Thanksgiving: Part One...The Beach!

We were excited to celebrate Thanksgiving in both Wrightsville Beach and Hickory this year. Since Collins got the whole week out of school, we decided to take the time and traverse the state and spend quality time with everyone!

First stop at the beach? Dockside for a tasty seafood lunch with this view...did I mention we were sitting outside in November?? The girls loved watching the boats go by (and eating hushpuppies).

So I managed to successfully pack all kinds of nonessential items for the beach, but I forgot Addie's bed. Luckily, Donna did some quick thinking and rigged her a cozy little closet bed. She slept like a baby, and then Collins decided that she wanted to sleep there. So that quickly became the bed of choice for the weekend, and the girls became roommates. It worked out great despite Addie choosing not to sleep two out of three nights!

I was so impressed by how much Addie has grown since our last beach trip...she walked all the way out to the beach by herself (while carrying the sand tools!). I think next time, I might see if she can help haul a chair...

The girls couldn't wait to get to the beach...they dropped their things and started digging right there on the path!

Collins was very happy the cliff was still there...

Addie was just itching to get near (i.e. in) the water...

She succeeded and then had Gigi rescue her with a warm towel...

We celebrated Thanksgiving on Sunday which worked out great. We had rainy weather so that gave us time to be cozy inside with cooking, a fire, football, and Thanksgiving activities. Collins taught us how to draw a turkey with our hand, and we listed what we were thankful for. I was thankful that Collins was able to write "Elsa" and "Minnie" by herself for the first time. At the top of Addie's list? Babies and Gigi. :)

Amelia Bedelia was the inspiration Collins and I needed to whip up this apple pie (there was a recipe at the end of the story) for Thanksgiving dessert.

Collins helped me set a beach-themed Thanksgiving tablescape...

Donna did a fabulous job with dinner, and we thoroughly enjoyed it two days in a row. We also enjoyed a post-dinner drive around the island to take in their adorable beach-themed Christmas lights. 

Collins's favorite of course...

Then a pretty impressive sunset and sunrise to send us on our way. We had a great Thanksgiving in Wrightsville!

It was hard to leave these views knowing that a five-hour ride was next on the agenda. But we stopped in Raleigh to stretch our legs, and then the girls were ready to hop back in the car to head to Hickory. They did so great on the trip. I always underestimate them.

Now on to the foothills portion of our Thanksgiving celebration!