Duck, North Carolina 2013

I love vacations!  Everything about vacations...daddy is around all week long (no work!), we forget about vegetables for the week, we play, we run, we jump, we pretty much do whatever we want all week long.  This was our second trip to Duck and just as great as the last one.  We met a ton of family there and had a fun filled week.
I will let my pictures tell our adventure filled tale.
First up...crabbing.  The crabbing wasn't quite as good as last year.  The conditions were not ideal on the two mornings we ventured over to the boardwalk but good news...when crabbing doesn't go your way there is a fantastic doughnut shop very close that always has warm doughnuts any way you like them.

Best crabbing partners...Ali and Ido

 That's the crab bucket...no crabs in there yet.

 Mommy caught the first crab of the trip...daddy caught the biggest crab.

Not a successful trip...next stop doughnuts!

 

We spent plenty of time in the sun on this vacation.  We had a few rainy moments but had plenty of fun in the sun time.  We visited the beach every morning.  The water temperature changes so much in Duck but I can say I got wet every day.  The waves were fun to play in but some days still a little too big for this guy.

 Hady loves adventure, although she doesn't love the taste of saltwater.

 Relaxing in the sand.

 I got a boogie board to ride on. 

 Hady likes it too.

Afternoons were spent napping and playing at the pool.  We worked on our swimming, our jumping and our hot tubbing. 

Using my baseball skills.

 

 She asks to be thrown up in the air but these pictures tell a different story.

I learned a few new games while in Duck.  I learned how to play volleyball and boche ball.  I was a champion boche ball player with the help of Ido.

Look at that form.

 All skill levels were welcome in this game.  Hady liked to throw the ball under the net back to the other team.

 Smashed it.

 Up and over.

 High fives from Sus.

 






Now all that is fun but my favorite part is going for night walks on the beach after dinner and searching for ghost crabs.

Just chilling and waiting for sunset so the ghost crabs will come out.

Not the best picture of Hady but mommy is usually behind the camera so I had to add this one of the girls.

 The search is on.

 Family pictures are so hard and we had the wind to contend with on this night.

 Ghost crabs.

 Daddy was playing with the camera.  Check out the cool sky as the sun was setting.

 A bucket full.

 Hady's favorite ghost crab hunter, Noah.

This vacation isn't complete without some pictures of the many family members that visited Duck with us.  During the day, we did our own thing but every night we met up and ate some awesome food together.  I tried a variety of things...crab legs, lobster tail, anchovies, clams, a soft shelled crab and some scotch (really just apple juice on the rocks).  Hady tried some crab legs and lobster tail.  Pappaw couldn't talk her into trying as many new things as me.  Pappaw can get me and mommy to eat anything.

We were so happy that John, Susan and baby Johnny showed up mid week!  I love my littlest cousin.

 Check out Johnny.

 Mommy couldn't decide which picture was better...like I said family pictures are hard.

 Paps.

 Hady's main squeeze on this trip, Noah.

 Nene!

 This trip wouldn't have happened without Nene and Duke.

 Silly uncle John.

 And then my favorite...Ali and Ido.  I learned so many cool science things from these two.  Like did you know sharks are born from these little black egg sacks you can find on the beach?  And they gave me an owl book so I can identify owls back home in Indiana.

 We didn't get pictures of everyone that came with us...or they might not have appreciated the pictures we did get being posted for everyone to see but I enjoyed all my aunts and uncles and my cousins.  We had lots of play time together.

 

Overall, it was a great trip!  I enjoyed each day and I wish it could have lastest longer.  Until next year Duck...I will dream of your doughnuts and big waves.



End of the school year, beginning of summer!

Well summer is officially off and running.  We even made it to the pool this week (twice).  Summer for me means baseball.  This is my first year playing coach pitch baseball at Winslow and I am having a blast.  I have met a lot of new friends, learned new baseball skills and can really hit the ball hard.  I even played first base last week and got someone out. 

Every good baseball player needs to warm up with some batting practice.

Get ready...I am going slam this one!

 

Yep, lucky number 12!

 

Gotta warm up the arm too.

 

Game time. 

 

Hit it on the first pitch.

 

Gotta run fast...Coach Jack is even telling me to hustle.

