Can you tell we were excited to get the heck out of Raleigh and go on family vacation?!?!
We were all wearied by the Coronavirus raging around us and too ready to escape reality for a week. Turns out Figure 8 Island was the perfect escape spot because it is beautiful and no one was there. It felt safe to be there because there weren't people around us. We tried the island for the first time last year, and we were excited to back and check out a new house.
Look at their old swinging bridge- a cool way to get onto the island...
Our house had a neat view of the ocean...
Of course, we couldn't actually get away from the Coronavirus, and Brian had an exposure at work right before we were supposed to leave. Sigh. So that became a sticky issue, but luckily, he was able to get a quick test, test negative and still come on vacation. Good thing for this little boy sitting on his lap!
We were so excited to spend a week with Sawyer...
and Baba, Mimi, and the rest of the gang.
Addie was excited to ready to bust out some cheerleading moves...
and explore the island.
The beach at Figure 8 is the prettiest I have ever seen. The water is pristine, and the beach is wide, clean, and empty. It's the perfect combination.
The shell hunting on the island was fantastic...
And so were the tidal pools...
One of our favorite activities to do at Figure 8 was go to the North end of the island and swim on the waterway side of the island. There were no waves, and the kids could wade in and swim easily. There was lots of pretending to be mermaids and loud singing happening. Plus, it was fun to watch all the boats go by...
There were two options to get to the end of the island. One was a long walk from the beach. The other was a shorter wade through the water, but you had to watch out for crabs! They were all over the place. We were usually too lazy to go the beach way and opted for a possible crab pinch. 😬
We weren't sure about walking Sawyer past the crabs, so he hung out at the house and used his pool membership instead.
Back to the beach...
The deck was definitely our favorite spot at the house, and rainbows, sunsets, Rumicube, appetizers and margaritas were the main reasons why...
Early mornings with the boys (no sleeping in on vacation when they are this age) and eventually the girls joined us...
The girls were very impressed by their room because it came with a foosball table and workout equipment!
And Sawyer eventually made it to the beach! And kind of liked it. :)
Collins turned into a little adult on this trip spending a lot of her time on the beach reading.
Addie and Luke were a bit more active with their long jump competition...
Brian was really excited about renting a boat one day and exploring the surrounding islands...Baba walked with us to the end of the island where he was going to pick us up.
All aboard!
We hit Lee Island first (the island north of Figure 8) and had it all to ourselves...
Training her early...
Then we picked up Nick and Natalie to head further south to Wrightsville to grab lunch...
I am baffled by the size of some of these yachts that stop over at WB- it's crazy.
We swung by to get the rest of the group, but it was the bewitching hour and Sawyer was not having it...next time we'll have to time things up better for our little guy.
It's not always easy to get my crew to the beach because they 1) hate sunscreen and 2) get very busy inside the beach house doing random playing and 3) we are lucky enough to go to the beach a lot. But clearly from the pictures, we spent a lot of time on the beach.
Exploring the end near the end of the day, and Luke got stuck!
Our only complaint about Figure 8 was that there wasn't a ton to do besides go to the beach. The bike paths are in the hot sun, and there are no other real activities on the island. But if this gorgeous beach is all you've got, you're not doing too bad...
Sawyer's favorite thing to do at the beach was eat sand. :)
I treasure the vacation moments these cousins have together...
and all of us have together really.
Oh and I did I mention we ate well? This is one of my summer favorites, and Mimi can make a good one.
The most fun group! So lucky to have a week with them all.
Sad saying goodbye to this place because we had so much fun, plus it was the perfect escape from the stresses of the pandemic. We knew we were going back to a not-so-easy reality, but at least we were rested and relaxed to perhaps handle it a bit better. How thankful we were for this fabulous and beautiful Figure 8 vacation!
