Soundside

Our trips to NC are never long enough. And although we are unable to extend our time spent there, we tried to cram in as much as we could, and still find the time for visiting. I think we did pretty good this trip.

 Uncle Ned was nice enough to take the kids out in the boat, and they were thrilled! And in case you ever wonder what Hank will look/act like when he is older, I'm pretty sure this is a picture of the future.

 

They loved getting to drive the boat.

When Cutter gets hot he immediately starts stripping, apparently it got a little too hot for him.

Checking to see if there are any ducks in the ditch.

 I love this picture, so sweet!

 

We rode down to Uncle Bobby's house for a swim and to watch the sunset.

 Beautiful!

Cape Hatteras

The last time we went to the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, Tucker was about the same age as Cutter. I remember Tucker being so upset that he wasn't tall enough to climb the lighthouse. We ran into the exact same problem this trip, Cutter wasn't tall enough and he sure was heartbroken. Tucker really wanted to climb the lighthouse, so even with the temperature in the 90's and a bad back, Hank was nice enough to climb with him.

Cutter trying hard to make himself tall enough to climb the lighthouse.

So thankful for Hanks mom, it seems Hank and I are never in the pictures.

Hank and Tucker (both in blue) at the top of the lighthouse.

Hank was nice enough to take a few pictures from the top for me. Such a gorgeous view.

He was so proud of making the climb.

Ocracoke

For the first time since Tucker was little we made a trip to Ocracoke this summer. It is so hard to find the time to do the things we want when visiting but luckily we were able to make time this trip. This was Sailor and Cutter's first trip on a ferry and they were quite excited about it. They were all amazed at how small the island was, and Sailor was quite concerned about them not having a Walmart or a big grocery store.
 

  

 
 

Grandma Sheila was even able to spend the day with us which the kids loved.

 Pulling into the dock at Ocracoke.

We arrived just in time for some lunch.

Visiting the lighthouse.

While riding around, we ran across this mama duck and her babies trying to cool off in the shade.

Ferry ride back to the mainland.

Enjoying the breeze.

John Deere

Cutter loves all things John Deere. While we were in NC this summer, Hank took the boys down to visit Mr. Eric at the farm for a hands on experience with some real tractors. He couldn't have been more excited.

After a trip to the farm, he got to help Hank out with a little yard work.

4th of July

This year for the 4th, we had a pretty enjoyable day spent right here in Navarre. We decided rather than going over to the beach to watch the fireworks and possibly fight heavy traffic afterwards, we would watch from the soundside. We left early enough to get a parking spot in the McDonalds parking lot so we had access to bathrooms and stores, and hopefully an easy exit when the fireworks were done.

Three of the cutest kids ever!

A little UNO to help pass the time.

Other than the power lines, the view of the fireworks over the sound was beautiful.

We had a super nice lady give the kids some sparklers while waiting for fireworks. We waited until we got back home before we let them play.

Cutter was a little unsure about them.

I love this picture. He was simply amazed at the sparklers and his little belly poking out is too cute!

Tropical Storm Debby

Back in June we had our first brush with hurricane season, hopefully it will also be our last. Although we were lucky enough to not get a direct hit from Tropical Story Debby, she did manage to churn the waters up pretty good. We were also spared the heavy rains, although other parts of the state weren't so lucky. I was so pleased to see that the only people in the water were surfers. Even with tropical storm warnings and red flags, I'm always amazed that someone will still try to brave the waters.
 

To my surprise, I think there were only two surfers out.