Bakewell Beach Trip 2017

Mondays always get a bad rap, but is there a worse Monday than the one after vacation? Gosh it was hard to power through the work day and not think about all the fun we were having this time last week! On Saturday, we returned from a whole seven days at the beach. It is always a week we look forward to because of the uninterrupted time with family and the break from the usual hustle and bustle. Boomer and I love the easy routine of meals, beach time, porch sitting, and walks on the beach. Even as I am writing this post, I am looking forward to next year but also thankful for the memories we have from this year's trip. 

We left last Saturday, the 21st, just after 8:30AM, hoping to time our trip around Em's morning nap. She slept for a little bit and was such a great traveler during the 3 1/2 hour car ride. We made a detour through Wilmington to see Uncle Kyle. He has been living in Wilmington for almost 2 years, and we had not yet seen his new house! We also grabbed lunch with him, and it was a good way to break up the drive. I couldn't resist snapping a quick picture of the two brothers and Emmy -- there is no denying they are related!

We were back on the road just after 2:30PM, and our arrival to Ocean Isle Beach was perfectly timed with the 4PM check-in time for the house. Mom, Dad, and the Houston clan had arrived just before we did. This was our first year going to Ocean Isle. In the past, we have stayed in North Myrtle Beach at a family friend's house called Monkey Business. There was the possibility that the house would be sold by summer, so we had to find another option for 2017. My dad did a lot of research and found a great house with 4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, plus a loft with extra sleeping space, just one block off from the ocean within short walking distance to the public beach access. And the kicker: it was called Mema's Place, the nickname that Boomer calls my mom, knowing that she much prefers "Grammy"! From the name and also from some of the things in the house, it is obvious that the owners enjoy having guests with children. There was a high chair, a pack-n-play, toys, books, and other children's items, which was very nice for our family with three little ones. In comparison to North Myrtle, Ocean Isle has more of a family feel and is less commercialized. There are a few restaurants and ice cream shops, but mostly the island is made up of single-family rentals. While there were certain things we missed about Monkey Business, we all were very happy with the location and the new house. 

On Saturday, after settling in and bringing everything in from the cars, we made our first trip out to the ocean. We didn't put our suits on, but we enjoyed walking in the sand in our barefeet. Zander and Maddox splashed a little bit in the water, and only the promise of pizza lured them away from the beach and back to the house. The first day ended with Domino's Pizza (our traditional first-night meal) and then a trip to the grocery store. Meg, Mom, and I had quite a long list of things to buy for the week, but with the divide-and-conquer approach, we knocked it out pretty quickly. 

The rest of the week followed with six full days of sun, sand, and seafood. With three kiddos under 5, we had pretty early mornings, usually getting up around 6AM or 6:30AM. In rounds, the Houstons and then the Kennedys would get in some exercise, while Grammy and Grandpa watched the grandchildren. It was a treat to go for a run with Boomer; I don't think we had done that since before becoming parents! Then we would have breakfast: eggs, bacon, pancakes, waffles, sausage, or one of Mom's casseroles - yum! Since Em is still taking two naps each day, she would go down for her morning nap around 8:30AM. A few mornings, I got in some extra exercise with a 2-mile walk with Mom. Wow, it's amazing how much you can do when you get up early! While we waited on Em to wake up, my dad would go out early with the Houstons to set-up our base camp for the day. We would follow shortly afterward, usually around 11AM after putting on our suits and lathering with sunscreen. We discovered last year that the inflatable baby pool was a hit for Maddox at that age, so again this year, we brought down the pool each day. Zander was such a big helper filling it with water for his "baby cousin Emerson." One day, we attempted to skip the morning nap, and while I loved the cuddles when Em feel asleep on me, we decided it would probably be best to stick to the 2-nap routine. Em's second nap would be around 1:30PM, so it really only allowed a couple of hours on the beach. While that is certainly shorter than my beach time in past years, I enjoyed spending the afternoon back at the house. It was relaxing to sit on the porch and even take a nap myself! 

