3 Summer Vacation #1 - Manteo, NC.

I have to say that on this trip I feel like I took so many more pictures via Instagram than through my good Nikon camera.  It was just easier and more readily available.  Don't we all find ourselves in that picture situation these days?

Anyway - Patrick and I were desperate to get out of town for a little while because it had been a long year, a different year, and we were more than ready for our super summer!  So a week before we left - we planned a trip to the Outer Banks.  We were off to the beach!

I found a beautiful cottage - The Neva Midgett House.  Despite the name, the house was amazing with a great location, great price, and amazing owners.  The house is located in the little town of Manteo, NC and it is a historic home with my kind of antique design!  We will definitely be going back!

The beach was only a five minute drive away - so you can bet that was the first place we went!

This was the best place to spend the beginning of summer, it wasn't packed at all!  It was quiet, it was in the week and you all with toddlers know that the morning is the best time to be outside.  They are up and ready for the day and the summer days are cooler at those times.

Don't you just wish you were here!?!?

Preston's water shoes...I die every time I see him in these.  He LOVES his "wa wa shoes"!  It's so important that these little guys wear these at the beach - that way they don't cut themselves on shells or burn their feet on the hot sand.  Preston even uses them at the pool.

We found this pint-sized fold out chair for Preston a loooong time ago at Ollie's.  Eight bucks.  Totally worth it.

The most we stayed at the beach was about two hours.  With a toddler it's hard to stay outside for too long when you are in the sun.  We used the shade a lot, but it was hot.  We kept Preston busy with a pool full of sand and water that he could dig and play in.

He was definitely scared of the ocean but I think if we had stayed longer he would have warmed up to it.  But when those waves crash, it can be a bit intimidating to a kid who is only 30 something inches tall.

Because it was so early in the summer the water was cold.  I never got all the way in or swam in it.  To begin with, I'm not one to go out deep in the ocean.  Not for me.  I enjoy looking at it, getting my feet in the water, and searching for sea shells.  Pat's the fish.

Preston was much more comfortable in his makeshift ocean right by the tent :)  This Mom was too!  I have to say, when you're with your kid at the ocean, you can get a bit nervous at times.

I didn't get too many pictures of Preston on the second day we went...let's just say that Preston was NOT feeling well.

When we went to the beach the first day, it was a great morning.  We had a blast, Preston came back to the house and had almost a two hour nap.  We were ready to go do more sight seeing!  But our plans were changed really quickly when Preston got sick in the car.  The poor dear.  We were driving and he was really quiet...

Patrick and I both heard a little gurgle in the back - so I immediately took my seat belt off, turned around in my seat and caught...toddler throw up.  I felt so bad for him, I can't imagine feeling that sick, and throwing up in the car while you are strapped in a car seat.  I told him he was OK, I caught the brunt of the mess, we pulled over, Preston hung out in his diaper while we cleaned up the car.

We think it was a combination of heat and exhaustion.  I am used to getting sick quite often, so thank goodness I knew exactly what to do and just tried to make him feel better as soon as I could.

Needless to say, Preston wasn't too excited to be back at the beach the next day, so we didn't stay long at all...maybe an hour.

Enough time to enjoy some strawberries on the beach, and then it was time to head back and enjoy the town of Manteo.

 Gorgeous.

Relax - word of the summer.

We decided last minute to go to the NC Aquarium there on Roanoke Island.  Luckily we decided well going last minute, because the aquarium was seriously small.  It took all of ten minutes to walk through and it was eight bucks per person (Preston was free).  But they did have a great collection of sharks and a room with some toys for kids to play with.

Preston loves his fish!

So after a lot of bike riding, beach going and throw-up catching - all in all I'd say it was a successful trip!

We seriously had a great time and made so many wonderful memories with our little family.  It's another place that we can see going back to year after year.

We have two more big vacations planned for this summer and I can not WAIT to enjoy those as well!

PS - if you look back at my Instagram post from this trip - you will see the coolest bike seat on the planet . It's a front riding seat so the kids can see where they are going and feel like they are steering.  Preston loved it and we are saving now to purchase one - thank you Val & Tim for letting us borrow it!!!!

Ibert Child Bike Seat

I highly recommend it!

2 Happy Daddy's Day!

Ever since Preston was born, you have been kind, gentle, helpful, willing, and overall outstanding.  Thank you for being an amazing Daddy and an amazing Husband.

I love that Preston has your infectious smile and your hilarious/one of a kind sense of humor - you both keep me smiling and feeling lucky.

We love and appreciate you!

Happy Daddy's Day!

PS - Next posts are from our Manteo, NC trip and my Father's Day gift to Patrick!  Keep checking back for updates!

4 My Vacation Week through Instagram

The past week has been a busy and amazing one.  We officially are on summer break as of last Friday.  We said a sad goodbye to Preston's babysitter, we played soccer, we attended an event in support of PTSD, and we drove to Manteo, NC and hung out at the beach.

We said our goodbye's to Preston's sitter.  Check out that hug from Ms. Kassie!  They will certainly miss seeing each other every day.

Saturday morning - Soccer Tots!  My son enjoys playing with the "rubber dirt" on the field.

Then it was time to hang at the PTSD event.  Preston got to ride his first ATV.  He loved it!

