Reality Happens...but not this week

Reality stepped aside and watched as we spent a wonderful, beautiful week in a gorgeous house on the Outer Banks with the family this past week.
We spent our days lying on the beach, biking, playing in our pool, and just loving being together. Like I said...reality only watched from the sidelines :)


Oh, if I could just freeze these kids in time. One of my famous sayings has always been, "Why can't you just have kids and KEEP them!"

On our Gorgeous front porch with Gammy (Pappy unfortunately couldn't get away this year), Uncle Howard and Aunt Sue, Ben, Jennie, and of course, our clan.


Little Miss Faith heading for the beach.






You seriously could not pay me to get buried like that!



My sweet Grace.






Well this year the guys somehow got into some marathon style biking. We're talking like FORTY miles a day! Mitch, Mitchell, Ben, and Matthew. We hauled all the bikes down on dad's truck, parked the truck in the garage, and figured we wouldn't need it out again until we headed home. Well it came out when Ben blew a tire and someone had to go rescue him....and then when Matthew blew a tire and someone had to go rescue him after reading the Tweet he posted from out along the side of the road. Then Mitch broke his axle (he actually walked back)....
But, one day someone said, "Oh, park in back of the truck, we wont need to get it out."
"Sure we will," I said, "when Mitchell needs rescued!" (he never did)

Their poor bikes were just screaming for mercy.


and Bocce Ball on the beach



So on Monday morning, Christian decided to dig a really deep hole...far enough up that the high tide couldn't reach it. (Actually he decided this back in the winter and so came prepared with "better shovels" this year!) Anyways, What was one hole on Monday, became 2 holes on Tuesday, and by Saturday...it had become this tunnel system that was constructed with much help from Uncle Howard. It's funny, you can't tell in these photos at all...but the holes on either end of the tunnel were actually deeper than the top of Faith's head. Not sure why the depth perception is bad in the pictures. Anyways, it was great fun. Above is Faith getting pulled out of the hole.






Matthew.

Mitchell, cousin Jennie, and Matthew boogie boarding.




...and Faith and Uncle Howard spent ALOT of time "panning for gold". We told him if he ever loses his job as a train engineer (how cool is that), that at least he knows how to pan for gold!!

We did have one extended period of pouting when Uncle Howard had had enough gold panning for one day.


Christian and Faith

Grace, Faith, Mitchell



I Love, Love, Love these two shots!



Make that THESE Three Shots!!!!!

Matthew


Mitchell



Ah, My KIDDOS! If that's not the most amazing blessing, I truly don't know what is.


And on the last day, my three young men lingered at the beach till everyone else had gone up to the house. The felt the need to fill in the holes and tunnel so that no one else could claim their "turf" when they were gone. After filling it, they also felt the need to jump in it...you know...just because it was the right thing to do.



....and then one sun-drenched young man, boogie board in tow, made his final walk from the sand to the showers.



Hey reality...we wouldn't mind if you stayed away a little longer.