 

And another run for Wee Willies.

 

The end of the school year means end of the school year picnic.  I was running around too much for mommy to snap very good pictures but here is one of my best bud, Max.

 

And then a few of my favorite girls.

 

Mommy got teary eyed snapping this picture.  Next up kindergarten!

 

Last day of school at Faith Lutheran.

 

Which means last day with Mrs. Bertemann.

 

Oh, but it was a fun last day.  Mr. and Mrs. B visited and taught us about bees.

 

The last day was over but there was still graduation!

 

Proud.

 

We got up and spoke at graduation.  I told everyone what I wanted to be when I grow up.  At age 5, I want to work at Commercial Service like daddy and Papa.  Daddy has a pretty cute video of me that he immediately sent out to everyone and he will probably use it against me at some point.  Oh well, I got some pretty great guys to admire in my life.

Then, I slid into kindergarten.

 

Big guys on campus now, you know.

 

Some friends I will miss...I have been with these girls since we were babies.

 

One more with Mrs. B!  I will miss you.

 

Hady turns three!

Well weeks have flown by but Hady deserves a proper birthday post so I am doing it regardless of the date on the calendar.
Can you believe it, she is three!  My little sister is three.  I remember like it was yesterday when I visited her and mommy at the hospital and then she gave me a big boy trike to ride around the neighborhood.  Well these years have zoomed by like a fast truck and we have become best buds.  Of course, we fight like all siblings do but she is the best playmate a guy could have.  She lets me pick my favorite TV shows to watch, she even lets me pick out the games to play, she shares her favorite snacks with me, she bugs mommy and Reagan with me and I love her!
So to celebrate this spunky little sister I have, we celebrated a few days early with family and then we celebrated with an ice cream party on a hot day with friends.  Then of course, went to dinner on her birthday and opened presents in our pjs after a long day.

Family party time!  Johnny is our favorite guest.

 

Already 3!

 

She still needs my help for everything though.

 

She loves a good party with cake of course.

 



 

Time to party with friends and ice cream.  Lots of ice cream.

 

 

And finally some water fun because it was HOT.

 

One of my best friends Hady made this year, next year they will have preschool together.

 

Happy Birthday Hady!

 

 

 

 

Birthday night...we celebrated with a baseball game, peanut butter and jelly at the Country Club and late night present opening in our pjs.

 

I was pretty excited about this scooter too.

 

Goofy Hady.

 

A few more presents...binoculars...even a pair for me because it is more fun to have a partner in crime.

 

Oh and the huge Dora that she now sleeps with every night.

 

Happy birthday Hady!

A letter to Hady.

A letter to Hady from mommy!

You turned three!  You are full of life.  You have been full of life for three years.  You love fruit snacks like there will not be any left tomorrow.  You love babies and playing babies with anyone that will sit down and diaper and feed a baby with you.  You love to sleep with a lot of stuff.  It drives your daddy nuts.  You love to read books and when we finish reading them to you, you love to read them to us.  You love gymnastics.  You learned to do a forward roll on the tall tall beam, you learned to do a pullover with some help, you are a master of forward rolls on the floor and soon I know you will master the cartwhell.  And you love your big brother more than anything.  You try to be just like him.  You want to play at the pool with him and his friends, you want to be silly like him, you want to be able to be as fast as him, you love the toys he loves...you just love him till there is no end.  My hope for you is that you and Rice are always this close.  I hope you will share your secrets and share your life together as you grow older because the bond you have is too sweet to ever lose.
And in these first three years, you have taught me so much. You have taught me to laugh at all the little things because life is full of little moments that deserve to be cherished (like when you pretend talk on the phone to Nene and Duke.) You have taught me to hug tighter because hugs from loved ones are better with a little squeeze. You have taught me to share everything because food tastes better when shared with friends, toys are more fun when shared with your brother and life is better when surrounded by people you love. 
This next year will be tough on you...your best friend will go to school each day and a new little family member will join our group.  But I know you will be a great big sister because you are kind and compassionate.  So hold up your never empty juice cup and cheers to a year better than these first three because you will be by my side and have the three best boys by your side too.  I love you Hadley Jane.  You will forever be my little girl.