Our Beach Week: the Moments In-Between

We spent so much time at the beach and the pool each day that its hard to believe we had time for anything else...but we squeezed in so much more!




Miles and Noah appeared to be preparing for an endurance coloring event. Anytime there was a moment of downtime, they leaped to the table and got to work.


We introduced the kids-free Schuberts to Noggin. Jason immediately whipped up this Sportacus-style mustache for Lindsey. Work it, girl.


These three amigos hunkered down and completed a 500-piece puzzle in just over 2 hours. Impressive start to the day!



Turns out Uncle Jason still carries a torch for the ninja turtles. He created costumes and story lines all week (here Jason and Noah are fighting bad guys on the deck....this was a reward for Noah finishing his dinner -- nice touch!)




A large collection of my dad's photographs from Ghana were showcased at The Franklin G. Burroughs-Simeon B. Chapin Art Museum. His photographs are amazing -- he has a way of capturing people's eyes and facial expressions -- its as if you can see their souls. We are all so proud of him and are excited that his work was shared with so many.




Rock Band was an all-around favorite. Miles loved it almost as much as Gram did!



My dad just got back from a trip to China. He arrived at the beach bearing gifts for everyone...and the boys could not have been more excited. During prayer-time that night, Miles said that it was his favorite part of the day. The next morning Noah said, "Mommy, I want Pop to go to China all the time...so that he can keep brining us presents."



We had an early birthday celebration for Lindsey. Dig in, Noah!


Could my sisters be any cuter?....



......or these boys?

The Pool! The Pool!

Most commonly heard from the boys during beach week? "Let's swim in the pool!"

Most commonly heard once they got into the pool? "Can we get naked?"

For some reason the boys loved swimming sans suits. Dana was just the opposite -- she earned the name, 'crazy aunt dana', after she did a cannonball into the pool with her clothes on. It was great!


Noodles...pool toys...this 3-year-old couldn't be any happier!



Miles continued boogie-boarding in the pool. Some tries were more successful than others.


Noah manned the super shooter. For Miles, the weapon of choice was a cannon that propelled water 40 feet (yep, Pop brought that one). The camera was under cover whenever it came out!


Jason's noodle-splasher...he's so resourceful!


Mike was the cannonball master -- he practically emptied the pool with each one.



Griffin loved being flipped by Mike. We were amazed that he never let go of the basketball (in fact, whenever he wasn't holding a ball, he let out a high-pitched scream until we gave him one.)

FUN!

Sharks at the Pier!

One morning the Brown family checked out the pier. The fisherman were all very friendly and would yell to us whenever there was anything worth checking out. We rushed around trying not to miss a thing!


Miles and Noah were in awe over sharks swimming near the pier!


We also got to see a baby shark-- UP CLOSE!


One fisherman unhooked his catch to show the kids. Noah was daring enough to touch it. Miles said his favorite part was when the fish was released back into the water.


Scoping out the best surfing spots, Mike and Miles?

Miles and Noah both said they couldn't wait until they could go fishing....we'll have to work it into next year's trip. Wonder if you need a fishing license if you're sporting a spiderman pole?

Beach Boogie!

Nothing amps-up summer like a trip to the beach! We vacationed at the beach with my parents, Dana, and Lindsey & Jason --- and came home with a zillion pictures to prove it. The kids had fun playing in the surf (although truth-be-told, we had to convince them each day that it had anything fun to offer over the pool).




In true form, Griffin was laid back and had fun digging in the sand and splashing in the water. Next year he'll be even happier when he can R-U-N with his brothers!




Miles LOVED riding the waves. Each day he would look around and ask, "ok, who wants to boogie with me?"


Miles did a great job flying his kite (though Aunt Lindsey did chase after it on one occasion). We eventually tied it to a chair and it zoomed through the sky for hours.




Noah loved boogie-boarding until his infamous "wipe-out". After that, he preferred playing in the sand and skipping stones.


My dad made a really cool net so that the boys could fish...my parents took it out for a first run. The prototype didn't work as planned...but they did draw quite a bit of attention!





The adults stayed active all week! Bocce, paddleball, football, kites...you name it, this group played it!

We also loved the pool, the pier, and just hanging out at the house....more posts coming soon!

Happy Birthday, Mason!

Our niece, Mason, turns 5 on August 4th -- so we traveled to Raleigh to help her and Shannon celebrate. The cousins had a blast playing together and Mason's party was the perfect way to wear out the boys before our drive to the beach. Getting to see Mike's parents and the Larsons at the party was icing on the cake! We can't wait for our next visit, Shannon & Mason!