We were lucky enough to have two vacations this summer, our most recent one being a road trip to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Pete and I have been to Nags Head before, but this time we wanted to try something different, so we stayed in the more northern beach town of Corolla, NC.
Let's just say that the relatively short car trip down was a little stressful. But after a good night's sleep, we were all ready to put on our happy faces again and have a great time! Again, there are a zillion pictures to look at, but when you have so much fun in one week it's hard to cut back.
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| And THIS is why we have a minivan. |
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| Nathan's first time in a restaurant big-boy highchair. His eyes are screaming "gimme some shrimp and grits!" |
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| We finally made it to Corolla! First order of business? Grab some pizza from Cosmo's. Yum. |
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| The next morning we hit the pool nice and early. |
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| Brady loves it! |
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| And so does his Aunt Casey! |
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| Don't worry, we had it turned down to a reasonable toddler temperature. |
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| Of course we had to check out the neighborhood playground |
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| Grocery shopping was just too much for Nathan. Hold on little buddy! |
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| Uncle Dustin shows Brady his first video game. Cars, of course! |
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| Finally, let's check out that beach! |
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| This sand is ok as long as my hands don't touch it. What do you think Nathan? |
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| Hmmm |
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| Well, let me see... |
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| Tastes alright to me |
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| Can you help me out of here Aunt Casey? |
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| Uncles on the scene |
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| Must. Squash. Sandcastle. |
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| More! More! More! |
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| Squash! Squash! Squash! |
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| Good times |
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| Dad, Lyla, and I did a 5K while we were there. Here's Dad and his biggest fan. |
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| And then back to the beach! |
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| Uncle Daniel is ready for the waves this time |
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| Pop Pop and Brady had some good kite-flying weather |
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| And he's off |
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| Oh, that wasn't an invitation to climb on? |
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| The preschool shell game |
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| What do you do on a rainy day at the beach? Head to the aquarium, of course. |
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| Trying to pet a sting ray |
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| Touching a star fish |
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| Pete was angling for a trip to Big Al's all week. |
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| Brady was not impressed. |
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| Hmmm, I wonder what fun is in store for me tomorrow? |
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| Hold on Nathan, it's going to be a wild ride! |
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| We took a safari truck tour to see the wild horses. |
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| It got a little windy at times. Brady thought it was hilarious! |
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| Currituck Beach Lighthouse |
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| The pavement ends and the beach becomes the state road |
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| In between those dunes are (sand) roads to the homes out here |
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| Our first horse sighting was back in the dunes |
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| This house was built by a retired Admiral who designed the house to look like the command structure of an aircraft carrier. It was crazy to see houses way out there, only accessible by 4x4. And even crazier to see a garbage truck driving on the beach to get to them! |
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| Beautiful sights |
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| We also saw quite a few dolphins that day |
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| Back to civilization, we did a little shopping at some sound-side boardwalk shops |
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| Splish splash |
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| Paparazzi shot of Uncle Daniel. He just loves having his picture taken. |
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| This kid practically feeds himself |
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| I think I finally have someone who loves going to the beach as much as I do |
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| But brrr the water was brisk! |
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| The most beautiful little beach bum out there |
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| We found a way to hold Brady still for a family picture! |
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| "Goodbye ocean waves." We're sad to see you go. |
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| It was a tight squeeze, but we all made it back home safely. |