Three of the nights we ate in, with each couple taking a turn to make dinner. Then the three other nights, we went out to eat: Inlet View Restaurant, Dockside in Calabash, and Twin Lakes in Sunset Beach. I loved the dinners we ate out, but I equally enjoyed the nights we stayed in. We usually had dinner around 5PM, so that all the kiddos could be in bed close to their normal bedtimes. One night after the kids were asleep, Grammy and Grandpa babysat so that Meg, Zack, Boomer, and I could go out for a bit. We went to an arcade and did a couples challenge of skee ball, pool, and air hockey. (FYI, Team Kennedy won!) Then we walked on the pier and had ice cream. On a different night, Boomer and I went for an evening walk on the beach and got ice cream (again!) Bedtime for the adults was around 10PM. The days passed by so quickly; I'm glad to have the pictures to remember it all! 

 

When the week was over on Saturday, we made our way back west with one important pit-stop. We stopped by the peach stand that Boomer used to work at when he was in college. It has been a tradition each year, and there's really no better medicine for the vacation blues than ice cream! Boomer got his usual peach ice cream, and I got the nanner pudding. Even Em got a small taste of each! On Sunday night, we ate dinner outside on our back patio, and like ice cream, it helped to drag out the feeling of vacation. Boomer knows sweet treats and eating outside are two things that I love! 

Here are a few pictures from over the years, all from the same dock in Calabash. It was a special trip this year as we added a very adorable little girl to our family! 

Snapshots of Summer

Amidst our travels this summer, things have settled into an easy routine of work days and evening walks, play time and bath time, weekend family outings and Sunday afternoon naps. This past week, we fit in a visit to Daddy's school. Emerson loved sitting in his big desk chair. She is all over the place now, not quite crawling but getting around by other means. She can get up on all fours and can move from a seated position to down on her belly. If you turn your back for just one minute, you may even find her rolling under the furniture! This weekend, with Daddy's encouragement (and Mommy's disapproval!), we discovered that she can stand by holding on to her crib. Luckily she isn't able to pull up on things quite yet, so hopefully we have a few more weeks before she really takes off. I am a little nervous for the day that she officially starts crawling...we may never sit down again!

 Another fun 'first' this week was trying out the swings at our neighborhood park. Em held on tightly to the seat and liked kicking her legs into the air. It seems we may be adding a short detour to our evening walks!

This past weekend, our friends JR and Becki came down from Baltimore. Unfortunately we didn't take too many photos to document their visit, but it was so great catching up with them. We last saw them in October for Wake's Homecoming, and needless to say, a few things have changed since then! We loved introducing Emerson to them. Becki kept her entertained with games of peek-a-boo, and JR got his arm workout from bouncing her up and down. The weekend passed quickly: we grilled out on Friday night, and then on Saturday, we had a picnic on the Quad (the one picture we have from the weekend!) Matt, Virginia, their daughter Elle, and Meesh came from Charlotte, and it turned in to a mini-reunion. The guys threw around a baseball and had fun reliving their college days. There was already talk of getting together next year for their 10-year class reunion. Although we may be spread out in different states, it is always fun to see everyone and raise future Deacons together! :)

8 Months Old!

The monthly pictures are no longer a one-man job. It took both Boomer and me to contain Emmy in the chair. After multiple shots, I realized I captured lots of smiles, but hardly any of the "8 months" on the onesie! Oops! #momfail

Here are some milestones from this past month:  

8 - The approximate number of foods Em has tried! She continues to love rice cereal and will gobble it down with very little coaxing. As for other foods, she prefers vegetables (pumpkins, sweet potatoes, and carrots) to fruits (apples, pears, and mixed berries). She also tried watermelon for the very first time with Granny when we were at the lake over the 4th.

7 - stands for August 7th. This is the date that Emmy will start 'school.' It is a date that has been on my mind since we visited the center a couple of weeks ago. Emmy's time at Grammy Daycare is coming to an end, and I am trying to stay positive about the transition. I am also trying not to think about it too much!

