For our family vacation this year we went to Indian Beach, NC. I like to say that we went to Emerald Isle, but Jason corrected me and said that it is actually Indian Beach. There is a small island that contains Emerald Isle, Indian Beach/Salter Path (where we are located), and Atlantic Beach. The area that our condo is in is not highly populated and we love it. We rented a 3 bedroom condo this year. A room for Jason and I, Grandma and Papa, and Raleigh. Luckily Raleigh has done extremely well in a "big girl" bed and in an unfamiliar room. She's having her first bunk bed experience!
Day 1: Sunday, July 5th
We arrived at our condo, but didn't do anything much for the evening. When we first went out on our balcony Raleigh immediately saw the pool and said "sweeming!" I don't think she even cared about the ocean! When we went to dinner there was a small canal with turtles swimming around. We bought a small handful of food to feed the turtles. I'm not sure if Raleigh actually saw the turtles or not, but she seemed to enjoy it.
Day 2: Monday, July 6th
We woke up to cloudy skies. :( Since it was cloudy and a strong chance of rain we decided to go to the aquarium. We visited the aquarium last year when we vacationed here, but Raleigh slept through it and of course wasn't as interested in it then. To begin with she wasn't too sure of the fish. They had some large frogs throughout the aquarium that you could take pictures with. We tried several times to get our picture made with them, but she didn't want anything to do with it! She really enjoyed the colorful fish, otters, and turtles. Another big hit with her was the large tank with many fish and sharks. This tank also hosts a Living Shipwreck that all the fish swim around and hide inside. During the month of July the aquarium is also hosting Crunch, a 165 pound alligator snapping turtle. It is estimated that Crunch could be 150 years old. The aquarium also had an "otterly" amazing sand sculpture located at the entrance of the aquarium. "The famed sand sculptors molded 16 tons of beach sand into a scene of river otters exploring a sand castle." After the aquarium the rain had settled in so we drove into Beaufort to see the historic town. When we returned to the condo the weather had cleared up so Jason and Raleigh went for a short swim in the pool and we took a visit to the beach. As the first wave hit Raleigh she fell backwards and continued to do so every time the waves came up! It was quite funny!
Day 3: Tuesday, July 7th
We woke up to sunshine which only meant one thing....BEACH!!! We packed up our toys, towels, chairs, and tent and headed to the beach. Raleigh once again fell backwards any time the wave hit her. She was a little braver and would reach down to feel the water. I would tell her that one was coming or it was a big one and she would echo whatever it was I said. One big wave (big for the edge of the ocean) came up and knocked her completely down and under! She was a trooper and only cried a little. We made it out to be a fun thing instead of scary. She had no fear of returning to the water. I however was a little leery of returning to the water after a wave came up to us and I saw a stingray swimming away!! We played in the sand and tried to build some sculptures, but Raleigh would knock the sand down any time we had something up. After the beach we went to the pool for a little swim before lunch and nap. Raleigh was glued to the steps and didn't have any interest in swimming. I think it has something to do with the fact that she can be independent on the steps. We had a little accident when getting ready for nap. We were trying to get Raleigh changed and she was not listening so she started running and fell. She bit the inside of her lip and it was swollen for a little while. After eating some ice it appeared to be better. Hopefully this little incident will help her to realize that she needs to listen to Mommy and Daddy. We also enjoyed a round of putt-putt. Daddy, Papa, Raleigh, and I played while Grandma kept score. I think Grandma may have given Papa a little edge on the scoring because he ended up winning! However the only hole in one was scored by Raleigh! Papa helped her hit the ball and it went right in! When Papa hit his ball he wasn't so lucky! What a fun day!
