We had a great week at Ocean Isle Beach again this year! Thanks to Mom and Dad for We all enjoyed lazy days, sunshine, waves, sand, good food and the company of family for the week. Our days this year were pretty low-key with most of our time spent at the beach house when we weren’t at the beach. I wasn’t feeling very well the first couple of days, so that along with getting up and feeding Reid during the night I wasn’t really in a hurry to get up and get out of the house each day. My favorite part, as usual, is getting up in the morning with no where to go and enjoying having coffee along with baby Reid snuggles. That and watching Griffin have so much fun playing with his cousins and making frequent stops to give Reid hugs or snuggles. Griffin got up much earlier than normal (6:45 or 7 am most days) as he heard his cousins playing and didn’t want to miss out on the fun! On the weekdays Kevin had work calls in the mornings which worked out well as he had our room for work while everyone was downstairs. The water was warm this year and a couple of days we had perfect beach time at low tide when little wave pools formed. One day the kids were even able to catch fish that were in the small pools. And a fellow beach goer was stocking the pool with more of the same fish he was catching in nets. The kiddos thought it was so neat. And note: several photos throughout are taken by Amy, they are the crisp, clear, and bright ones 🙂
This year when we were packing we told Griffin he could fill up a shopping bag with toys or stuffed animals to take. His choices included mostly balls (football, soccer ball, soft baseball) and lovies so he could tell the Jack and the Beanstalk story at bedtime with Daddy and have an animal for each of the characters. This is something they do each night before bedtime!
Mom and Dad bought each of the grandkids a container for their seashell collections this year. On Friday evening they packed up their shells into their containers along with a cool star fish and sand dollar that they gave each grandkid as well. They all thought it was pretty neat!
Reid spent all of his time under the umbrella at the beach and even so got a bit of sun one day on his nose and below his eyes or above his mouth. I’m not sure how, perhaps the walk to the beach or from reflection while we were there. He was otherwise mostly content other than when he became hungry!
This week Reid definitely discovered his hands are connected to his body! Now he regularly puts them in his mouth and sucks on them or slobbers them up! Especially if he wakes up and doesn’t have his pacifier. He seems to be watching his hands a lot more and he makes cute facial expressions as he’s trying to figure out what his hands are doing.His hair is also thinning on both sides as is evident by looking at his crib sheet! Though he’s also gotten a shower and had his hair washed every day this week after we were at the beach. Deluxe treatment here!  He was an absolute champ in the car on our travel days, sleeping almost the entire time other than waking to eat or being happily awake once we got back on the road after he was fed. He was also enjoying his crinkle book and kept reaching to touch it. 
On our last day at the beach Griffin and Kevin were out enjoying the low-tide wave pools. They had been out there for awhile and all of a sudden Kevin is walking up the beach carrying Griffin who was really crying. He’s typically a pretty tough kid who doesn’t cry much (other than when he’s having a fit or whining, but not typically when he gets hurt). He was crying and screaming that his leg hurt. As it turns out we think he was stung or swiped by a jelly fish. He had two or three long welts blow up on his ankle. We rinsed it off with bottled water, then rinsed it off back at the ocean with ocean water and he rested for a few minutes. Â But probably less than 10 minutes from when it happened he wanted to head back for more fun. We’re so thankful it wasn’t severe!
Though it’s hard to tell here, this was my view on our last day at the beach. I’m holding Reid and Kevin and Finn are down near the water building “magic giant lake”. It was so nice to watch them having some good old father and son time just playing together at the beach. 
For our dinner night this year we grilled out hamburgers and hot dogs and had a strawberry-mango salad, and a cold grain salad too. For dessert the kids enjoyed their chocolate dipped and decorated ice cream cones (our activity from earlier in the day) with their choice of ice cream inside. 
When I was changing out Reid’s newborn-3 month clothes for the 3-6 month options I discovered Griffin’s Ocean Isle Beach onesie from four years ago. It fit Reid perfectly on our trip :). 
Getting some good air here at 10 weeks old!
Mom and Dad treated all of us to a couple of deluxe breakfasts complete with pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Â Yummers!
One afternoon Kevin and Griffin joined the Bethune’s at the local Arcade. They had a great time and even got a sweet treat. No surprise there!
