Fall Getaway - the Outer Banks adventure Part 1

Last week we took a much needed and much anticipated family vacation to the Outer Banks in NC.  The weather could not have been more perfect!  The house we rented was only available by driving directly on the beach in a four-wheel drive vehicle.  Thank goodness for "Big Billy" our faithful Suburban.  

Our good friends the Pfadt's came with us......there were 13 of us in the house....plenty of kids to play with....and plenty of ways to entertain ourselves.  The house itself was fabulous, with a pool and a hot tub.  But the kids spent the bulk of their time in the ocean.  The water was still warm from the summer heat and we quickly discovered that it was warmer than the pool water.

Driving on the beach - Rob and Hans took Charis and Hannah into town to rent some surfboards!

 Nate mastered the art of boogie-boarding

 Sophie was already a master at boogie-boarding so she worked on her surfing skills instead.  More on that later.

 Abby was cold, but determined.  She is a true competitor in all things - and conquered the skill of boogie-boarding in spite of the fact that she was freezing.  Thank goodness for the hot tub!  Abby was always the first one off the beach and into the hot tub to warm up!

 Skim boarding is another matter entirely.  It's not as easy as it looks.  Charis really worked at it with Dad this week!

 Nate grabbed a quick ride in the waves with Uncle Hans.

 Abby and Hope

 Hans

 Charis and Hannah

 Nate grabbing a quick ride on Emma

 The dynamic duo - Abby & Hope - I think they spent more time upside down than right-side up this week!

Stay tuned...there's more to come!

The First Day

There are more pictures to follow, but this is the only one that I took with my phone-and I am currently blogging from my phone. Love being able to do that!

They all had a great first day! Sophie and Charis don't start until next week, but these three sweeties had a good beginning. Nothing dramatic. Nothing overwhelmingly exciting. Just generally good. Calm. Not negative. I'll take it.

The biggest hit was that, even though she's only in 3rd grade, Abby gets to use a BINDER this year for some of her subjects. This is very exciting because (in case you were somehow unaware) binders are typically reserved for 6th grade. And even more importantly, Emma didn't get to use binders until 6th grade. This is a big deal folks!!

It was so fun to hear their stories, to hear all 3 of them comparing their experiences to last year, to feel the complete relief that none of them were too nervous, and to settle back into a routine again.

Wordless Wednesday

Our Summer Project

Emma would like to take you on a tour of our garden! Please take note that even though Emma is now 5 feet 4 inches tall, the tomato plants are actually taller than she is. Unbelievable!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

Dorney Park

Yes, I feel badly that this is not a great picture of Abby, but it's the only shot I got of all five of them together all day.  Dorney Park is actually a pretty big part of our summer.  Last year and this year, thanks to Gramma and Papa Wise, we've had season passes and have gone to the park several times a month.  I never bring my big camera because it's too bulky to take on rides...plus I'm always scared that something is going to happen to it.  But this year for my birthday, Rob and the kids got me a smaller camera that is also fully waterproof and submergeable!  It's been awesome!  I highly recommend it!  I've used it at the beach, at the amusement park, in sand, under water (wait til you see!) and it's been fantastic.  So....our first pictures of our trips to Dorney!

 Abby and Nate and I usually hang out together, while Rob and the bigger girls take in the roller coasters.  There's plenty of rides for all age levels, so this is the perfect summer activity for our family with our large span of ages!

 Ask the kids on two different days if they prefer the "dry" park or the water park and you'll get two different answers.  We can't decide.  Some days we love the roller coasters and some days it's all about the water rides!