might mention that Andy was not nearly as fearless as I was. His biggest contribution to the effort came when it was time to eat! He did a great job of shucking the oysters for us so that Poppy and I could slurp them all down.






I can't believe what great shell fish appetizers we had last night and best of all it was free! :)

Matchy Matchy!

I love these two guys! How could you not? XOXOXO :)

Day 7...

Yesterday was a great day filled with lots of sun, a little rain, and a great 9 month birthday celebration. Ommy and Poppy had fun on their first full day at the beach. We all got some sun laying out on the beach and Adam was happy to have two new pairs of sunglasses to play with! We were happy to finally get some full family photos and enjoyed a great dinner preceded by another pound of fresh steamed shrimp! We ended the night with some red wine and quite a heated debate about chili...yes, chili. It was great fun and the things that beach vacation memories are made of!

9 months!

I can hardly believe our little Adam just turned 9 months old here at the beach! We had a great celebration for him, starting with some family time on the beach and finishing up with a yummy ice cream cake! In this last month Adam has become even more mobile, climbing up on just about anything, getting from point A to point B in a flash, and he's talking up a storm! He also has new teeth, which he worked very hard for. Happy 9 month birthday Adam, you continue to brighten our days!

Day 6...

I can't believe we've already been here 6 days, it is going by too fast! We had another nice day here at the beach. Adam definitely has several teeth coming in, so he's been feeling a little under the weather. Fortunately, with a little Tylenol, teething rings, and lots of cuddles, we still get a lot of smiles out of him. Good news is that we've also got some visitors. Ommy and Poppy arrived late yesterday afternoon and we can't wait to spend time with them here at the beach (not to mention we could use the extra eyes and hands!) :)

Day 5...

Yesterday was a little on the cloudy side, so we decided to do a little shopping in the morning. We headed back to Nags Head and hit up the grocery store and then the outlets. We then spent the rest of the day out on the beach, napping (both Adam and Mom) and we finally played our first game of ladder golf! Oh, and did I mention, I won!? :)

Sharks!

Ok, so we don't really have a "we need a bigger boat" situation going on, but we have seen several sharks over the past few days. Seriously! Our neighbors have been out everyday fishing and according to them, "the sharks are really biting!" Ok...so not something you really want to hear while you're at the beach, but these hardly deserve the "Duh Duh" theme music.

Though I do wonder where their moms are....eek!!

Day 4...

We had another sun filled day! Lots of sunscreen was used and lots of sand was cleaned off our toes (and paws!) We decided it would be fun for Adam to give the ocean another try, only this time we brought his pool out to the beach and filled it with ocean water. He had a great time splashing around and he seemed to enjoy the salty taste of his fingers!! For dinner, we ordered up some steamed shrimp and crabs! We had a great time pickin' crabs out on the deck and we've even got some meat leftover for some crab dip! Another great day at the beach! :)

Seashell shakers...

While we did bring quite a few toys for Adam to play with on this vacation, he is quickly becoming bored with what we've brought. So I'm finding myself searching the house for new things for him to play with. Anything from plastic tiki mugs, to paper plates, to straws. Whatever I can give him to keep his attention for a few minutes at a time.

Grandma had a great idea which has worked like a charm! She suggested I take an empty water bottle and fill it with some seashells. I have to admit, I had fun making it as it was an excuse to play in the sand and Adam is loving it!! He loves to just shake it around and gets quite a kick out of it! I even ended up making a second one so that I could make seashell music with him! :)




Thanks Grandma for the great idea!