Carolina Beach

The Robinsons hit the road a few weeks ago and had our first beach trip with the kids. We drove south to Carolina Beach and met up with the Seversikes. The drive was long but well worth it. Although, the next time we spend 8 hours driving anywhere we will make sure to stay more than a day and a half!

The highlight for me was the first night we were there. Ranie and Burl ran to the store to pick up a few things while Randy and I stayed back with the kids. With Maren asleep and Randy reading his book, I rounded up the kids and we walked down to the water to watch the waves come in.

It was Henry's first time to see the ocean so he was pretty excited. Gracie and Tommy had been to the beach before, but they were equally excited. They all chased the water as it receded into the ocean and then ran frantically as it came back and washed up onto the beach. At one point a few smaller waves came in. After each one the water would recede a little more. It morbidly reminded me of reports of the tsunami (on a much smaller scale, of course)-- how the water receded way back into the ocean moments before the huge wall of water crashed onto the land. The kids just kept following the water further out.

Then the unexpected happened. A bigger than normal wave was coming in pretty fast. The three of them realized what was going on at the same time. I could see their panic-stricken faces as they turned to run, but before any of us knew it, the wave was on top of them. Poor little Tommy got carried back in a little, but got to his feet about the same time as Gracie and Henry. That is when the real panic set in, though. I knew by their faces and their screams that although their feet were firmly planted in the sand, they felt as if they were being sucked back into the ocean as the rest of the water rushed past them. I helped them get out as quickly as I could while laughing hysterically. During the short walk back to the apartment Henry and Tommy kept yelling out, "That was the best day ever," while Gracie repeated over and over, "That was the worst day ever!"

Here are a couple more pics:
The view from our digs.
Henry got over his fear of sharks and killer octopi.
She looks all hot and bothered, but Maren actually did really well. The princess just wasn't a big fan of sand touching any part of her little body.
Me, AKA, Maren's beach chair.
Maren's other beach chair, and a good example of Maren's deep disgust for sand. Randy looks a little grossed out, too.
The Seversikes enjoying The Three Little Pigs skit put on by Randy and Henry.
This was the self appointed "time out" spot. It seemed like whenever one of the kids needed a break they would send themselves out here. This is Tommy chillin' with his ice cream sandwich while watching the sunset over the ocean. I love it!