Right in the midst of our busy summer wedding season, we got to go on a family vacation the beach. Ahhhh! This was clutch. We went to Topsail Island, North Carolina for the first time & we were thrilled about it for a fun family vacation location. When we first decided we wanted to go to the beach, we thought it’d be a great idea for my parents to come, too. We wanted to invest some time with them & also for them to be able to invest some time with our babies. Plus, we wanted to go on a date night while we were there, and we needed some babysitters. haha! A couple of weeks before the vacation, my sister & her husband found out about it & decided to see if everything would work out for them to come, too. Thankfully, they were both able to take a few days off work & fly into Raleigh. It was so great to see them & since they live in Boston I was really happy that they got to hang out with their niece and nephew for a bit because these kids grow quickly! We did miss my other sister & her family; it was sad they didn’t get to go this time.
Tenley LOVED the beach. It was precious to get to see the wonder in her eyes as she experienced seeing the ocean. The beach is definitely one of my happy places & I was thrilled to see it is one of hers, too.
Kenton loves to suck his hand just like this all of the time & it’s the cutest because it’s like he’s signing “I love you.” 
These kids love their grandma!
Kenton got to take lots of beach naps beneath his canopy. Oh, baby life.
She has hit a stage of saying “no” to having her photo taken. Ugh! We knew it was going to happen eventually & we hardly ever ask her to smile at the camera anyway because we love candids, but she has been spying us with the camera as she’s playing or we’re hugging her & she will say, “No, don’t take my picture.” We’re hoping it’s a quick phase!
Tenley got to build castles with Aunt Lisa. One of the best things about having children is getting to see the people you love most in the world get to know them & enjoy them.
Papa Bear! Â 
When the waves would reach her toes she would squeal, “I like that!” Tenley, not my mom, lol!
The feeling of squishy wet sand in your toes as the salty water crushes over them- priceless.
These two! So cute always.
He’s sweet & adorable no matter what, but disposable diapers just aren’t quite as fun as his cloth diapers. But for vacation, we were really thankful for the disposables!
The boys.
Mr. Drooly Pants got his first two teeth on vacation. 
The relationship between these two is one of the most beautiful things I’ve witnessed.
There were a million picky little reasons I could have said, “Nah, I don’t want to be in any of the photos,” but the most important reasons to be in the photos are my two kids & their memories & photographic legacy & those two reasons trump my million silly reasons ANY day!
One of her favorite things to do was to spray the hose to clean off the sand. haha! Kids are easily amused, which makes the little things so much fun.
This baby boy of mine has completely stolen my heart.
She wanted to wear my hat that day.
Bocce on the beach.
Kenton and Uncle Scott:
Lisa and Scott rented SUP boards one day.
Intense castle architecture.
Dad guarding Kenton.
Intense castle destruction.
Side pony because her mom is a product of the 80s. 
Of course, Tenley loved the Shark Attack store.
We ventured out for a few golden hour beach photos. Scott wanted a glamour shot.
Almost one year anniversary session haha!
I love these people!
37 year anniversary photo. 
Something was funny. 
Then she was throwing sand even though I told her that was not a good idea because it could blow into her eyes.
She learned the hard way, as she insists upon doing most of the time. I can’t be too angry because she gets that stubbornness straight from her mother.
Kenton was a little unsure of the waves.
The sunset over the sound on our last evening at the beach:Â 
We were planning on driving all the way home, but with two littles two & under, we decided it was best to stop about 3 hours from home, as we had already been on the road about 12ish hours at that point. Tenley was really excited for another pool night. 
Family. We hug them tight & we don’t take them for granted. We know just how blessed we are. These memories we’ll hold dear in our hearts for decades to come & we pray to make many, many more memories together. Life is so short & these precious, fleeting moments are definitely our favorite part of being blessed with a life & a lovely family here on Earth.
Thanks for following along on this journey called life with us! If you liked this personal post, you may also enjoy:
Our First Four Months as a Family of Four
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