6 - Six teeth! In a few of the pictures, you can see how the gummy grin has been replaced by a mouth full of teeth. The two teeth on the bottom showed up a while ago, and just within the last month, four more have come through on the top. Despite teething, Em has been pretty pleasant. She hasn't been too drool-y, but she does chew on anything she can get her hands on!

5 - Although we have started with food, Emmy continues to have about 5 bottles a day. I am also pumping 5 times a day. As Em develops an even greater appetite for food, I will soon be dropping a pumping to coincide with this change.

4 - Hmmm, I can't think of anything for '4'! 4 more days until the weekend...? :)

3 - Three meals a day! We are now trying to mimic a real feeding schedule with a breakfast (rice cereal right before her morning nap), lunch (a fruit or veggie around midday), and dinner (same fruit or veggie around 4:30PM when she wakes up from her afternoon nap). At daycare, once Emmy can eat solid foods, these meals will be provided. It will likely still be awhile until then, but we are hopefully getting her ready for that.

2 - stands for naps! Em is still taking two naps a day. If we have special activities planned, the timing may be off, but generally she has her morning nap around 8:30AM after arriving at Grammy and Grandpa's house. Then she has her afternoon nap around 1:30PM.

1 - one special little girl! We love you, Emerson Leigh!

Today snuck up on us, just like all Mondays do. On Friday, I went to Raleigh for a reunion with the Wake girls. Sarah, Christina, Jen, Amy, and I were in graduate school together at Wake Forest. We have all kept in touch, and with careful planning, we have been able to get together once a year since graduating in 2009. It was a special reunion this year as it was somewhat of a send-off for Christina. She and her family will be moving to Denver very soon for her husband Dave's one-year medical fellowship. We will miss her so much! On Saturday, after a work-out (Jen talked us into a class called "Burn Boot Camp"!) and a relaxing time by the pool, I fit in a quick visit with most of the Morganton girls who were in Raleigh visiting the Gays. Kelly is due in less than a month with her little girl, and I was able to see the nursery for sweet baby Adelia. After that, I headed back west and got home just before dinner time. Friday night was only my second night away from Em, and I had missed her! There wasn't much time left in the day on Saturday, but we enjoyed some family time on Sunday. After church, Boomer once again surprised me with the suggestion of going to the Y pool. For a split second, we debated it, because we had just given Em a bath on Saturday night (so silly, I know!) but we decided a second bath was not a big deal, hardly a reason to not go to the pool! Emmy looked super cute in her bathing suit! The weekend was officially over this morning when I had a dentist appointment. Em accompanied me, and she got lots of attention from the staff there. She even got some experience working behind the front desk! Luckily it was a quick visit, and I was cleared with no cavities! :D

Parenting advice: It may be a lot of work, but pack up the diaper bag, do a second bath, load up the car, rearrange your schedule, and make memories in the sun.

A 4th With No Fireworks

Over the last eight years, we have made so many fun memories from going to the lake on July 4th. We have been going to Lake Tillery ever since Boomer and I started dating in 2009. It has become a tradition for the whole Kennedy gang to gather at the lake house for the weekend. Year to year, there may be a family member absent, but we've also added a few family members along the way. There is always a lot of good food, several boat rides, sunscreen and sunburns, and even a parade. With July 4th on a Tuesday this year, the holiday seemed a little off, but not in a bad way -- it just seemed that we got to spread out the festivities even longer! It meant having the weekend at the lake with the Kennedys and then having a second holiday in Kernersville with the Houstons and Bakewells. In between the celebrations, there was one pesky day of work on the 3rd, but even that wasn't too much of a bother. 

Before hitting the road on Saturday morning, we upgraded Em's Bumbo to an actual seat. We had been using the Bumbo as a way to keep her propped up during meals, but it was just a temporary solution until she had better upper-body control. With the last few meals, it seemed like we were stuffing her in there. It was also becoming a challenge to keep her in the Bumbo, as she would try to twist and grab anything within her reach. I needed to accept that Em was ready to move on: she has outgrown the Bumbo. Here is our big girl, so proud of herself in her new high chair! 

