Corolla, NC

We just got back from our first family trip to the beach.  We left on Friday evening around dinner time and drove about 6 hours south just over the Virginia boarder into North Carolina.  We had a smooth trip and didn't get stuck in any of the dreaded beach traffic.

We rented a great townhouse really close to the beach.  You could walk out the back door onto the little boardwalk and be at the beach in 2 minutes.  We loved the location.  We were also really close to a Harris Teeter and some beach area shopping.  It was still a pretty quiet area and not so crowded, which is what we wanted. 

Even though we arrived late to the beach rental, Jack had to see the ocean. Kris took him out with our lantern so he could see if before heading to bed.  The next morning, I hit grocery store early and the boys hit the beach!  They LOVE the beach!  Every day it was sunny or not raining, we were at the beach.

It would be hard to make this trip any better, but we were lucky to have our friends, the Cowleys, nearby so that we could beach together and enjoy some meals and games nights together!

The boys loved having their "cousins/siblings" with them to surf the waves and play in the sand.  Kris and Corbin came up with a killer game called Jatzee.  It's a combination of Yatzee and Jenga.  It was awesome and had a really fun time playing it. The kids were jealous we wouldn't let them play!

We did spend a rainy day getting souvenirs and taking a trip to the old lighthouse.  Henry and Jack did a great job climbing all those stairs.  There was a great view at the top even though it was a bit overcast.  We also took an afternoon to go to the movies.  We watched Ice Age 3 and all the kids loved it.

The whole trip was perfect.  What can you say about sitting at the beach, watching your kids play in the water, and chatting with your friends.  It doesn't get better than that!  We did learn some good parenting lessons on this trip too. Jack was giving us some homework and allowing us to practice tough love.  That kid thought the whole trip was about him and his play time with big brother Ian.  We all survived and new approaches to parenting Jack were implemented that have helped us all in the long run.

Can't wait to do it again next summer!