Outer Banks

Last weekend we took a little family trip to the Outer Banks. At first it was looking like it was going to be raining all weekend, but the sun ending up coming out Saturday and was beautiful most of the day. Apart from a few typical tantrums from Riser, we had a great time! 

We stayed in a little motel right on the beach that a lot of friends in our neighborhood recommended. It is nothing fancy but it was clean, family friendly, and affordable - all we needed!

It was very convenient to be right on the beach.

There were also plenty of places to eat within walking distance. We went to Jack Browns for some burgers the first night.

Our hotel had a little playground (complete with pirate ship) that the kids loved.

There was also a pool which we used a lot.

Dry and snuggling up after swimming in the rain on Friday.

Saturday morning was also supposed to be super rainy so we took the kids to the NC Aquarium of Roanoke Island. Riser couldn't believe all the fish he was seeing.

His two favorite animals are monkeys and turtles.

We all got to touch sea urchins for the first time which was pretty cool.

After the aquarium the sun was out so we went out on the beach. Riser didn't last long before it was clear he needed a nap so I stayed and built sand castles with Bonnie while Eric stayed with Riser.

After the beach we played in the pool for a bit then actually met up with a family from our neighborhood who happened to be staying nearby.

We went out for pizza for dinner and got ice cream after. 

We took an evening walk on the beach which the kids loved, and it was so beautiful out. 

The kids got to stay up super late playing on the playground with other kids, and they slept in great the next day. 

On our last morning we played a little more on the playground, took one last walk on the beach and drove back home. We are definitely deep into the terrible twos with Riser, which still makes stuff like this hard sometimes, but overall it was a really great trip!