The beach day 4

Yesterday was our last and final day. We went out with a bang! Mom and Emma drove down for the day. It was great because Emma helped entertain the girls. Since Emma got in the water Zoe followed and did not get out the entire time. I hate she waited until the last day but at least she got in. We didn't want to come in for lunch because we knew once we did that we would need to start packing up. Emma and I went up to the room and grabbed the big bowl of pasta salad with 6 forks and bought in down to the beach for everyone. All the kids played wonderfully, our fun was effortless.
When it was time to pack up having mom was there was very helpful. We worked like an assembly line. I would bathe a kid then pass them on to her to get dressed. Sand on tired cold babies is not fun. The cleanup time went quick since we had extra hands. We had so much fun, but I think we were all starting to be ready to get home. ( except willow) Mom and Emma followed us home and we stopped at good old Hardee's for supper. So yeah, the diet majorly starts today! It's funny how cheezits and Doritos taste so good on the beach!
Once we made it home we got tired babies to bed, unpacked most of our stuff, then collapsed on the couch. It is good to be home.

The beach day 3

Yesterday was a bit more relaxed. When everyone woke up we took the kids out on the pier. We saw two fish get caught. The girls thought that was pretty awesome. After that we went to the grocery store for some thing for supper. Even the store is an exciting adventure for the kids especially it being a new one that we don't usually go to. When we got back to the condo Ty laid down for a nap while I took the girls to the water. I looked up from the beach and saw that Tim was enjoying the quiet on the balcony reading his farmer book:) the girls had fun burying me in the sand and finding seashells. When we came back to the room we basically laid around all afternoon. The girls built beds on the balcony to lay on. I read in Tim's farm book, and he dozed on the couch with the kids. It was very relaxing and needed. After supper we all went back to the beach. It was a nice time to be out. The crowds were down and the tide was out. There were lots of little puddles that the kids enjoyed. It was another beautiful day!

The beach day 2

We had an incredibly blessed day yesterday. It was the kind of success when your kids actually laugh and play all day and every one gets along. We ate waffles for breakfast then headed straight to the ocean. Ty picked up right where he had left off the day before. He loved very minute. Willow did the same running everywhere soaking it all in. Zoe, on the other hand, did something a little different. I looked over and she was rolling all over in the sand laughing. She was covered head to toe. I guess the warmth and texture of the sand felt good to her skin. Tim dug a big hole and bought some plastic to put in it to make a baby pool for the kids. That was a big hit for them as well as people walking by.
That afternoon we came in and had lunch then everyone took a nap. Surprisingly I did too. Once the girls woke up Tim took the girls back out while I stayed in with Ty waiting for him to wake up.
When they came back in we got dressed to go out to dinner. We went to an amazing seafood place in calabash called Dockside. We were right on the waterway where the fisherman bring in the boats of fish. After supper we got to watch a fisherman filet some of the fish. The girls loved this and were trying to touch the dead fish eyeballs! By the time we got back to the condo it was past bedtime for the kids but we let them stay up for some chocolate chip cookie dough icecream. The sugar didn't keep them up at all. We all slept good.

The beach day 1

The kids went full speed all day yesterday. We all woke up early to have things down stairs ready for Tim to load up when he came home from the fire station. We are already at the point that we need one of those baggage trailer things for all our stuff. It is rediculous how packed down we were. I don't see any way around it because I know we will use everything I packed. The girls were so excited jumping all around and Ty was squealing and waving his chubby arms watching them. The ride here went decent. It was supposed to take 3.5 hours and it took us 5. We only had to stop twice and one of those was for food. When we finally got here the girls couldn't believe our view and were running around trying to find their bathing suits. I honestly don't remember much during that time. Bathing suits were getting thrown on and sunscreen smothered on. It was a mad dash for everyone to get to the water. I'm thinking Tim and I were both about out of breath at this point. We video taped Ty's first steps in the water. The boy LOVED it. He was laughing, chasing waves, and squishing sand in his fingers. Zoe didn't want to have anything to do with the water this year. She was content to play in the sand. Her prissy self said she was going to dig herself a pool. Oh that is sooo my Zoe Bell! Willows wild self didn't stop running the entire time she was chasing birds, jumping over waves, and carrying her bucket to and from the water. Every once in a while through out the chaos of the day God would give a small quiet moment to take in the joy of this time together. At one point we were all sitting there playing in the sand together and I was thinking it doesn't get much better than this...then the thought leaves and your back to keeping sand out of the babies mouth, helping to get the " dirt" out of Zoe's pool, and trying to keep wild woman safe.
That evening we made a shrimp boil. It was delicious. Once bath time was over we got these tired babies to bed. They were all worn out. They didn't make a peep once their head hit the pillow.

Tim and I then spent the rest of the evening on the balcony. A lot has changed since the last time we were here two years ago. We didn't even know if we wanted more children. We also thought we were going to stay in our house forever. God has worked a lot in our hearts. Now here we are with our house on the market, another sweet baby, and a desire for more. I'm very thankful for Gods provisions and I'm ready to take on another crazy day. Praying that I can enjoy these quick chaotic moments.

Mountain trip

This weekend has been so much fun and so needed. We left Friday morning and headed to the mountains on a smaller lake above Lake Lure. The kids were so excited. I think Zoe asked me if we were there yet maybe only 20 times on the way up. We ended up finding a restaurant with possibly the worst food ever. It was so disgusting it was comical that this was even a restaurant. We more than made up for it the rest of the trip because all we have been doing is eating some great food! When we got here the kids and I ran around everywhere checking out this amazing home. It is beautiful with views of mountains and lake... My dream! Not too long after we were here the Bradley's pulled up with groceries. The girls were excited to see their little boy Myles. Since it was raining the girls opted out for bathing suits and played in the rain and puddles for most of the afternoon while Tim and John worked on putting a gas grill together for the owner of the property. Ty was content crawling all over the huge screened in porch while Amanda and I sipped on some coffee. Not too long after that we started our big pot of spaghetti. Once we finished and cleaned up after my messy kids we went to the water to let them fish a bit. Amanda caught a fish and that was all the girls needed to feel like they had done something. Once we got these tired kiddos to bed the four adults played phase 10 until after midnight. Of course we had the fireplace going, complete with the country music with plenty of wine and chocolate milk:)
Zoe was up early as usual so me and her had the normal snuggle time except this time there was a fire in the fireplace. It was chilly outside but the girls didn't care and had their bathing suits on before lunch. They loved swimming in the hot tub, paddle boating, fishing, and halfway enjoyed the water trampoline. That night Tim grilled steaks for all of us. Once the sun started to set we let all the kids roast marshmallows and eat s'mores. When they had all had enough and the meltdowns started we put them all to bed. We ended the night with all four of us in the hot tub talking about God, kids, land, and farming. Everyone had a great time.