We're back! Ahh, a week of total spoilage is now over. Sniff. I didn't do anything except sleep really late (along with everyone else =), stuff myself with the buffet of snacks and desserts, read novels, lie on the sand, and let my husband enjoy his last week of non-stop baby parenting to his heart's content. The house my parents rented was right on the beach, so we literally walked down the porch steps, across the bridge over the dunes, and we were right there. As long as someone was willing to be in the house while naps were commencing, the rest of us could go outside. It was wonderful...
Two cousins after a fun week at Topsail Beach... I think they look a little toasted, but that's what a 3 hour drive in the car and a week of napping in unfamiliar places will do to you. I hope they enjoy each other in several years even more than they did this week. Seth was totally enchanted with his big cousin, and Isaac kept going up to him and saying, "Baby...baby...baby....," you get the picture. The fascination with Seth's snoz continues. After Isaac correctly identified him as Baby, he would then proceed to identify his snoz with a plump little finger on "nose, nose, nose..." Sigh.
This is a very special picture to me. This week, we dedicated Seth to the Lord. We somehow missed the announcement for the baby dedication at church before we left DC, and I knew that we wouldn't have another church family for an undefined period of time, so...David and I decided to just dedicate Seth with our family on this beach trip. After all, our family will be with us no matter where we move or go to church. Also, the way a lot of churches do baby dedications seems too formal to me, and if multiple babies are getting dedicated, it also feels impersonal to me. I wanted to have something simple and low key where I could promise to raise Seth for God, and also where I could say something personal to him myself. My brother, Vance, officiated, and he prompted us on our vows to raise Seth for Christ. Each family member spoke to Seth, telling them their hopes for him, and reading a Bible verse to him. We read a letter that his other grandparents had sent (and I'm glad I remembered to ask them to send something last minute.) Then we all laid hands on him and prayed for him together. Dad videotaped the whole thing. The sound came in really well, and you can even hear the surf in the background. I hope that he will treasure this video one day. I know that I will. His dedication is a sweet memory that I will always hold in my heart...
And here's a shot of the living room and kitchen where we spent most of our time. Mom, Terri, and I divvied up the meal preparation. We each cooked two dinners, and one night, we all went out to eat. This meant that the nights that we were on to cook, everyone else could relax and not worry about meal prep or much cleanup. I think it's a good system when you have so many people to feed, and we all got to taste some of each other's new recipes. The night we went out, we somehow picked a seafood restaurant that had no hush puppies. I don't like seafood, but I am all about the hush puppies. Well, my dad knew I was disappointed, so he offered to go next door while we waited and get me some. I told him not to bother, and then he disappeared for awhile. He came back with some hot, fresh hush puppies, just for me. What a sweet daddy. That gesture might not seem like much, but I appreciate the trouble he went to fulfill a little desire of mine. Especially since that's not the kind of coddling I would've gotten as a little girl... I guess this is an unexpected benefit of growing up. =)
Ok, I had to get this shot. It's adorable. We went to my parent's cabin on the White Oak River for an afternoon, even though we weren't staying there. Isaac played in the water, and he had to get a shower, so Vance got in the outdoor shower with him. Vance is wearing pants, but you can't tell it. What a cute little baby bottom!
My sweet smiley boy. He turned 7 months while we were on vacation...
Zack in his cool, big boy swim trunks.
This is The Cabin at Breezy Point. The place would've been condemned years ago if it wasn't for the intensive efforts of a one man historic preservation committee. Way to go, Daddy. This is a family cabin that has been in the family for over 100 years. It is truly nothing fancy. The ceiling has water stains, and there is nothing but a big claw foot tub in the bathroom. If you want to take a shower, you have to go outside and risk having cold water dumped on your head by your little brother... Sorry, flashback. There is no air conditioning. That means that the cabin can only be used a few months out of the year. Mom has been nagging Dad for several decades about putting in AC. Dad recently caved after at least 20 years of family whining. He has promised to put in AC. And since he's a man of his word, and since I have published his promise on the World Wide Web, I'm trusting it will be done by next summer... =) Though it's quite rustic, it has the best view on the point. Vance and I spent many happy Junes wading in the water in old tennis shoes, trying to keep our floats from being punctured on oyster rocks. We hope to pass our skills on to the next generation...
The same day that we went to the cabin for a visit, we stopped by the NC Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores. One of our cousins gave some big money to build a loggerhead turtle exhibit, so he scored us some free tickets! David decided that Seth needed to build a healthy fear of alligators. I'm not seeing a lot of fear here... Many other things happened on this vacation. I haven't time to tell them all. And I'm sure that you don't really want to hear the plots of the multiple Grisham novels read, and I'm also sure that you don't want to know how many packages of Oreo cookies were consumed. I know you don't want to know what we did on our date night (drove an hour to Jacksonville to see the Simpsons movie- it was great!), and I know you don't want to know that we were out of the house exactly on time, courtesy of Dad, who lives in mortal fear of being charged extra for staying late. A great time was had by all. I hope we can do it again. Thanks for your sponsorship, Mom and Dad!
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