Rory's First Beach Trip

On Monday, Rory had her first taste of Emerald Isle! And she proved herself a true beach baby. This was the first year that Rory could join her father's extended family at their annual vacation to this North Carolinian destination. Rory, Sarah, and I flew from D.C. to N.C. on Sunday, and we were picked up at the airport by Rory's grandma and Aunt Chelle. We drove to our condo complex, where dozens of family and friends awaited.
In this picture above, Rory's cousin Leah helps Rory with her first few tentative steps on the sand. After only a few minutes, Rory dove right into the sand. Her grandmother ensured that Rory had many, many beach accessories from which to choose, including this set of sand toys. Rory had many fans on the beach that she delighted with her smiles ...
... and snot! Unfortunately, Rory is still getting over a little cold.
Eventually, Rory convinced her daddy to take her into the ocean, pausing at the water's edge for one last look before ...
... Taking her first step into the Atlantic ...
... and declaring the experience quite a fun one!
Rory enjoyed stomping around in the surf.
And she showed no fear of the waves. It was her daddy who had to hold her back!
Rory broke free and crawled out to the sea!
After all of that activity, Rory and her daddy took their first nap on the beach.
Rory proved the better napper, and ended up taking one of the best, longest naps in her beach tent.
She was such a good beach bum!
When our little dune duchess awoke, she and her mommy took a little walk before calling it a day.

Family Beach 2008 Continued

The week at Emerald Isle was filled with family time on the beach ... here's the whole crew!
Although an ear infection limited Rory's enjoyment of the beach, she did get some baseball practice in with Uncle Allen.
Rory also flew a kite that her Opa Paul had given to her as a gift.
Rory got a little frustrated with her Daddy that he wouldn't let her fly the kite all by herself.
Fortunately, Mommy was always just a lounge chair away. Mommy just LOVES it when Rory snuggles her sandy, wet self into Mommy's lap.
Clay gave Rory lots of attention and play time on the beach.
Here, they make angels in the sand.
When we weren't soaking up the rays on the beach, Rory had fun indoor activities to keep her occupied.
Ahh, our little scholar could be found frequently hitting the books ...
... and practicing the guitar (that's Guitar Hero, Uncle Allen's favorite video game). Here's the video.
Rory helped Grandma decorate dessert, although Rory ate as many sprinkles as she applied to the Rice Krispy treats.
Here's Daddy's family as Rucker John's, a family favorite ...
... and here's Rory enjoying a corn dog, her new-found favorite.
The pool inspired feats of fearlessness in Rory. Fortunately, she had her Aunt Chelle and her Ducky (a gift from her Uncle Mike).
We only had one day of heavy rain, which fascinated Rory.
Here, Rory tries her hand at the umbrella.
While it rained, Rory took her parents to the aquarium, where she tried to take her nap "with the fishes".

Family Beach, 2010

For Independence Day weekend, Rory and her father drove down to Emerald Isle to enjoy a portion of Daddy's annual family beach week. (Click here for pictures from last year.) Aven (who is not currently a fan of her car seat) stayed behind with her mother, and they enjoyed the relative peace and quiet at home. Do note that Daddy misplaced his camera for most of the trip, and so we have no photographic evidence of the beach itself. Rest assured, he was still able to snap a few pictures ...

On the first morning at the beach, what could have pulled Rory's eyes away from her breakfast?...
... was it Handy Manny? Or was it the large inflatable turtle waiting for her as a surprise?
Mr. Tallulah the Turtle was a big hit at the pool. But Rory enjoyed her new swimming wings even more.
Those wings gave her new-found independence in the pool, so that she could hang with the other ladies of leisure (her grandma, great grandma, and great aunts).
Those wings even gave her the confidence to try and fly into the pool, accompanied by her cousin Emmy.
Rory and Emmy enjoyed a lot of fun together in the pool ...
... and out. What beach beauties! In their summer dresses and with their summer smiles.
Here's the family, pictured here enjoying a picnic dinner together.
Yes, Rory fit right in.
Rory got to try her first set of sparklers!
And plenty of quality time with her Grandma.
Yes, we had a great time!

Pilaf's First Beach Trip

On June 22, Sarah, Pilaf and I accompanied Chelle and Allen to a trip to the beach. Our destination was Beaufort, North Carolina, where Judy (grandma) and Paul (grandpa) have recently retired. They have built a beautiful new home on a marina (see left).


On Friday, we spent the day at Atlantic Beach, and Sarah got to play the role of beach babe! Pilaf is poking through the bikini.



Chelle and Judy pose together ...



... while Paul and Allen give their high praise of the beach godesses.


Tim is lost in his thoughts.


Sarah gives one last wave.




Tim palms the belly!

Note: Sarah is standing on a sand dune.

Family Beach, 2009

Once again, Rory led the way down to Emerald Isle for our annual trip to the beach. Cheesy smile and all.
This year, Rory was absolutely enamored by the beach ... the sand, the waves, and the water!
Rory spend a lot of time running into and away from the waves. She's fast!
Daddy, too, spend a lot of time in the water with Rory and her cousins.
Daddy had help. Aunt Chelle was also a constant companion of Rory's.
And Opa Paul gave Rory surfing lessons!
Here, Rory practices her form.
Rory and her crew watch the waves.
Aven, too, enjoyed the beach ... but primarily as an excuse to sleep on her Great Grandma.
Sleep she did. Slept. And slept.
A close up.
Rory also enjoyed lots of time with her cousins building sand castles and water forts.
Rory had a little trouble distinguishing between the "ocean" and the "pool". The difference was Mommy!
The extended family gathered most evenings for festivities. On the last night, Rory was the "super sprayer", slayer of humidity.
The super sprayer took her job very seriously.
Here, Rory enjoys a smore.
Here, Mommy enjoys a smore, too!
The family of the super hero gathers for a shot.