Carolina Beach

We spent Labor Day weekend on our first family vacation with just the 4 of us.  I found a 1 bedroom condo that was across the street from the beach for just $75 a night.  We had so much fun.  I was not ready to come home.  I could sit on the beach all day and I would be in heaven.  Carolina Beach is my favorite beach.  There are only 1 or 2 hotels so the beaches are not crowded at all.  We were at the north end where the beach is short during low tide and non-existent during high tide.  I love this because there is no one between you and the ocean.   It is especially great with kids because whether you are on the beach or in the ocean, they are still close to you.  There are also lots of rocks/boulders that are a barrier between the beach and homes which make for a great place for Brigham to climb.  We spent a few hours on the beach Saturday morning and a couple of hours late Sunday afternoon.  Brigham wanted nothing to do with the ocean when he and I first went down Saturday.  He would run every time the water would come near him and he was very worried about the water touching me.  He pleaded with me to please come back to our chair and umbrella.   I obliged and we built some more sand castles and knocked them over and climbed on the rocks.  Once I got bored with this I told Brigham we should go play in the ocean and he ran down to the water.  We started small by just sitting at the water's edge but worked our way in to where the water was to Brigham's belly while sitting down.  He then began jumping over the waves and when Mark came down with Aubree he went out with Mark.  Aubree did not like the beach at all this first day and after only an hour of being out there Mark took her and Brigham back to the condo and I packed up our gear and went back.
Our condo had a pool that was practically at our door step and we played in it while Aubree napped.
Friday night we went to the carnival they have all summer and had so much fun!  We bought some tickets for the rides and Brigham rode every ride he could.  I could not believe he loved them so much considering he hated Carowinds last year and cried on everything (even the carousel).  We later wished we had gotten the unlimited riding band for him.
We ate out for every meal which was great because we got to try lots of local places and it also meant no cooking or cleaning for us!  Our favorite places were Ida Thai, Surf Shop Cafe, Hang Ten, and of course Britt's Donuts.  We ate a lot of donuts. One time I had to wait in line for 20 or so minutes just to get some.
On Sunday we went to the NC Aquarium and then to the beach that afternoon.  All day it looked like it was going to rain and there was even a little thunder.  Mark and Brigham played on the beach and once Aubree woke up from her nap she and I went down to play.  Mark and I took turns riding the boogie board.  It was a great afternoon.

                                                                             
Monday morning I got up at 6:15 and was able to sneek down to the beach to catch the sunrise. It was so nice being on the beach.  I was hoping to catch some people surfing but there was one sufer and one guy paddle boarding and they weren't very entertaining to watch.  The sunrise was beautiful though even if it was cloudy.  

Mark and Brigham played in the pool most of the morning as Aubree slept and I packed up and cleaned the condo.  Marked packed up the car in the perfect way that he always seems to do that and we headed home.  On our way we stopped at the USS North Carolina for a tour.  That is one huge battleship.  Mark saw every inch of it I think.  Brigham and I were tired of it long before he was.  We were there for over 2 hours and we didn't even read the stories and descriptions of that are posted all through the ship.  I can't imagine how long it would have taken if we would have stopped to read everything. Afterwards we stopped for some ice cream at Kilwins.  The ice cream was okay.  If I ever go back, I will skip the ice cream and get some fudge.  Our first official family vacay was a blast and I can't wait until we get to go back!  I am even more excited for our trip to Disney next year now that Brigham LOVES roller coasters (as he calls them).