Outer Banks Vacation with Family

Well, it seems I could keep whittling away at this post, trying to choose *the perfect* photos, etc., for days on end. So I'm going to wrap up my work and send it out. If you remember a fun story that I didn't include, please remind us all in a comment! :-)

We went to the Outer Banks for a beach vacation with family. We rented a house just over the dunes from the ocean in Waves, North Carolina.

Over the course of the week, Grand-Dad, Grandma, Kayse, Nanna, Mamaw, Papa, Aunt Cathy, and Uncle Dwayne were there to visit! We flew into Richmond, Virginia, and spent the night at Granddad and Grandma's house in Williamsburg. The next day we visited the downtown Williamsburg farmers' market, which was a treat for Mommy and Papi. After picking up provisions there and at a local grocery (while phone-coordinating with Nanna, Mamaw and Papa who were doing the same in NC!), we made the drive down to the beach house. Fun times ensued. We relaxed and played on the beach,

played in the water, and even sipped frozen juice drinks made right there on the beach.Anjali was interested in the ocean until she and Papi got engulfed by an unexpectedly huge wave,

then she became tentative. (And though everyday she eventually insisted on nude sunbathing, her skin endured only a neck sunburn.) Papi got to do a bunch of surf fishing!

And Anjali got to see a baby shark that he caught. We ate a few meals at restaurants. And a *whole* lot of tasty food was cooked at the house, including Nanna-made scones, hand-churned ice cream, Papa-fried pork rinds, yummy steak by Grandma, Papi-grilled corn, sausage and meatballs, and a festive Low Country Boil by Papa and Mamaw (Papa insists that it was missing rutabagas, but I don't think anyone else noticed.. ;-) ).

We visited a pier one day,

and others went to a lighthouse, and local museums. When we weren't eating or playing outside, we played Scrabble games, watched movies, and there was always singing and dancing. And anytime those grandmas get together, I've learned to expect raucous giggling! Hairdos "a la" Grandma, evening strolls on the beach, a view of fireworks every night, feeding seagulls off the deck,

soaks in the hot tub, a lightning storm one night, kite-flying (and rescuing!),

a dance party at the downstairs "Tiki Bar", manicures and pedicures "a la" Nanna,

Anjali's first nail polish! A rite of passage, most definitely.

drawing,

and temporary-tattooing with markers ;-) ~ so many fun and memorable experiences.

Anjali loved reciting so many people's names, adding on to the list she already had from visits in months prior. A favorite game of hers was to go around the room and say everyone's name one-by-one. By the end of the week she pronounced Grand-Dad ~ "tha-tha," and Cathy ~ "Catty." And her favorite name was Dwayne. We are not sure whether she simply liked saying his name, or had an infatuation with him, or both. But she delighted in saying his name (over and over and over!), and asking where he was. One night she was sleeping in bed as Papi and I were still awake. She tossed and turned a bit, mumbled something, then said, "Dwayne!" We almost burst trying to contain our laughter! My second favorite word story from the week is the way she pronounced the word "smoothie" ~ "sujee", with a soft "j" as in the word, "luge". (Just a day or so ago, I was brainstorming what to make the two of us for dinner. I asked Anjali what she would like to eat, and she said, "Sujee!" I smiled.) Honestly, I think Anjali would have just as soon stayed in the house and moved the little baby chairs around for hours as go to the beach. She carted the chairs everywhere, using them as shopping carts and strollers and a booster seat, draping them with napkins in just the right way, and generally insisted on having them near her at all waking hours.

The week ended too quickly. We rode back to Virginia with Grand-Dad and got to step onto their new sailboat, and visit the museum at Ft. Monroe before we flew back to the West Coast.

What a fun week! Thanks, everyone, for making it happen! We love you!!