Day 4: Wednesday, July 8th
Another beautiful day at the beach! Raleigh once again loved the ocean and the waves. She did fall down one time today that produced a few tears, but nothing major. Her and Grandma had fun covering their feet with the sand. She listened with Daddy to his ipod and she climbed on my back while I was laying out and proceeded to say "horsey." Playing "horsey" is not easy to do when you're lying flat on your stomach! It was very cute! After the beach we went to the pool again. Raleigh still loved the steps and was not into swimming much. In the evening I was able to finally receive my Mother's Day gift...family pictures at the beach. We had the most wonderful photographer (Ellen LeRoy) who was excellent with Raleigh and I believe really captured some fantastic pictures for us! It's going to be difficult to choose! To finish off the night we enjoyed some ice cream!! Another wonderful day!
Day 5: Thursday, July 9th
WOW! What a fun day!! We decided that we were going to go to Shackleford Banks for some horse sightings! We headed out around 11 am to Beaufort, NC. When we got there we bought our tickets for our ferry out to Shackleford Banks. We didn't leave Beaufort until 1:45 pm. We only had a short boat ride over, but Raleigh LOVED the boat. Once we arrived at Shackleford Banks we went on our search for wild horses. Although how the horses arrived is still a mystery, legend has it that these horses are actually Spanish Mustangs that survived a shipwreck. Luckily we found some a little ways inland. There were six of them roaming and enjoying an afternoon snack (grass!). They were absolutely beautiful. We were able to get really close to them considering that they are wild. Jason actually got his hand on one horses back. She quickly let him know that she didn't like it...she turned with her back to him as if she was going to kick him! He moved and gave her some space. After the horses we made our way back to the beach to wait on our ferry. Raleigh was so tired, but she kept herself awake and in good spirits. We took the ferry back to Beaufort. Before we left Beaufort we had to buy some fudge!!! We had been in the shop before we left when they were making it and it smelled WONDERFUL!! After returning to the condo and attempting to put Raleigh down for a nap (she would not sleep!) we headed out to Jacksonville to meet Vivian and Nicole for supper. It was great to see them again before we have to head home. With no nap during the day, Raleigh crashed on the way back. She didn't even wake up when we got in the room and laid her on the bed! Exhausted baby! To end the night there was a gorgeous moon over the ocean that's beauty cannot be truly captured in a picture!
Day 6: Friday, July 10th
What a beautiful and cool day! The temperatures have been wonderful...not too hot, but not too cool either! We said goodbye to Grandma and Papa in the morning. After they left we got ready and headed out to Fort Macon. Not much to do, but it was interesting to see a fort that is over 100 years old and 90-95% original! At the top of the fort it is beautiful looking out to the ocean. We headed back to the condo for lunch, nap, and some time by the pool! It was a slow day, but a great one! It's sad to think that we only have one more day left at the beach. :(
Day 7: Saturday, July 11th
Our last day at the beach. :( We spent most of our day at the beach. Jason and Raleigh enjoyed some calm ocean waters. Raleigh really loves the water and waves! We went back to our "tent" and Raleigh decided that my chair was better than hers. She stood on it and even laid down on it. I finally talked her off it and she went to her chair and mat. Jason took her to try and build a sand castle, but she didn't like the idea of making a castle. It was so much more fun to tear it down as soon as Jason put it up! Unfortunately the beach time came to an end too quickly and it was nap time. After nap time we spent a little time at the pool for the last time. Raleigh swam a little, but mostly enjoyed the steps...again! To finish off the day we headed out to the Bogue Inlet Pier. It was extremely crowded with many people fishing. We didn't spend much time there, but we walked out to the end and then back. It's so sad that our vacation has come to an end!
Day 8: Sunday, July 12th
Time to head out! :( Raleigh was not a happy camper when it was time to go. Hopefully she loves vacation as much as we do and just didn't want to head home. Once we left out and returned our keys we made one last stop in Emerald Isle for some fresh shrimp...yummy! We also decided to make a small detour through Wilmington, NC for lunch on our way home. What a cute little town! We were able to eat at Elijah's Restaurant right on the river! After lunch we walked around for a little while. We were able to see the Coast Guard ship and the U.S. North Carolina Battleship. After our little stop we were on the road again headed home!
What a fun and memorable vacation! It was so exciting to see Raleigh really enjoy and explore the beach and ocean. I look forward to many more vacations to come with Raleigh and Jason!
