Vacation Pictures

I am going to try to sort these by days so they go along with my posts. Our camera, which has never been the greatest and I am always yelling about how much I hate, decided to die at the end of the week. It was actually good timing since we had taken all the important pictures by Thursday night. And I say die but Paul and I may have had a little part in it: he dropped the camera in the sand while on the jeep tour looking at horses and the side where the USB port connects was full of sand, we had the camera with us, and open quite a bit while on the sand dunes and it was pretty windy, and I dropped the camera very hard Thursday night when we got back to the house. I'll have to borrow my dad's camera for a while so I can continue to take new pictures and I guess we will need to consider buying a new one - suggestions welcome.
So here are pictures.

Day 1 - leaving home (Gato had to be belted in too)



riding the ferry





crossing the Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel



having fun with the horses (he still talks about them by name- Mama's Boy and Pony Boy)





Day 2 - Grandpa showing Lucy the horses



at the zoo (in front of a big cow)





Day 3 - in the pool





at the beach at sunset



Day 4 - beach





Wright Brothers Museum and Memorial





Day 5 - horses







snake



bike riding







Day 6 - Jockey ridge State Park - the dunes











the aquarium





waiting for the trolley in the rain



all of us on the trolley



Day 7 - kayaking







Currituck Lighthouse





the beach at dusk







Day 8 - family pictures (Patti bought the matching shirts for Rudy and Max)
silly boys (and girl)









our family



who knows how to work the timer on the camera?

Vacation Day 9

We all started for home very early this morning. Paul, Dad, Rudy and I were on the road by 6:20am, Chris, Patti, Max and Lucy left a few minutes before us. We stopped almost immediately to get Dad and Paul some coffee. Then a few hours into the trip we stopped at a drive thru for breakfast - we were too afraid that we'd get caught in traffic if we stopped for any length of time. We also took a brief break at the Chesapeake Bay Bridge/Tunnel to stretch our legs, use the bathroom, get Rudy dressed, and look out over the bay. We hit no traffic and made great time. Too great, actually. We greatly overestimated our travel time. We made reservation for a late ferry and ended up nearing the terminal about 6 hours early. So I called and moved our reservation to an earlier time, but it was around 11:45 and the only ferry that had space was the 3:30 boat. We decided to go straight to the ferry and hope we would be able to catch an earlier one if someone didn't show up. We arrived at the ferry around 12:15 and were told it was too early to check in. So we left and had lunch, drove around a little and came back. At that point it was around 1:15. We were able to check in and were 5th in line to get on the 2:45 ferry. Fortunately there are some things to do at the terminal so Rudy played on the playground, watched a boat leave, had a snack, and 'played' video games. Finally they started boarding for the 2:45 ferry. We sat in our car and hoped we'd make it. There ended up being room for about 8 extra cars so we made it on and started our next to last leg home. While on the ferry I got a message saying Chris and Patti had just made it home. Once we got off the ferry and were driving our last 45 minutes home, we heard that Bill & Renee made it home. We dropped dad off just around 5:00 and were home a few minutes later. Rudy fell asleep on the way home from the ferry so we were able to unload the car without his help. We were the last to arrive but if you don't count the 2 1/2 hours we had to wait for a ferry, it took us a total of 8 1/2 hours to get home. Not bad at all.
We are sad that vacation is over and we have to go back to work on Tuesday but it is nice to be in our own house and I am looking forward to my own shower and bed tonight! Now we need to start planning for next year!

Vacation Day 8

Today was our last full day of vacation. We wanted to get to the beach one last time and there were storm clouds looming so we started out early. However, after getting stcuk in the rain yesterday while kayaking, we didn't feel like taking a chance so after about 30 minutes on the beach we left because there were dark clouds rolling in. We decided instead to head to the indoor pool at the clubhouse. The Rudy fish and the Max fish had a lot of fun there. After lunch the sun was out and it was very hot so Paul, Rudy and I took the trolley into town, did some shopping, and stopped at a playground and walked out to the water. Upon arriving back at the house, we decided since it was so hot we would attempt to go back to the beach. Bill & Renee joined us and we spent about an hour on the beach before we had to go back for dinner. Rudy actually went into the water and jumped the waves this time. I was holding him at the edge as usual and Renee asked if he was going to jump the waves with her. He said "Jump, Mommy" and I told him if he wanted to jump he had to do it by himself. So he got down and jumped in the waves with Bill & Renee.
After the beach we had our last dinner and then came back to the house, put the kids to bed and started packing. Bill & Renee left tonight to stay in a hotel about 1 1/2 away. Chris, Patti, Paul and I (and the kids) plan to leave by 6:30am tomorrow. We are all paranoid about getting stuck in traffic the way we did when we came down so we are tgrying our best to beat everyone out of town.
It was a fun, very relaxing, vacation. We all got along without many major issues (if you don't count Max and Rudy who typically had an argument a day). And we would all be willing to do it again (I think). I'll post pictures in a few days.

