Salt Air and Sand

Each year we try to visit the beach in the early fall, when the prices drop and we can afford a long weekend getaway. This past weekend we had an amazing few days at the beach in a great little beach house, thanks to Kim and Sharon, who made all of the arrangements and plans while the rest of us worked!

I could not get over how great our beach house was. We actually stayed at this exact beach house last year for a night, but as we were crashing our friends 24-person family reunion at the time, last year we slept on our air mattress under the kitchen table. This time, we did not sleep under the kitchen table. We slept in a great little room (the second photo down), and our friends with their families slept in the other two equally adorable bedrooms. Adorable is not my favorite word, but there is really no other way to describe that house.


Those smooth wooden floors, those big plump couches, that newly refurnished kitchen... ooooh, aaaahhh...


Our first day we made a picnic, and spent the afternoon at the beach that was just three blocks away. Why make it complicated when simple does the job so well? Below, Sharon holds Gigi, who is just a ball of joy these days.


Eliza and Kinsey, Eliza and Kinsey... the source of so much fun, and some serious 4-year old drama. I'm so glad that a lot of our friends have kiddos older than Gigi, because we learn so much from how they parent! Such good examples...


Gigi loved being at the beach, but she did not love the frigid water.


Gigi spent some time hanging out in the beach chair, because she can't sit up quite yet on her own in the sand. I took lots of photos of her, to keep from eating her because I think she is so cute. Below, Sharon and Mark and three of the little ladies.


In past years we have gone boogie boarding, but the waves were fairly rough this time around. We spent most of our time on the shore, and in the shallow place where the waves wash up the beach. Below, Kaitlyn plays in the sand.


Shocking: more great photos of Marcos and Gigi! As long as I'm on this side of the camera and taking hundreds of photos (hundreds means that we're bound to have a few good ones), we will have a lifetime of good photos of Marcos and Gigi, which I'm not complaining about because they are my favorite people to look at.


And this brings us to Day 2: Ocracoke Island! I've always wanted to go to Ocracoke Island. We took the ferry over in the morning, spent the afternoon at a nearly deserted stretch of beach, and had dinner in the little Ocracoke village before heading back to Kill Devil Hills.


Gigi has started doing something that I love: when she is tired, she sucks her fingers and snuggles against whomever is holding her. In the photo above, it happens to be Jason. Lucky him!

Below, Kaitlyn and Camille chill in the sand. The entire trip, we couldn't help but think that Camille is what Gigi will look like in the future. She has the same loose dark curls, and the same chunky thighs.


For us three young families, beach time meant quality time. Jason and Kim went into the surf break that afternoon, and spent a lot of time just holding hands and jumping waves (or getting pummeled by them, depending on the size of the wave). For those of us who have young families, finding time to hold hands and jump waves is not easy. It was lovely to see their love in action.


Sharon and Mark spent hours digging in the sand with the girls. They covered them up, and made holes together, and it was endearing to watch them make memories together for their kiddos.


Me? I took pictures of Marcos and Gigi. Lots of pictures.


And finally, we finished off our trip to Ocracoke Island with dinner and the sunset at Jolly Roger's in the village. Fish tacos and hush puppies never tasted so good!


Our trip to the beach was the perfect way to end the summer. With the craziness that is this chapter of our lives right now, there is no better remedy than to be near the ocean.