Daddy had to work, so I took the kids to Indian Boundary Park to run off some energy. While they had fun at the playground, it turned out to be a hotter day than I anticipated. So soon they were all wilting and ready to go home. Well we hadn't been there that long, and the park does have a sprinkler, so I told them to go play in the water....
Of course, once the girls shirts were soaked they wanted to take them off. Finn already had his shirt off, so I thought why not. Fun ensued. The neighborhood around the park is home to a large number of Orthodox Jewish and Muslim families. We passed several on the way out of the park and that is when Lourdes decided to yell "I love being naked!" Lets just say looks were exchanged.
Finn tried out t-ball this summer. He really enjoyed it. The coaches were really great with the kids. And the view of the city from Lincoln Park provided a nice background for the girls and I to relax while we watched him.
We had an amazing trip to Hatteras with the Canos this summer. It was exactly how I hoped it would be. The kids, despite not seeing each other for over 6 months, played together wonderfully. Finnegan and Mae were basically inseparable. Not hard to believe given they are both big book dorks. A lot of Harry Potter was discussed that week. The vast majority of the time was sunny and warm. The ocean actually felt like bath water. And the bulk of our days was spent split between the beach and the "community" swimming pool that only our families appeared to visit. Our theme song for the vacation was Bennie and the Jets. Lourdes Cano introduced Lourdes Manning to the song on day 2 and we listened to it at least twice a day after that. It was relaxing and fun and I wished it never had to end.
In order to drive as many hours as possible without the kids asking how much farther we have to go, wanting another audio book, or a bathroom break or food etc, Joe and I have taken to starting the trip right after work. And we drive through the night. That way, by the time the kids wake up, we are only about 4 hours away from our hotel in Raleigh. It is rough on Joe and I, and we usually end up snoozing in a rest stop for 3 hours in the wee hours of the morning much to Finn's horror, but it is really for the best in the long run. Seventeen hours of driving is too much for the kids to handle awake. Here are the girls at our breakfast spot, Bob Evan's, right after the rest stop. See, they are well rested. I didn't take a picture of Joe and I. It wouldn't have been pretty.
Finally arrived in Raleigh and the kids are ready to go. After swimming in the hotel pool for an hour or so, Lourdes puts on a show.
And finally we arrive! This is the view from our balcony.
And a selfie from the porch swing.
The first night we were tired and wanted pizza. So we decided we would just check out the beach. No need to put on swim suits.
Of course, the kids decided to run into the waves and get soaked. So my kids scandalized the neighbors by stripping down to underwear.
Our first full day. The boys are feeling it! There was a lot of bocce ball played on this vacation.
Maxin' and relaxin'
A selfie during Monday morning cuddles.
A bit of Monopoly before hitting the beach. Believe me, the game the kids played was a far cleaner, more sportsmanlike game than the one the adults played in the middle of the week after the kiddos were in bed.
I don't think the pictures can fully portray how much fun these kids had playing in the ocean.
What's vacation without ice cream????
Tuesday we had some really hard rain in the morning (which led to some really bad mosquitos later on). So we got out the Paint Your Own Seashells craft for a bit of fun.
Then the rain slowed down, so we were off to the lighthouse.
Unfortunately, the girls were too short to climb the 250 steps to the top of the lighthouse. So we checked out the little museum, while dad, Finn and the Canos caught the view from the top.
Cute family pic
Obligatory trip to Ocracoke on Wednesday. We checked out a nice little beach after the ferry ride, ate fattening bar food, and then made our way to the Pirate Museum. The whole point of this trip was so that Finn could spend his allowance on pirate "jewels."
And then the next day, we were back to sun and beach fun.
Followed by a trip to the pool. Sabine is absolutely fearless in the water. She would jump off the side of the pool holding on to her noodle, go under water for a few seconds, paddle her way back to the edge and climb out and do it all over again. She must have done that 100 times.
Finn and Lou were not quite as brave, but they still had a great time.
A fun packed Sunday in early August. First, a trip to the Water Tower theater to see Charlotte's Web. It was fantastic. Finn and I had just re-read the book, so we were primed to like it. But the girls didn't really know they story and they still loved it.
And then that night we had a little girls outing to have dinner at American Girl with their friend Amanda. I think the girls really enjoyed the fanciness of it all! Oh, and they also really liked the fact that they were doing something special without their big brother.
