saying bye bye & farewell to our summer!

last weekend we spent a long weekend in Kitty Hawk, NC soaking up the sun & enjoying the beach one last time before summer ends. we had loads of fun. relaxing on the beach. sand in our toes. sand in the mouth. and let's be honest...sand all over! salt in the air. a southern breeze. wave jumping. walks along the beach. zero temper tantrums. one accidental bloody nose collision. squinty sun-filled eyes. body surfing. family. meeting & talking to beach lovers like ourselves. sand laced pb & j sammies. sunny skies. and cloudy ones too. shell searching. ava napping on the beach {hallelujah!} laughs upon laughs. selfies on the beach. dairy queen ice cream. double dinner dates without kids. and seafoooooood.

ava is still in the "eating sand phase" so we of course had to watch her like a hawk while on the beach. she didn't eat too much the whole weekend. bryan & I went out in the water for a little bit. the waves were fierce & rip current warnings were all over so we didn't stay out long.

ava wasn't a huge fan of the big carolina waves...she's used to the small bay waves in virginia. she of course didn't mind daddy holding her at all! 

we did manage to get her to sit in the sand & play everyday. this sand bucket kept ava entertained. {how presh is she with her sunnies?!?} 

uncle bryan keeping an eye on the littles. israel. asher. titus. 

titus picking up all the shells & rocks he can get his hands on...such a boy! 

GeeGee keeping ava warm from the cloudy day with hooded towel cuddles. {kudos & thanks to my momma for watching our kids so we could go to dinner}  

kisses for little aves! 

jessica with sweet lorelei watching for kite surfers. 

a perfect display of her bubbly & excited personality. I just love it! 

I love these 2 more than anything. 

twinsies. best friends. ocean air. salty hair. 

hey --- it's hard to get 5 kids to all look at the camera at the same time. haha. so much personality in one picture!

"onward, to the beach!"  

titus & asher building sandcastles with daddy...who am I kidding...they were destroying the sandcastles that daddy built. haha

mommy & titus.

daddy & asher.

last day at the beach! see you next year! {we...well... I miss it already!}