Please tell me you’re laughing at the title of this post as much as I am. We spent the last week at Nags Head in the Outer Banks and after much deliberation we arrived on swagshead2k16 as our hashtag. Even though none of us have any swag (maybe Oliver). Come on, that’s funny.
Growing up, my family went to the beach in South Carolina every summer! Since I was just as old as Oliver is now :] And it’d been 7 years since we did a family vacation and somehow the timing worked out great! It was the beginning of wedding season, my sister was off work, and my mom and stepdad could get away for a little bit. Recipe for success! My mom booked the house in April and we’ve been counting down/ordering swim things for Ollie ever since. Thankfully, we didn’t have to wait that long. This trip was extra fun because David had never been on vacation with my family! And my grandma came and she’s sassy and hilarious. And Kelsey’s boyfriend came, so we got to know him better too! All in all, recipe for a successful week.
It didn’t go quite like we planned. There was a lot of rain and it was pretty cold. But, we had lots of time to play games and read books and explore :] I got to read a whole book cover to cover in one day! Which is my idea of a good time that I definitely didn’t think I’d get to do anytime soon. Going to the beach with an infant meant it wasn’t beach time all day every day like we’re used to, but it was a different kind of fun. And I got to see my family give Ollie lots of love :]
Now for the semi serious: the beach is my favorite place to be. It reminds me of summers spent under the sun with nothing but a good book and a chair in the sand. Something about the waves and the wind are so beautiful and powerful. It was such a dream to be able to carry Ollie onto the beach to the waves that first night. And it made me realize this is his THIRD beach experience if you count when I was pregnant (which I obviously do). I can remember standing in the waves with my little baby bump and asking God to help me trust Him. That this was going to be good. And that His grace was enough because it was even bigger than the ocean that stretched out before me. And as I stood in the waves with Ollie on my hip, I knew that it was. And that it was good.
One evening, we did what we do on vacation…took some portraits :] Come on, we had to capture the magic of Ollie and the beach! (complete with iPhone recap at the end)
I got Kels to take some pictures of the three of us!
Oliver was very serious that evening. He’s normally so smiley!
Quite the sensory experience!
😀
There’s the Ollie sass.
And I took some portraits of Kelsey and Dylan!
She’s so pretty!
Love this one.
And this! They’ve been doing long distance for a long time now!
:]
He fell right to sleep after awhile.
Accurate. He’s obsessed with my hair. Now I know why moms get “mom haircuts.” For their own safety.
iPhone recap ahead! The road trip and our first evening on the beach.
Clearly I was ecstatic.
And Ollie was sleepy as usual.
Chill time.
One of our rainy days.
David’s loving life wit the selfie stick.
We took Ollie in the tub because his swim suit and float were too cute not to use! He loved it!
When we were on the beach, Ollie was either sleeping, or trying to be louder than the waves. He loved making noise!
Our dorky sunset walk.
Mini golf with everyone.
I can’t explain how much David’s watch in the lounge chair made(/makes) me laugh (right now).
My beach baby.
Yay for the beach!