After her first meal in her new seat, we timed our trip to the lake to coincide with Em's morning nap, and we arrived at the house around 10:30AM. The last time we were at the lake over Memorial Day weekend, Em was around 6 months old, and there was the infamous face-plant into the baby pool. It was amazing to see the growth that has happened since then. Emmy was able to sit unassisted in the pool (although Granny or I were close by, just in case), and she was such a busy girl grabbing at all the pool toys. She especially loved putting the shovel in her mouth. She also loved going on boat rides. Over Memorial Day weekend, we didn't take Em on the boat, so this weekend was her first time. Of course we followed all boater safety laws, and Emmy was a funny sight in her life jacket. It swallowed up her neck and left just her head peeking out. Between the sound of the boat motor and the breeze of the wind, Em didn't stay awake too long on either ride. She found a comfy spot next to Daddy and napped for most of the time. Another big improvement this weekend was her eating. She ate a full serving of apples on Saturday and a double serving of rice cereal on Sunday. It seems our little girl may be going through a growth spurt...or perhaps she is starting to accept that we aren't giving up on the solid food and the spoon is here to stay. 

Probably one of the funniest moments of the weekend was when Aunt Carlin accidentally switched Emerson's and Ellison's bottles! Carlin was on baby duty while a group of us went on a boat ride, and when we returned, I noticed my milk cooler was missing one bottle. Once we figured out the mix-up, we all got a good laugh at Carlin's expense. I feel sure we will be picking on her about it for a while! The only concern was that Ellison has shown an allergy to dairy, and Darby has been trying to limit cheese and milk in her own diet. Needless to say, I have not been adhering to that same diet. :/ Luckily, there weren't any major reactions. Whew!

On Sunday, we headed back to Kernersville, unfortunately without seeing the annual parade and fireworks. The lake community decided that the fireworks would be on Monday evening and the parade would be on Tuesday. The weekend was still a pretty full one, and Emmy was tired from all the water and sun. Once we got home Sunday evening, we took our usual evening stroll around the neighborhood, and Em was wiped out from the weekend's activities. 

 

After working on the 3rd, Boomer and I both had Tuesday off, and he shocked me by suggesting we go to the YMCA pool. He doesn't usually volunteer for spending hours outside in the sun, so of course I jumped on the opportunity. The Kernersville Y has a great outdoor pool, with a separate 'splash park' for younger kids. It was our first time going to the pool this year, and Em loved sitting in the water and playing with Daddy. It was a little different than when I have gone to the pool in the past: no lounging in the sun, working on my tan and reading. We stayed for just a little under 2 hours, and we were mostly in the water the whole time. I was sure to slather Em in sunscreen and keep her head covered with a [different] sun hat. (R.I.P. pink sun hat!) This hat was a gift from Grammy and Grandpa after their trip to New Zealand. Perhaps I was too worried about Em that I forgot to lather up myself. I'm sporting a bit of a sunburn on my shoulders!

We finished out the holiday with a cookout at the Houston's. Megan and Zack are such great hosts, and it is always a treat to be invited to one of their get-togethers. We had ribs, hot dogs, chicken skewers, and steak, along with corn on the cob, deviled eggs, baked beans, and chips and dip. In addition to Zander and Maddox, there were two other children there, all a little older than Em. She had fun rolling around on the floor and watching the big kids play. She also got some snuggles from Aunt M and Caro. On Wednesday, we had a special visitor -- Aunt CoCo! Em got a lot of snuggles from her, too! 

The town of Kernersville had their firework show on Tuesday evening around 9PM after the sun went down. We didn't think it would be the best idea to keep Em up past her bedtime, so for this year, we didn't see any fireworks. Next year she will be a little older, and breaking bedtime will probably be in order for this one night. I'm sure she will love the fireworks. Aside from fireworks, our 4th of July was lacking in no other way! It is special to celebrate another holiday with Emmy.