Wordless Wednesday -- Utter Joy

(photos courtesy of Jason)

Wrightsville Vacation -- Wednesday and Thursday

Here is the longer, more detailed description of our beach vacation, along with lots more pictures.  For the first two days of the trip, see yesterday's post.

Wednesday:
We went out to the beach again Wednesday morning and did more sand-playing.  We did a little bit of playing in the water, but he was still more interested in the sand.  We went back to the pool as well.  Tyler enjoyed it again.  This time, he even went underwater!

We took showers and went to Bluewater Waterfront Grill for lunch.  It's a hotspot at night, but we opted to go at lunch when it's more low-key (and cheaper).  Jason and Tyler got the world's yummiest fried shrimp, and I got some mahi mahi (and maybe stole some of Tyler's shrimp as well).  Then, we spent the rest of the afternoon in downtown Wilmington, walking along the river walk, the Cotton Exchange, and along the roads.

we sat outside and enjoyed watching the boats

That evening, we walked along the beach again.  It was beautiful!

The "best" shot we got after lots of attempts to get Tyler to look at the camera.  He has really sensitive eyes, so I don't think he liked the setting sun being right behind me.

playing with a shell

I'm not a fan of sharing bath photos publicly, but this one was too funny not to share.  Rinsing off all the salt and sand in his inflatable duck tub

A few of Jason's photos from the evening beach walk:

This one just made us giggle.  What is that expression???

"No no no no NO!"

Thursday:
We went out for breakfast at Causeway Cafe.  It's always packed, and you definitely get the idea you're not welcome to linger long after you're done eating, but the food is delicious and crazy cheap. After that, we went back to the hotel, packed up, and checked out.

On our way out of town, we went to the battleship.  I've actually never been, so I was looking forward to it.  It was... hot.  I mean, I know it was July, and I didn't expect a fully air conditioned boat, I just forgot how little I can tolerate heat now.  Next time, we go in March or something.  Tyler was even less of a fan of the heat.  The only thing that distracted him was the fact that every doorway had a wheel.  Big fan of that!

"I'm on a boat!"

stopped and had snack in the mess hall to rehydrate and revitalize a tired, hot, cranky boy

It was just a few days, but we had a jam-packed vacation full of fun festivities and LOTS of pictures!

Wrightsville Vacation -- Monday and Tuesday

Here is the longer, more detailed description of our beach vacation, along with lots more pictures.

Monday:
What is it with us and rainy beach trips?  We constantly fought rain last year, too.

We ran into several patches of TORRENTIAL rain on our way down to Wrightsville.  I kept checking the radar on my phone and saying "Ok, we should be done now," but then another storm would pop up unexpectedly.  So, not much happened on Monday.  We drove around until it was time to check in, then unpacked, bought groceries, and ate back at the room.  The weather cleared up after that, so we walked out on the beach that evening.

No more rain once we finally checked in, just ominous clouds

taken with Jason's film camera; love the old-school look!

Tuesday:
Jason woke up really early and got some amazing shots of the sunrise with his film camera.  I wanted to mention that because there is a lot of uncertainty with film cameras.  Am I getting the shot?  The answer was a resounding "yes!"

A little later in the morning (maybe 8:30?), we headed out to the beach.  Tyler loved playing in the sand, but wasn't too keen on the water.  We played in the wet sand for a while, then moved up to our bag and played in the dry sand.  Daddy made "volcanoes" and dug holes that filled in when the waves washed over us.  So exciting!

Not as afraid this year, but still not overly keen about the ocean

Digging holes in the wet sand

"Whoa!  What's happening to my hole?"

Taking a second for a Mom-and-Dad photo

Meanwhile, this happened... when Mom and Dad aren't watching

After the beach, we swam in the indoor pool (the outdoor pool was too crowded), and Tyler had a big time!  He loved floating around and Jason "throwing" him.  We had the whole pool to ourselves, so it was pretty awesome.

After showers and lunch (sandwiches in the room because we're super fancy folks), we went to the Fort Fisher aquarium.  We learned last year to NOT go on rainy days, so we met a much smaller crowd this year since it was sunny outside.  Tyler seemed to enjoy it more this year (he frustratingly focused on our backpack straps and other random things last year instead of the fish we had paid to see), which made US much happier!  All these photos are courtesy of Jason, whose photography skills can handle low-lighting and glass tanks.

concave glass -- definitely caught us both off-guard!

We also stopped at the Carolina Beach boardwalk, which was honestly a bit of a letdown, but Jason did take a few good pictures of us that I wanted to share.

That evening, we went to one of our favorite sushi places, Bento Box.  They have lovely outdoor seating.  Tyler had fried rice and veggie tempura, while I had some of his food and a shrimp tempura roll.  Jason, enjoying the "Meg is pregnant, so we don't share rolls" freedom, got two spicy rolls that made him break into sweats.  Somehow he claims it was a pleasant experience.  I just don't get it.

More film pics:

 After stuffing ourselves, we walked around Mayfaire Shopping Center, going in a few shops to get a reprieve from the heat (my suggestion!).  Tyler's night was made when we saw not 1, not 2, but THREE parked fire trucks in the parking lot!  We walked by them, pointing out the ladders and hoses.  He was thrilled!

We were worried about Tyler sleeping on vacation since he was in a new inflatable bed that he could get in and out of.  We discovered a perfect combination -- exhausting him during the day and letting him watch some Peppa Pig right before bed (about an hour after his usual bed time).  Success!

Tomorrow, the rest of the trip

Wordless Wednesday -- Wrightsville Edition

Still working on getting photos together to fully describe our vacation, but here's an "awww" moment for the time being.

Beach Photo Bonanza

For those who have 30 seconds to read this post, just click on this link to see Jason's photos from our beach trip to Wrightsville.

For those who want to put off work or chores for a bit longer than 30 seconds, read ahead.  Jason has finished editing his beach photos, and I wanted to share some of them here.  I cannot say enough to express how much I love his photographic eye.  He is able to capture moments so well without having us pose (or wait 30 minutes for him to capture the "perfect" moment).

Tuesday in Wilmington

steamy and windy, right before the storm came through

much more impressive picture of the storm than the one I took, taken from the safety of the parking deck

Wednesday morning at the beach:

sand = awesome!

giddy boy (showing off all his toothies)

handing me a shell for approval

first experience with the water

I'm tempted to use this picture in my Earth Science class -- hmm, do I use it to show erosion, the importance of beach vegetation, or to discuss soil profiles?  Decisions, decisions.

Wednesday at the aquarium:

(also known as "the many faces of Tyler" collection)

(and the "many faces of Mama" collection)

 Thursday:

cooling down in a shady spot at the arboretum

first pool time (but it's ok, because Duck was there... oh yeah, and Mama)

Sunset Thursday evening:

another "hand Mama the shell" moment

looking at me off-camera to see if he is allowed to explore

exploring on the sand

*insert excited squeal here*

my idea, though Mr. Squiggly Feet took some convincing

Tyler playing with Daddy's shoes after the footprint pic

Ok, brace yourselves for some utter beauty.

Are you braced?

Wowza!