Day 99: Flashback to Days 89-97

We spent last week in Kure Beach with Nana and Aunt Shannon. It was a great way to start the summer in a different four walls and by the ocean. We rented the best beach house, which was less than a two minute walk from the water. The house was called "No Bad Days," and that couldn't have been more true. The kids loved that the house had an elevator, which was actually super nice when we were hauling in luggage and groceries. Brad loved that it had awesome wifi and two great patios where he could work and listen to the ocean. We grown-up girls loved the kitchen and layout of the house; it was just easy to be in. We also loved that it came with a beach cart and all of the beach "stuff" you could ever want.

When we arrived on Sunday, it was pretty stormy with riptide warnings, but that didn't stop us from heading to the shore:

 Issa and Evan loved catching and kicking sea foam:

 You sure can tell they are brother and sister:

 Monday was super stormy. We spent most of the day indoors, and we spent a lot of it playing story cubes:

 Most of Issa and Evan's stories end in tragedy. It was hysterical.

When the storm cleared, I took the kids to the ocean, but it was way too cold for me to get in. I also regretted not pulling my hair up:

It is lovely that my time at the ocean can sometimes look like this now:

I very much enjoyed my beach chair while they played in the freezing water. We also learned I have no idea how to fold said beach chair. We looked a hot mess wheeling them back to the house like this:

The rest of the week was a lot of the same. The weather cleared, and we would make a morning trip to the beach, go home for lunch, and then go back to the beach for the afternoon. Every night the kids and Shannon went out to walk the beach and take pictures (more of those tomorrow). We cooked dinner every evening, and we played board games at night. It was lovely. A few highlights...

Evan is becoming more of an ocean guy, but he still likes to hold my hand when the big waves are coming:

 Most of the time he is so big now that I really treasure these little moments.

 The kids got so much great time with family:

 Even when it was too cold to get in, they had a huge cheering section:

 Evan and Aunt Shannon did figure out our beach chair situation, which saved us from much cart embarrassment:

 Issa had plenty of time deep in the ocean. Those two tiny people are Issa and Aunt Shannon:

 These two are thick as thieves, and I'm so glad they got some time to play in the ocean together:

 The pier made for some great pictures, people watching, and bird dodging:

 Just look at how cure they are:

 Evan also decided he wanted to be buried in sand:

 And Nana was there for the assist:

 He also spent a ton of time building paths down the drop to the ocean and layering sand over the shells to make the walk to the water more enjoyable:

 And the last day, it was finally warm enough for Nana to get in the ocean:

 And the last night Daddy and I went out to join the photo shoot beach walk:

 The best photographer even jumped in for some silly shots:

 And we ended that walk at our favorite coffee shop (also the only coffee shop):

 I think this sums it up:

It was a great week! Life is always better at the ocean, and we can't wait to go back.