Sunday was spent packing for our family vacation to Manteo, NC.  We rented a house - and we also got to borrow a few awesome supplies from our friends Val and Tim.  The house that we rented had bikes, so we got to use their son's bike helmet and front riding bike seat.  So cool!

Preston enjoyed modeling his "hat" all day.

After a 4 1/2 hour drive - we finally arrived to this beautiful scenery.  We needed to get away for a little bit.

It was off to the beach!

This is the life!

Brody got to come with us - he was relaxing too!

Relaxing - just soaking in the the wonders of the ocean.

We dropped by the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island for a little bit  - smallest aquarium known to man.  But - cool sharks.

Again with the views.  We couldn't get enough of them.

Lots of family bike rides!

By the end of the last day - Preston was exhausted.

We said goodbye to our beautiful cottage.

And we headed home - but not without a quick stop at Sonic :)

More details of our awesome family vacation coming soon, as well as a couple of reviews!

HAPPY SUMMER!!!!!!

1 Raising Awareness for PTSD

My brother is a pretty awesome guy.  He works hard and plays hard and is one of the nicest guys I know.  Today I wanted to let you all know what he's been up to with his Amateur Cross Country ATV Race Team - Slightly Bent Racing.  I think it is just so cool that he does this - he travels the country racing these ATV's and has a blast!

Hello!  See what I mean!?

But not only is it a great hobby of his, now his racing team is getting in to participating with charitable events - and one of those is coming up this weekend.  It's an event that helps to support wounded warriors with food, beverages, music, and fun!  Just watch:



Official Press Release:

Slightly Bent Racing Teams Up With Vigilant Vet Racing

Raising Awareness For PTSD

The Plains, VA (May 15, 2013) – Slightly Bent Racing (SBR) is proud to announce that on June 8, 2013 we will join Vigilant Vet Racing (VVR) to pay tribute to our nation’s wounded warriors. The event is being held at Great Meadow (Home of the Virginia Gold Cup) in the heart of Virginia’s horse and wine country.

VVR’s Founder and Operation Iraqi Freedom II Veteran, Rick Proctor, will be on hand all day to provide resources and help shed a much needed light on a disorder that affects an estimated 1 out of every 5 troops returning home from a combat zone. “I picked one of the most physically demanding sports on the planet, cross-country ATV racing, as my hobby. Believe it or not, it replaces an urge or a need that most Veterans who served in a combat zone miss when they get home.” –Rick Proctor

Also on hand will be team members from both SBR and VVR with atv’s on display, along with riding gear, safety equipment, and race series information. The tribute includes a variety of activities including live music, vendors, complimentary wine tastings, a wounded warrior softball game, an antique car show, and complimentary beer. Yes, we said complimentary!!

Event Details

When: Saturday June 8, 2013 from 11am – 7pm

Where: Great Meadow in The Plains, VA

Event information including directions and ticket pricing can be found by visiting www.beethovenfound.org and www.greatmeadow.org

www.vigilantvetracing.com                                                                                www.slightlybentracing.com

What an amazing cause!  How can you contribute?

0 The Metro Richmond Zoo - Part 2

Right after our amazing time feeding the giraffe's, it was time to feed the birds!  Now, usually I am not a fan of birds, especially when they are flying all around me, but these birds were tiny, colorful, and very used to people.  We bought two sticks of food for them, and all you do is go inside, hold out the stick, and those birds fly to you.

Just like the giraffe food, I held the stick out for a while and Preston watched.  Then he started to feel brave enough to hold it himself and say "here birdie".  TOO CUTE!

He didn't mind it when the birds stood on Mommy's hand, but if a bird tried to land on him, he got really scared and said "no no no".  So, we kept the birds at a friendly distance.

The birds really loved Pat when he went in.  Here are four alone on his hand, he also had two just hanging out on his back.

Fun times and a special moment!

Right outside of the bird house was a choo choo train the kiddos could ride.  You bet your buns Preston wanted to get on it.  He rode for quite a while.

It was time for lunch at this point, and on the way there we passed some awesome hogs.

This zoo was so cool because there were animals just wandering around, and again, they were so used to people that it was really a pleasure to have them roaming around like that.  There was also a great amount of shade throughout the park - so even on a super hot day, you could have a break from the heat.

I mean come on, it's pretty cool to eat your lunch with these birds so near...

...and a camel too!

Our final stop was with the farm animals.  They were behind a gate, but so ready to eat and be friendly with Preston.  Aren't they so cute!?

Honestly, the giraffe ate all of our food that we bought.  We had to make quite a hike to get more food for the goats - but all of the people around us thought Preston was so cute with the animals, people were just giving him their food.  I had no problem with that ;o)

He was right up in there and having a ball.  I have SO MANY pictures of him feeding goats and donkeys - so I thought I'd break it down to some of my favorites for you all.

Give me food!

The kid loves animals.  It's official.

We got back to the car, changed his diaper, cooled off the car with some max ac....and then about five minutes later...this happened.

While Preston was sleeping, we stopped by Panera to grab a bagel, some raspberry tea with our gift card, and we were on our way back home from the Metro Richmond Zoo.

It was seriously a perfect day with perfect weather and perfect company.  I love my family so much, and it's memories like this that constantly remind me of how lucky I am.

PS - Summer is only 4 school days away!!!!!!!