Red, White and Blue

 Every year we dress in coordinating outfits and take a family picture on the beach. This year, Grammy bought coordinating outfits for the kids. They were super cute! I haven't received the group family photo from the photographer yet, but here are some candid beach shots. 

I LOVE this photo. 

Our trip to the beach is a family tradition we look forward to every year. 

We are thankful for good times with family! 

Jockey's Ridge

Thursday morning we went to Jockey's Ridge state park and climbed the dunes. 

I have to say it was a much easier climb then the last time I was here. :)

May 2008 - Aaron was just a basketball at the time. Luke was 4 and Ethan was almost 2. 

June 2012 - Aaron, Luke and Ethan (L to R)

 Luke's wearing his favorite 8 shirt... again!

One of the great gifts of our trip this year was the overall harmony amongst the little boys. They really enjoyed each other and were content doing their own thing as well as playing together. Aaron and cousin A were two peas in a pod. My boys were sad to say goodbye to their cousins on Saturday.

Relaxation at the beach

Okay, so we all know that a beach trip with little kids isn't quite the same as a beach trip pre-kids. However, I think I actually relaxed a bit on vacation. Wohoo! My parents generously invited me and my siblings and our families to join them in Duck, North Carolina for a week. 

It was our 6th annual trip. (We missed having our Canadian family with us.) 

 Totally by coincidence, all five boys were wearing their matching shirts from 

last year the day we arrived. So fun! We let them wet their feet (ha!) before supper. 

Five giggling boys ages 8, 5, 4, 3 and 2!

 I can't put into words the oozing excitement coming from Luke. He LOVES the ocean! 

He was screaming and laughing and jumping all around. 

It was sweet that he could share his excitement with Ethan. 

I love that they're not "too cool" to wear their swim shirts. 

Makes sunscreen application just a little bit easier. 

Can't you just see his excitement?

 Enjoying a tide pool

We don't mess around when it comes to digging holes at the beach. 

We come equipped with a snow shovel. Cousin B was very hard working. :)

We had a pop up rain shower so the boys jumped in the big hole with their boogie boards for cover. Thanks Uncle Jeffrey for digging the deep hole!

The water was warm enough to enjoy several days. 

During a morning walk Luke said, "Take this picture and put it on your blog." I can guarantee you that I never said such a thing when I was 8 years old. The beach was pretty rocky and had lots of crushed shells,  but it didn't slow down the boys.

Early morning beach discovery

I was reminded this trip of how much I love these boys and what a precious gift they are to me. 

I hope they always want to give their mama some hugs!

Spring Break Adventures

We enjoyed several day trips to nearby parks, gardens, etc. for spring break this year. 

It was the first year of home schooling that we've actually taken a full week off. 

It turned out to be perfect timing in light of our family visiting, although it has been a 

little tough to get back into the swing of things this week! So glad it's Friday! :)

Botanical Gardens

 Aaron and cousin R 

So glad we made it past all the water without any of my boys falling/jumping in!

 Aaron, Luke and cousin R in the gorgeous orchid exhibit. (Ethan was not in the mood for photos!)

 sweet little poser

This "stick house" sculpture was amazing!

Beautiful sister-in-law and sweet baby girl

Climbing boys!

Day trip to the beach. This was very hard for the boys to understand. The only time we've ever gone to the beach is for a vacation when it's hot. They were wondering where the beach house was and couldn't understand why I didn't want them to go IN the water. (It was upper 60's and windy.) We had a great time, but there were many moments that tested my pitiful patience. :]

Example of tested patience: Ethan decided to jump in the water and then promptly drop to the ground and roll around until he was fully covered with sand. We had no access to showers or bathrooms and you can be sure that within moments he was shivering from the wind. I was prepared to let him experience discomfort from his poor choice, but lucky for him Grammy came to the rescue and shared her towel to dry him off and change him into warmer clothes. 

Climbing Wall:  This was probably my favorite outing because it made the boys so happy. If you've been reading this blog before you know that Luke and Ethan love climbing. I was thrilled to for them to have this opportunity and even more thrilled that my brother Jonathan and his wife Sarah could be with us. They both have extensive climbing experience. They met long ago at the National Outdoor Leadership School (NOLS) and have done lots of climbing through the years. They were able to coach the boys and belay them as they climbed to the top. The boys had NO fear and boldly climbed the wall. 

Luke climbing to the top!

At the conclusion of his first climb! Happy boy!

Even 4 year old cousin R did a great job climbing!

We had two on-site sitters so Darin and I could keep our eyes on the climbers. 

Thanks Grammy and Poppy!

Ethan was SO excited!

Troopers

I have to say that these 5 kiddos (my three boys and two nieces) have been such troopers. Every day after we complete school, we've been getting them set up playing and then focusing our attention on unpacking and setting up house at Grammy and Poppy's. They have been cheerful and creative. There has certainly been the usual sibling bickering and conflict from my three, but overall they've held up well under the circumstances. We have some fun outings planned for next week when we take our spring break. Yippee!!! 

A diaper change on the packing paper. Pretty in pink!

They made some homes from the empty boxes and kept busy for a LONG time!

So thankful for great weather.

Enjoying Grammy and Poppy's stash of legos from when my brothers and I were kids. 

Love her quick smiles!

Irish Festival

We took a day of rest from working with Grammy and Poppy last Sunday and attended the Irish Festival. It was terrible weather (cold and rainy) for such an outing, but we made the best of it. 

I LOVE bagpipes music!

 

The kids were mesmerized watching the Irish dancing. 

There was a bounce play area that was fun for the kids. 

And they even got to climb up in a fire truck.