We had a great vacation at Ocean Isle last week with the entire (and I mean ENTIRE) family.  Everyone was there to celebrate the marriage of my brother-in-law and his wonderful new wife.  They are two very special people and I am so excited and happy for them.

Despite a few rainy days, the kids had such a good time with all of their cousins and grandparents there.  They played hard, that’s for sure! We spent every minute that we could on the beach or at the pool, ate lots of big breakfasts and dinners, and just enjoyed being around everyone.

After the wedding, which was on our first full day there, I didn’t pull the camera back out until our last day.

Here are a few of the shots I got.  I am not posting too many, because kids basically do the same few things over and over again while playing on the beach!

Charlie running…

Emma running…

Maddie running…

…and Addison running.

Just one more of Addison running, because she is just the cutest runner ever!

Another favorite pastime of kids on the beach…digging. Here’s Maddie digging…

…and Addison digging…

…and Charlie really doing some digging!

They really worked hard digging this trench. Well, really I did it!

…but here’s why. It kept them occupied for quite awhile!

Kids also spend a lot of time on the beach getting sand onto every part of their body imaginable. Here’s Emma busy at work getting sandy…

…and no better way to get completely covered in sand than to jump into a hole and sit!

They also spent a while playing in a bucket of water, which, according to the warning label on the side of the bucket, was probably not a good idea!  Here’s Addison trying to get out…

…and Charlie attempting to bury Maddie in the bucket.

As you can see, the kids worked really hard and had a great time!  They slept really well at night, and so did all of the adults!

Now that we’re back from this vacation, it’s a busy time for us.  We have VBS at church next weekend, then Charlie starts school the very next day and Maddie starts dance classes.  I’m looking forward to getting into a routine, and for fall, football, and pumpkin-flavored and scented everything!