This picture makes me giggle. Reid is sleepy tired and has popped is pacifier out. Dad is working on his computer and reading articles. Just a typical day at the beach house!
For our annual dinner night out we tried out a new restaurant this year. While we were waiting for our food Griffin came over to me and said he wanted to snuggle. A couple of minutes later I realized he wasn’t really moving and sure enough he had fallen asleep! I’m not sure that has ever happened before! The beach clearly does him in as he is constantly on the go. We’ve also given up naps for the most part so he is pretty beat by the end of the day!
Amy was gracious yet again and took our family photos at the beach after family dinner night. It was SUPER windy. So much so that I had to put my hair back and even then it was flying in my face! We’re grateful that she was able to capture our family of four and some cute ones of just Reid at the beach. This was his first time getting his toes in the ocean!
And here are some of my pics and others that Andy took during our photo session, the out takes so to speak!
The kids always enjoy playing with Grandma and Grandpa at the beach. This year they were all good ages to use the surf boards too as they learned to catch a wave and ride it in.
Our road trip back was much longer than our trip down. We had more stops for various reasons but in the end it was a safe trip and for that we are thankful! Reid did well with diaper changes and feedings in the car. 
Sunday morning we slept in and played catch up at home. Kevin mowed the lawn while I did laundry and various other things. Sunday evening we headed to the Sundays on the Scioto concert series in Dublin and watched Six Appeal, an acapella group that is really great. It was fun!
At the end of this week begins our week of vacation – so we have plenty to do to get ready to head to the beach for a week!
Reid has also become a master of getting his arms out of either the swaddle me or when he has been wrapped tightly in a blanket. Â His go to position is to have his hands up behind his ears.
I know I’ve posted a picture similar to this before, but I just think it is so cute that Griffin still loves to play with his baby toys. And I love the memory it brings to mind of Griffin being so happy and bouncy when playing in this toy in our bathroom while Kevin and I would get ready in the mornings when he was say 7 or 8 months old. 
Griffin is really in to taking pictures lately. While this isn’t a glamorous photo it’s pretty much what every morning looks like around here and I figure it will be good to look back on some day!
Here are several photos this week with Reid and Griffin together. Griffin loves helping and often when he sees me taking a picture of Reid he’ll say “I want in the picture”. It’s getting easier to get a photo with them both looking and I love these pics!
We had decided that this year for vacation we would load the car the night before (a first!) and we would leave on Reid’s schedule. Basically whenever he awoke for his early morning feeding we would feed him and then head down the road. Our best case scenario came true! Reid woke up at 5 and I fed him and then pumped while Kevin fed the dogs, packed up our over night things, and got the last minute things in the car. I went in and got Griffin and we all piled in the car. It seems like that would be pretty quick – but it took us over an hour! We rolled out of our driveway at 6:19 am – yay! We did, however, turn around twice and then stopped at Tim Horton’s for coffee and breakfast treats. In any case, we were happy with our early take off time this year.
Reid is using his hands and grabbing on to things more (blankets, his bed blanket, shirts, hair, etc). He’s really been watching his hands as he is learning they are his and that he can make them do things!  When I enter the room and he hears my voice he regularly turns his head to try to find me. He is definitely tracking people father in the room. I’ve really begun to space out his feedings and sleeping. Several times he has gone 6 hours between feedings at night and he regularly goes 3 1/2 hours during the day with one or two feedings at two hour intervals. This week I also spent time switching out newborn clothes for 3-6 month clothes – what?! He is only 2 months old! But he can fill out a 6 month onesie pretty well 🙂
After dinner at Elmo’s Diner we walked to Locopops for yummy popsicle treats. The next morning we all enjoyed breakfast at the hotel before getting on our way to Sharky’s. 
Griffin fell asleep about a half hour away from Ocean Isle Beach – typical!
So. Much. Stuff. Seriously our van was packed with so much stuff! By looking at it you would think we were leaving for a month! Oh, and me wearing my glasses as I developed a stye in my left eye the day before we left for vacation. I also woke up on Thursday morning before we left feeling a scratchy throat. Kevin had been sick the previous couple of days as well and it seems I got something similar. Ugh. The first few days of vacation I wasn’t feeling ideal but fortunately it didn’t last too long. 
