Living by the sea....

After driving through the Smokey Mountains we stayed in Hickory, NC. We went shopping for bunk beds the next morning, but couldn't find what we wanted. Plus the girls were tired and cranky. They were ready to see daddy. So, we left for the last leg of our trip.

We made it to our new house about 6:15 that night. And BOY was it good to see Tad!! It was a wonderful reunion! I never want to be apart from him that long again- and neither do the girls. They were attached to his side for a long time.

Well, since we were now by the ocean, that was the first thing we had to do on Saturday. The girls loved it!! They didn't care for the saltwater too much- but have adjusted now. I had a hard time adjusting to the sand, but it's such a fine sand that I adjusted quickly. We dined at Sharky's diner in Ocean Isle Beach that night- such a beautiful place! We drove around a bit after dinner to look at how beach houses are built, and all the vacationers!

We went to the local water park the following day with just Ella and Emery. They had a great time!! We'll definitely be getting passes to go back next year!

Since then, things have gone pretty quickly, I'm sad that our summer will be ending in about 2 weeks when Ella starts school. I'm hoping to still go to the beach after we pick her up while it's still warm out.

Our favorite beach is Sunset Beach- it's just BEAUTIFUL!! Wide beaches, clean sand- hardly any shells, and very family friendly. A friend has even loaned us her pass to her HOA beach house right on the beach. It's so nice because after being at the beach we are able to take showers outside below the beach house. We take a change of clothing, towels, and ride home clean and refreshed after spending a few hours at the beach. A few weeks ago we left the beach just as a storm approached. It was pretty cool to watch. The girls were giggling with excitement as we showered in the thunder and could hear the rain. I have to admit that was an amazing experience!

We attract a lot of attention at the beach, mostly because of Evie's famous scoot. She can MOVE across the sand, it's hilarious to watch. You can hear everyone around us talking about it and watching her. We get LOTS of comments! She even leaves this track behind her- looks like a giant tire! She gets covered in sand. She likes to crawl in the holes the big girls dig, and play in the shallow water. Ella and Emery like to dig holes and try to catch fish. The beach wears them out!

This same friend has also given us her pass to her HOA pool- a special treat for the girls and me! The girls can swim easier there, but Ev can't crawl around much so its a little more difficult for me. But, much cleaner. We try to go to both a couple times a week after I've done some chores in the morning, and Ev has gotten a good nap in for the day.

We've explored the local Children's museum and built bird houses there, enrolled both girls in school and bought school supplies, visited Southport, NC and Bald Head Island, dined in new restaurants, and have cooked and created new recipes at home. We'll definitely be exploring Bald Head Island again, it is super cool!

In fact, I think we are adjusted and loving sea life. Last night we had a traditional 'sea' meal. 2 lbs of shrimp marinated and broiled, corn on the cob, bread, and fruit. I wasn't brave enough to get the shrimp from a farmers market/roadside stand, but I will next time!

We still want to go on a fishing boat expedition and ride horses on the beach, and a bunch of other stuff but we have plenty of time to do all of that!

Lots more to come soon!

Love you all!