There's just something so rejuvenating about waking up at the beach on the first morning. Mornings are just better at the beach!
If I lived at the beach, I would TOTALLY be a morning person! I woke up before the kids and joined Grant on the balcony. We sipped our coffee and hot tea and watched an early morning soccer game. It was so peaceful and perfect!
AND everyone just seems happier at the beach!
We woke the kids up and headed down to our hotel's breakfast buffet. Let me just say, it was the BEST free breakfast buffet that I ever had. There were endless options and the food was really good! I thoroughly enjoyed the meal. It was such a nice break from preparing breakfast for everyone, and the view of the ocean was perfect!
After we ate, we got our stuff together, and headed down to the beach for the day. We seriously had so much stuff: A beach tent, 6 beach chairs, an umbrella, a cooler, a bag of sand toys, a bag of towels and beach gear, and boogie boards. Next year, we're bringing a beach cart!!!
It took some time to get everything set up. Grant helped with the beach tent, then took Lexie across the street to buy her a boogie board. By the time they returned, we were all set for a relaxing day at the beach!
Well, about as relaxing as it can get with 4 kids!
Our family was so excited to finally be at the beach!
Liam preferred to stay at the edge of the water. He did get knocked down by waves several times!
Lexie quickly became a boogie board pro!
Lily played in the sand and splashed in the surf. She was perfectly content! As for Liam, he quickly grew tired and decided he needed to relax!
He eventually crawled into my lap and took the best nap on the beach!
It was the perfect day at the beach. Peaceful, relaxing, happy, and fun!
We reluctantly headed back to our hotel, showered, and got ready for our first evening out! We explored some shops and ate dinner at a cafe. After dinner, we dropped off our leftovers, Dylan grabbed his skateboard, and we went back out to explore the boardwalk. It was so lively and the ocean view was beautiful as the sun set! The kids LOVED it!
When we returned to the hotel the kids decided they wanted to go for a swim in the indoor pool. They loved the indoor pool so much that we didn't even go to the outdoor pool at all during our entire trip!
After a short swim, we went back to our room so Grant and I could watch the premiere of Fear the Walking Dead. We were really looking forward to it! We opened up the balcony door so we could hear the ocean, grabbed some snacks, and watched while the kids played.
Near the end of the episode, we saw a bunch of helicopters fly by our hotel. A few minutes later, we heard a huge boom.
Fireworks at the beach! It was something I've ALWAYS wanted to experience!!!
I was absolutely thrilled! It made our already perfect day at the beach even more perfect!
We ended our day with a night walk on the beach. Grant and the kids never experienced it before, and it was always one of my favorite things to do at the beach!
We strolled along the water's edge, searching for shells. Once we got close to the end of the beach, we searched for crabs, too. Dylan, Lexie, and Lily were shocked by the amount of tiny crabs scurrying around!
My favorite beach tradition officially became a family tradition that night!
Later that evening, we crawled into bed completely exhausted yet relaxed and happy. It was such a great day. I want to go back so badly!
It was the perfect day with my family. It truly felt magical!
Looks like a great time! You can never go wrong with a beach vacay in my opinion. ;)
ReplyDeleteI agree!
DeleteBabes on a beach? Yes, please! All of these pictures are beautiful and the ones on the beach? Stunning! What kind of camera were you using? The kids looked like they had a blast. We've yet to take our kids to the ocean, hopefully next year...I can't wait! Have a great day, girl. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! I hope you get a chance to do so!
DeleteI used my Nikon D90. Switched between my zoom lens and my 50 mm!
Oh my gosh, I am SO jealous of your trip!! I visited Virginia Beach a few years ago and I cannot wait to go back someday haha it was gorgeous and SO GREEN!! It sounds like such a perfect family vacation :) and how dang cool you got to see fireworks at the beach!!! What a fun, fun memory!!! Just randomly found your cute blog and I love how happy you and your family are! I can't wait to make fun memories like this with my husband and future kids someday :)
ReplyDeletexo, Candace | Lovely Little Rants
Awww, thank you so much, Candace! XOXO I hope you get a chance to go back...hopefully with your future kids!
DeleteDid the diapers not weigh Liam down?
ReplyDeleteHe was fine! I forgot the disposable swim diapers in the room, and just put his reusable swim diaper over his regular diaper. He just played in the surf, then I changed his diaper before his nap on the beach!
DeleteYour pictures are wonderful. Looks like everyone had a blast. The nap photos are too cute....love how he's all spread out like he owns the beach. LOL
ReplyDelete