After we all settled in to the beach house (and held Reid, lol) we headed down to the ocean! It was SUPER windy and the kiddos were full of energy after having been held up in a car seat for most of the day. Â It is always fun to see the joy they have in the ocean and also pure anxiety as they are fearless and run around in the rough waves with no fear!
W.I.P.E.D out on his first night. He was in a super deep sleep 🙂
Mom and Dad once again brought containers of fun toys for the kids. The straws and jacks were quite popular. The kids used their imaginations to build helmets, swords, shields, boats, trailers, steering wheels, and so many other things. 
The beach was windy as usual and Reid isn’t a fan of breeze in general so we laid him down in the tent. It was, however, hot and stagnant air in there! So after a bit we took him out and took his swim shirt off and he just hung with us out in the chairs under the umbrellas. He pretty much slept through most of our time at the beach. This year Griffin was all about the sand and digging his hands in it, wanting to throw it like a baseball, sinking his feet into it. Every time I’d look at him he was digging his hands through it. Photo credits to Amy, as she took several of the next images, as I’m sure you can tell when you see them as they are far more artistic than mine!
Here is this years annual beach pajama photo with each of the kids wearing their new pjs. Even Reid got in on the fun when Amy had the idea for them to each lay down on a different step, It turned out awesome!
Until next week!
Aaaaahhhhh, vacation week! Â Can we go back already?! We look forward to this week all year long. Seems hard to believe that this year is our fifth year heading to Ocean Isle Beach. Â Five years, what?! Wishing time would slow down.
Grandma found the most awesome toy this year for all of the kiddos – a set of over 700 straws and connectors.  Throughout the week the kids (and Grandpa and Grandma and other adults too, lol) made several really cool pieces of art! 
Sometimes being corrected is rough. Finn is really sensitive and often gets teary when he gets corrected or feels he disappointed someone. Kevin and I are realizing we’re being far to “adultish” on him and need to be much better about letting him be a 3 year old and do what 3 year olds do – and not correcting him so much. That’s not what’s happening here, Grandpa was just having a talk with Finn, but I thought it was a good way to capture his expressions. He has really mastered the sassy-lip face, almost making his lips look like the beak of a duck!
Though it is hard to tell, this is Dad and me, heading out pretty far into the ocean. The water was quite warm and nice this year!
This year we found a little, tiny, sand crab! Finn thought it was so cute and wanted to hold it. 
Here “Spidey” is throwing his webs at Grandpa!
This year we took a road trip to Southport, NC, about a 40 minute drive away. It is a cute little town with many shops and restaurants. We took a picnic lunch, and then walked around for a bit and shopped and went to a maritime museum before, you guessed it, meeting everyone to eat again for dinner! Finn has his dinner a bit early at Fishy Fishy!
This is the first year we tried out the surf boards. At low tide it was awesome to teach the kiddos how to ride in the waves. Â Oh, and they thought it was pretty fun to zoom down the beach on an inch or two of water. They even pulled each other!
We enjoyed an nice date night again this year at the Sugar Shack followed with enjoying the nice evening on the upper deck at the Ocean Isle Fish Company!
This years take home lovie was a shark. Finn fell asleep on the way home from a quick trip to Callahan’s in Calabash. This year he slept in a big boy bed at night and the cot during the day for naps. Not sure why, but that is what he consistently chose each day. Â I checked on him one night before going to bed and below is what I found! When we were at the store, he wanted to give lovies to each of his cousins too – so the last morning we took the annual jammie photo with each of their lovies.
It was nice weather on our drive home, however, Powell was getting big storms. So we decided to stop in southern Ohio at my old stomping grounds, Ohio University, and have a nice dinner. We had drinks on the patio at Jackie O’s Brewery (which wasn’t there when I was!) and dinner downstairs. Their beers are served throughout Ohio and in Columbus but I’d not had one before being there. I had a raspberry wheat and it was yum! We walked around a bit too, took photos of some familiar places, and had ice cream at a coffee shop that I went to all the time when I was in school. 
Dad and Mom gave us copies of all the photos they took too – there were so many great ones! So I’m including a bunch of them here 🙂  He really captured everyone’s personalities quite well. Some were taken with his waterproof camera from out in the ocean!
