We've come to expect rain on our trips to Wrightsville so when we were treated to the most gorgeous warm weather March could ever offer, we were pretty excited! In the girls' minds, they were going to the beach the way it is in the summer- bathing suits and all, I warned them that it might be too cold for that, but I was wrong. It was PERFECT weather for that! After a long winter, your first taste of beach weather is pretty special.
Donna and Marty couldn't go this time because they flew to Colorado for cousin Casey's wedding so it just the four of us. It was really fun, and did I mention it was ACC Tournament time? Go Heels! They did not disappoint! (Hard to top their regular season, but winning the tournament title and earning a #1 seed in the NCAA's did just that. So awesome.)
But first the un-fun part- the packing...Addie always makes it so easy. :)
We got into terrible traffic on the way to the beach, and the trip took forever. The girls were not happy. When we finally made it to the beach around 6:30 p.m., they were itching to get on the beach so we let them. Pretty fun to head out at dusk armed with a cocktail.
Addie is pictured here in her beloved "starfish belt" bathing suit that she asks to wear every morning. We were excited to finally let her don the suit for the purpose of going to the beach. But as crazy as it sounds, we somehow lost the bathing suit later that night. We came in from the beach, got the girls showered, and then never saw the starfish belt ever again. We are still puzzled by this mystery so imagine trying to explain the situation to a 2-year-old! Lucky for us, Target still had some in stock so Addie got a replacement a few days later.
We had a very busy day at the beach... first getting buried...
then tunnel-making...
hole-sitting...
bracelet-making (with sea oats)...
walking...
and dune exploration.
Since we would be missing our church Easter Egg hunt the next day, I brought the girls' Easter baskets with us so we could do a beach hunt (pajama-style).
The next morning we challenged the girls to walk all the way to the pier. With all the lolly-gagging going on, this was no easy task. Lucky for us, our walk helped us work up an appetite for a tasty taco lunch.
After lunch and meeting Myra the beach pig, Collins gave us some leaping lessons...
Addie gave it a good go...
The sun came out in spectacular fashion to end the afternoon, and the girls figured out that a beach hole could turn into an underground beach house (hallways included). Although we lost an hour of sleep the night before, what a special treat to be at the beach during the Daylight Savings time change. That extra hour on the beach was totally appreciated!
We were pretty low key (i.e. lazy) on this trip not heading out to the grocery store once. We ate fish from Motts each night and whatever vegetables we could find at Roberts Grocery (from a trip on the bike). This night the girls got a PB&J picnic dinner on the dock. They didn't seem to mind. :)
Our last morning there, we got one last look at the beach before heading out for some adventures. Brian took Monday off from work so we almost stayed for another beach day....
but eventually packed up (while Collins played her new favorite game)...
and headed to Dockside for a lovely lunch...
and then to downtown Wilmington to tour the Battleship. I'm so glad we went- it was so cool!
The girls used it as their own personal maze climbing up and down staircases and exploring strange underground spaces...
When we came back up on deck, we were surprised to hear a loud plane flying over our heads. We looked up, and it was low and right above the ship. Not only that- it was Air Force One! Brian was like, "Is that the President??". But we weren't sure because it happened so fast. But then a couple minutes later, the same plane crossed right above the ship again. Crazy! We finally figured out that Air Force One practices touch-downs at the Wilmington airport so we got to witness it that day. Very cool.
Between touring the battleship, going to bed late most nights, and all the playtime on the beach, I think the trip thoroughly wore the girls out. This was 10 minutes after heading home.
And Donna had a good report from Colorado- Casey had a really fun wedding that was perfectly Casey. :)
But she also shared the sad news that Aunt Daisie had passed away over the weekend. Although Daisie had been in declining health recently, this was still hard news to take because it seemed so sudden. Daisie was an important person in Brian and Donna's lives, and always welcomed me as a part of the family. She was a strong and loving woman and will be missed by many. We hurried back to Raleigh so we could celebrate her life.
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