Bald Head Island!

Every year we count the days until we can go back to Bald Head Island. And finally at the end of August that long-awaited day had come! So of course we found ourselves at the Great Provision Company for water views, conch fritters, and the start of our vacation...

Despite our excitement to return to the island, there was one tiny bit of trepidation that came with this trip. And it was this belly behind Luke. :) Al was exactly one month away from giving birth, and we all remember how that timing worked with Addie! We had so many conversations about whether it was safe or not for Alli to come with us. Because when you're on an island, without a vehicle, or a doctor, then you really need to think long and hard about that decision. She had had a smooth pregnancy up until about mid-summer and then experienced some complications. But in the end, obviously, she decided to come. Under the agreement that she would not do much other than eat and rest!

 So we boarded that ferry and started the grand finale to our summer vacation...

We love the ferry ride. And somehow someone ALWAYS gets wet. This time it was rain instead of a splash. :)

 We made it to land and were happy to ditch our car for a much cooler ride...

A storm quickly popped up upon arrival, and we got caught in it while cruising around the island. But that only made our ride more adventurous and fun. And we ran into our friends the Camps who were also on the island for the first time. Unfortunately we came upon them on the road where their watermelon had fallen off the golf cart and exploded into many tiny pieces. Part of the danger of having a golf cart as your car!

Our first morning there, we wasted no time getting started on two favorite home activities- eating and puzzling. And Luke even got into the game this time.

Then it was time to check out the brand new remodeled Bald Head Island club. We had heard it was impressive from the Moores who had been a few weeks prior, and they were not kidding. It was amazing! It had cabanas with ocean views, three different pools, two gigantic water slides, and tropical drinks. There was really no reason to leave. 

The water slide was ridiculously fun so we did it about a million times...and it was hilarious watch Brian and Dad shoot out of that thing at a breakneck pace.

 And the treat after you climbed those stairs to the top was a fantastic ocean view...

You can see why we logged many hours at the pool that week. Clearly we had trouble pulling ourselves away. But remember we also enjoy other activities at BHI like the beach...

cart cruising...

appetizing or desserting on the top deck...

watching the sunset...

 playing under the house...

chasing barges...

and night rides. It used to not be a thing; now it's an every night kind of thing!

Poppy loves to show the kids funny videos on his fancy iPad, and of course, the kids are eager to see what he has to offer...

On our annual photography contest, we hit the marina first then wound our way around the island. Luke was immediately drawn to the service barge at the marina... :)

while Addie and Poppy tried to find a unique shot...

and I found inspiration at the marsh...

and inside the golf cart. 

We like to pretend real estate shop on the island so we go to the open houses, and can you believe this view?

Or this one?!? Love Collins's expression when she found out what was behind that door!

Okay, hands down, the kids' new favorite activity this year at Bald Head was definitely the lower downstairs play area...or as they called it their "Surf Shop". (Also known as wild naked time). They spent a LOT of time here this year (which unfortunately for the adults watching them has zero view, but does catch a nice ocean breeze). They set up a surf shop inside the shower, and even came up with the idea for a club membership. They did a hard sell to all of us over a special concert, and I had to break the news that we were not making their grandparents pay for a monthly membership to a surf club at BHI when they live in Hickory. They weren't quite understanding. :)

 We ate almost all of our dinners outside this year which was so fun...

and most nights, we'd head upstairs to watch the sun set.

Collins loves taking advantage of her extra time awake after her siblings have gone to bed. This particular night she used her bonus time to go fly a kite on the beach. I love seeing what fun adventures she comes up with! (And most nights, it's just night rides.)

Collins takes full advantage of the sunset, while her sister reaps the benefits of being awake for the sunrise. Addie gets the morning fun. :) 

One morning she chased a barge before Collins ever got out of bed!

We always climb Old Baldy (Al was out this year for obvious reasons), and this year Luke's tiny legs took him all the way to the top.

Back at the pool for some relaxing because we clearly weren't getting enough down time...

I really felt like we were at some fancy Caribbean resort!

And did you know Luke was a dancer? 😂

That night we opted for dinner poolside, and turns out that was the right choice thanks to this dish and the beautiful view.

Then an ice cream sandwich-filled sunset...if only that little house wasn't blocking our perfect view!

  

Our finished puzzle! Al did not sleep until she finished this thing. One morning, I went for a long walk on the beach. I was at the point where the Cape Fear River meets the ocean when I heard a strange sound. Turns out it was helicopters circling the island. Specifically, the area where we were staying. My heart started pounding; I was sure Alli had gone into labor and they had to call 911. Of course, I had not brought my phone on my walk because I didn't think I would need it. I PANICKED, and started running back down the beach. This was not easy because the sand was soft, and I had walked pretty far from home. I was dropping buckets of sweat by the time I got back to the beach house and had worked myself into tizzy over this imagined emergency. I burst into the house only to find my sister staring hard at this puzzle trying to find the perfect piece to pop into place. Lol...all was fine. WHEW! But there actually had been an emergency of another kind- a golf cart had hit a bike rider and the biker needed emergency air lifting to the hospital. Very scary stuff; hopefully they were okay.

This morning we tried out the new boardwalk near the marina. Turns out there was a lot of action to be seen from this spot! Luke was in heaven.

Another new spot we found on the island is this little marsh walkway that leads to the middle of the island where it's so quiet and scenic...

Despite all the cool activities to do at Bald Head, of course the girls love holing up in their room at the beach house and playing. This was Addie's first time trying out the Lite Brite. 

We were back to the marina to watch the ferry come in- this time for a special reason...Daddy was back! Brian had to go back to Raleigh to work during part of the week, and he was able to come back to the island to hang out. The kids were so excited to see him.

See him waving in red?

I loved this afternoon at the beach because the water was sparkling, you could see boats everywhere, we successfully flew a kite, and eventually everyone left and I got an hour of uninterrupted reading in ALL BY MYSELF. :)

Fully relaxed, I returned back to the beach house for a tasty dinner and the big event of the night...

It took us many years to figure out that the little café next to the Turtle Conservancy sells the best Italian Ice of all time. Ugh...so good and all those years that we went without! Now we have it multiple times each vacation, and just so you know mango and lemonade are the tastiest flavors.

Our last morning at Bald Head, little mister was up early so I made some quick jelly toast and we raced to the golf cart. We had a sunrise to watch at the Point.

We packed up our things to wait for the tram, and look at the storm that moved across the ocean in front of us. Crazy colors!

It's never easy to leave, but this year we had extra motivation to get back to Raleigh. It was officially time for Addie to start kindergarten! Lacy Elementary, here comes not one but two Fork girls.

Goodbye Bald Head...we're counting down the days until we see you again! Thanks, Dad and Heather, for an amazing vacation.