The Bakewell Beach Week has wrapped up for another year! It was seven wonderful days of memories, good food, and sunshine. The Kennedys carpooled with Grammy and Grandpa in the Highlander. We managed to fit six people, plus luggage, beach chairs, a pack-n-play, and stroller - we were loaded down! On our way to Ocean Isle, we made a stop through Surf City to visit Carlin. She and Matthew bought a house there in May and are only a few months away from their wedding in October. After a house tour, we went to lunch at a cute brunch place overlooking the water called Diver Surfside Cafe. Eli loved looking out at the boats.
We crossed over the bridge to Ocean Isle around 4PM, and we were able to go straight to our house. While the Bakewells and Kennedys put sheets on beds, arranged luggage, and ordered pizza, the Houstons did the grocery shopping and brought a haul of food for the week. We were all settled in and eating dinner by 6PM. The kids went for a dip in the pool that evening, and Boomer and I went for a short walk after the kids were in bed. What a feeling to know there was a whole week of vacation ahead!
In the mornings, the kids woke up between 6:30AM and 7AM. Eli was in the pack-n-play in the room with Boomer and me, and he would wait patiently until he saw one of us moving. He liked to play "Daddy sleep" in our bed before going downstairs to join the rest of the family. Morning activities included coloring, reading, tv time with Grandpa, and nature walks with Grammy.
We really lucked out with the weather. There were a few scattered rainstorms throughout the early part of the week, but each day we were able to enjoy time at the beach and the pool. Eli was so adventurous walking out into the tidal pools and even into the waves. His favorite game was tossing seashells back and forth into the water. We decided not to bring along the baby pool this year, and it was the right call. Considering how active he was, Eli seemed to have no interest in sitting still. Emmy loved looking for seashells and using the beach toys to make shapes and other creations in the sand. Toward the end of the week, Grandpa brought along some money for a sweet treat for all of the grandkids. They were so excited to get some Italian ice from the push carts that walk up and down the beach.
We returned to the house in the afternoons for naptime for Eli and swim time for the big kids. Emmy has gotten a lot more confident with jumping off the side and even putting her face underwater. Aunt Megan worked with her on kicking and moving her arms to stay afloat. For now we will still make sure that she is wearing her puddle jumper, but I am glad to see so much improvement from the beginning of the summer. On the last afternoon, Megan and Zack took the three big kids to the pier and the arcade.
Most evenings, we stayed in comfy clothes and cooked in: tacos on Monday night, lasagna on Tuesday, Mom's shrimp and grits on Thursday, and take-out from Sharky's on Friday. We got ourselves all cleaned up for two dinners, our favorites: Inlet View in Shallotte on Sunday and Dockside in Calabash on Wednesday. At Inlet View, we managed to fit in our pre-dinner photos just before a big rainstorm, which then required a dash to the car afterwards. After dinner at Dockside, we stopped at Calabash Creamery for some ice cream. We each had different flavors: Cow-a-Bash Crunch, Southern Bourbon Pecan, Bubble Gum, Southern Peach, Cappuccino - yum!
On our drive home, we made our traditional stop at Kalawi Farms and Ben's Ice Cream. We had quite a lot of ice cream this week, so it was only fitting that we ended with just a little bit more. We always love visiting the stand where Boomer worked when he was growing up.
We sure are thankful for the time with family. It is a special week each year!
