Outer Banks Part V

Wednesday we spent another cloudy day at the beach. The boys began their quest to learn how to skim board, thanks to Mark. The kids got burried and the boys got hurt, but everyone enjoyed themselves! We finished every beach trip with some spa time. The kids and adults liked it equally. The kids loved playing in the warm water while the big kids relaxed.

Outer Banks Part IV

We spent some time on the cloudy beach and hung out a bit. We got some sun that afternoon and the kids enjoyed picking up the little jelly fish and throwing them back in the ocean. We even got a flock of seagulls overhead for quite some time when they figured out little Sterling had a pbj sandwich. It was so funny how they stayed in one place because of the wind. Since it was Ashlyn's birthday, Derek and I got to cook for everyone that evening and celebrate a little. It is amazing that Ashlyn has already turned two! She had a good time with her ice cream cake and her little friends to share it with. Later that night we had ourselves a little girls' trip and had a good time at one of the MANY local "Wings" stores. We even ended up with matching shirts in our assortment. We spent ended up being there around two hours.

(More pics of Ashlyn's bday, mine are all video)

Outer Banks Part III

Monday was another cloudy day. We braved the beach in the morning and were able to enjoy the warm breeze even though the lack of sun made getting out of the water a little chilly. That wasn't going to stop the guys from boogie boarding. In the afternoon our family decided to visit the Wright Brothers Memorial. The displays were interesting. It is amazing to think how far technology has come in such a short time. The view from the top of the hill where the monument was had a great view. The hill is where they tested their gliders. It was actually at the bottom of the hill where they took flight which is marked by stone markers for the four different flights.

Outer Banks Part II

THe next day, we enjoyed sacrament meeting at the local church building. The building was small and set up so that where you sat for sacrament could be used as the gym! It was interesting to see the design of the building to accomidate a smaller branch. They also had some really impressive talks given by two youth speakers. They took up the entire meeting - wow. After we had lunch and naps we decided to go see one of the local light houses. It was a cloudy day and by the time we left it was an absolute downpour. THe picture doesn't do it justice.

Outer Banks Part I

Not much after our plane rolled in from Arizona at 1:30 in the morning, we were off to the second half of our vaction. While we were sad to leave home, we were excited for our own little family vacation to begin. We arrived early Satuday evening to our beautiful beach house. There we were met by friends and our vacation officially started! We settled in and swam in the evening. After all the little ones were asleep, we started our nightly tradition of games and beans. Oh, the Dobsons!

Home Again

To start off our vacation we were able to go back home and see the family. We had a great time catching up and everyone enjoyed seeing our newest addition to the family. We went to the lake one of the days and it was the only time I remembered my camera! At least we got some pictures, but I didn't even get any of the other side of the family. We enjoyed our 105 degree weather, mexican food, playing with cousins, staying up late, BBQs, swimming and family. We can't wait until it's a regular affair. Hailey even told me she wanted a new house in Arizona.

The Shore

Now that summer is almost over, we've finally been able to hit the beach! We forgot our camera the first time, but luckily this time we at least got a few. The girls had a great time digging in the sand, looking for "clams" as they called them in the sand and running in and out of the ocean to escape the big waves. It was nice to have a few friends there too. Derek was able to do some boogie boarding with the guys, even though the tide was going out the whole time and they had to do a lot of waiting just to get a tiny one. Of course, Bryce was his usual lovely self and just hung out and slept, such a little cutey!