Fun in the Sun... BEACH edition!

This weekend has been one for the books... We have had so much fun!!

Since K had to work all weekend last weekend (and Memorial day) he was able to get half a day Thursday and Friday off so we took that as an opportunity to take my sister (auntie Bubs- short for Elizabeth) and head down to the beach.This was the first time that Raleigh Grace got to actually play in the ocean and the sand! The weather couldn't have been better- low 80's and sunny- perfect!!

Thursday afternoon we arrived and hung out at the house before going to dinner at Sharkys. When we sat RG on the counter at the house she saw my keys but couldn't quite reach them and she leaned forward until she got on her tummy and for the FIRST time we saw we army crawl across the counter to get them. We put her on the floor and let her do it again so we could get it on video! She is growing up too fast!!!
We cooked dinner at home and relaxed. Raleigh Grace was so easy going except for when it came time to put her to sleep! She fought and fought until finally around midnight she actually fell asleep-- K and I were both just about at our whits end when he turned on an Avett Brothers song and sang to her while I rocked her and as her eyes were rolling back in her head K and I had a sweet moment just looking at each other smiling :). The song was "I and Love and You." 

Friday morning, we went to breakfast at Big Nells. We came home and lotioned baby girl up (man was that a chore that she didn't love ha) and we went on a boat ride. When we put her life vest on she HATED it! It smooshed her sweet little cheeks but we knew she was safe in it. She enjoyed the boat a lot and loved taking in all the sights and sounds but when we were idling she was not happy- I think because of the vest. We then headed down to the beach. We sat her on a towel under the umbrella and she immediately pulled the towel towards her so she could touch the sand. The sand was dry so when she picked it up it would just fall through her fingers- this fascinated her and she picked up several handfuls before finally putting a handful in her mouth. Her face was priceless! Despite the awful face she made she continued putting sand in her mouth... It was a full time job trying to stop her. We let her play for a little while and then took her down to the water to play some and let me just tell you she is such a  water bug!!! Daddy held her at the edge of the water and let the waves break on her legs and she would just kick and splash and make these long deep coos... "uuuuuhhhh uh uh uh" she would say :). If we took her away from the water she would stretch and reach for it again. She took an awesome TWO hour nap (she doesn't even do that at home!) and let mommy, daddy and auntie relax for awhile- I got to read and enjoy my book I'm reading- The Vow (so far it's great, I'm almost done!). 

Saturday, we went to the beach again but this time went down to the inlet and it was low tide so there were lots of little tide pools for Raleigh Grace to play in. She splashed and splashed for a long time and then took a short nap. We went to dinner at Dockside and enjoyed some great Calabash shrimp :)! Again, Raleigh Grace fought sleep SOO bad... Not sure if it's the FIRST TOOTH we saw just under the surface of her gum that morning or her allergies or the diaper rash she has been struggling with. We have had such an awesome awesome trip... This baby is for sure a beach bum and loves the beach almost as much as her mamma!!! It's Sunday now, and we are heading home and going to take my sister to the airport. I hate for her vacation to end but I'm happy that we have had so much fun while she was here!!

(more pics to come as soon as I dump the 100's of photo's from my iphone :-P ... I may or may not have reached capacity this weekend-- and yes, I just got my new phone for Mother's Day... you do the math! haha! :-P)