Today was a truly epic adventure! We decided to take a ride on Grandpa Steve’s boat over to Cape Lookout. Brian got to visit the marina to retrieve the boat, and then we got everyone suited up and ready to go. It took just over an hour to make the trip. Kendall slept in my arms most of the way, I think the waves, engine noise, and restriction of the life jacket just put her right out. Brian was a little apprehensive at first, but quickly decided this was a super fun adventure! I was impressed with his sea legs, and he totally looked like he belonged on a boat, with his sunglasses and windblown hair! Steve even let Brian drive the boat a little–wow!
Upon arrival, we made a less-than-graceful boat exit while Steve dropped anchor (yay for bringing a Ziplock baggie to put my phone in!) We let the kids play on the beach for awhile, Kendall splashing and stomping, and Brian building a sand castle. Then we walked together to see the lighthouse and the visitor center. It was so incredibly hot! Thank goodness Grandma Sue had packed sandwiches and drinks–we destroyed every last crumb! The kids got to look at some shells and talked to a park staffer about them for awhile. We visited the gift shop, but alas, nobody had brought any money from the boat! D’oh. We wanted to get a particular book, but, we will add it to Brian’s wish list (ETA: it turns out that the book was by a local author and really hard to find! But Grandma Sue found it in a shop in Morehead and Brian received it for his birthday. Yay!! 🙂 ) We were all feeling overheated and a bit tired, so we decided to head back. Brandon and I took a super-quick tour of the lighthouse itself, while the kids got in a little more beach time with Grandpa and Grandma. We made our way back to the boat and we had an even-less-graceful time getting back in (okay, “we” being me, mostly! Grandpa and Grandma are pros at this and the kids were handled expertly.) The choppy water and high winds made the ride a little too exciting at top speed, so we had to slow it down some, and Brian seemed to think it took much longer to get back. 😉 But, he got to see some interesting ships and barges, and that made it fun.
After a nap for Kendall and some (very literal) chillout time, we took the kids to the pool. Brian did pretty well, making a few friends and working on his swimming some. Kendall was decidedly not a fan of her float-assist wetsuit and only tolerated being in the pool when Daddy was “driving” her around with Brian close by. Eventually she and I decided to relax poolside while the boys swam, and we discovered that we both have a new favorite summer beverage–the grapefruit Pellegrino (pompelmo!) We already loved the orange (aranciata) flavor, but oh boy.. This grapefruit version was something new, and neither Kendall nor I particularly wanted to share. 😉 Can I get this on subscribe-and-save?!
Back at the house, we had a great cookout dinner together, worked on our Lego beach house some more, and even managed a pile of bedtime stories. Wow, what a day jam-packed full of fun!