Vacation Day 7

Early in the week when we first arrived, Bill, Renee, Paul, Rudy and I made plans to take a kayaking trip this morning. The weather had been rainy off and on for the past 24 hours but we decided to brave it as long as it wasn't storming. We arrived bright and early (when some of us were brighter than others) and met our guide. He had seen no signs of storms - just some rain so we decided to go as planned. The weather was overcast but very comfortable. Our guide even pointed out how much better this weather was than if it has been sunny and hot. We paddled on the Ginguite creek which was very scenic. We saw some Great white herons and plenty of snakes. It's not fun when your guide says "wow, look at that guy, I don't think I've ever seen one that big before!". We managed to avoid the rain until the end of the trip when we were heading back and then the skies just opened up and it poured. Fortunately there was still enough humidity in the air that the rain didn't feel cold. Rudy did great the whole trip. In the beginning he used his paddle (a half paddle) and sang "Row, Row, Row, Your Boat" over and over and over again. Towards the end you could see he was getting a little bored but as long as we didn't stop moving he was fine.
We went home and dried off and lazed around until after lunch. Then Paul, Dad, Rudy and I decided to go to the Currituck Lighthouse. The weather was still iffy but we figured it was worth taking a chance. It ended up being a great decision because it looked like it hadn't even rained at the lighthouse area so Paul, Rudy and I climbed to the top - all 214 steps. Rudy walked by himslef until we were at the last two levels, then Paul carried him. The view from the top was great but it was pretty windy up there. I also didn't want to spend a lot of time there because there were warnings about thunder - if you heard it you were to walk down the steps immediately because the lighthouse is frequently struck. For someone afraid of lightening, not an inspiring thought!
After we arrioved home we made dinner plans with everyone else and off we went. We had dinner just across from the beach in Kill Devil Hills so after dinner Paul, Rudy and I went on the beach. Rudy again had fun in the sand - we think he's going to be a real beach bum! The sky was beautiful with grey clouds and pink and white clouds all combined.
Friday is our last full day on vacation here so we're hoping for one more nice day so we can go to the beach for a while.

Vacation Day 6

Rudy was awake very early this morning and so around 7:30 he and I decided to take a walk and buy some danish or bagels. The funny thing about this area is nothing opens early and there are not a lot of places for breakfast. After walking to one or two places that weren't open yet, we found Duck Donuts - delicious fresh baked donuts that are frosted or glazed when you order them. What a great start to the day!
Our sunny days gradually disappeared and we have been left with grey skies. Paul and I had a few outside things we were hoping to do so we decided to get an early start and hopefully beat the rain. So Dad, Rudy, Paul and I left around 9am and headed to Jockey Ridge State Park in Nags Head. Here they have huge sand dunes that you can climb up. The views from the top are amazing and there are people flying kites, sand boarding, and hang gliding. The walk up the sand was well worth it and we actually lucked out since it was a cloudy day - on sunny days the sand and the temperature on the dunes can actually reach 30 degrees more than the air temperature. Rudy had fun stopping every few feet top play in the sand. By the time we walked down, he had sand from head to toe!
After leaving the park we continued south to Roanoke Island and the North Carolina Aquarium. It was small but nice. Rudy loved looking at all the fish and sharks and turtles. We stopped for lunch and then headed home (or back to the 'cation house as Rudy says).
We spent a quiet afternoon just hanging around the house with everyone else since the rain had started. For dinner we took a trolley from our development to the local town for dinner. By the time we got home it was pretty much bedtime again. Since Rudy didn't take a nap, he actually went to sleep in about 20 minutes instead of singing all night!

Vacation Days 4-5

After spending much of Sunday in the pool, Paul and I decided that we wanted to hit the beach on Monday morning. By about 9:15 the three of us were on our way. We walked the bike path in our development to get there. The sun was shining, the sand wasn't too hot and the water was warm - a perfect beach day. The only down side was the water was very rough - lots of riptides and a strong undertoe. Rudy only went in briefly - and only when one of us was holding him. He still has a little fear of the water. Paul went out by himself twice and I went out once. We probably only spent about an hour and a half on the beach but it was perfect. When we got back to the house, we considered going in the pool but after getting Rudy all ready with his swimmies on, he decided he didn't want to go in the pool after all. So we showered and dressed and had lunch.
Paul, Dad, Rudy, Chris, Patti, Max, Lucy and I went to the Wright Brothers' Memorial. It was just a small museum but there was a big memorial on top of a hill that I walked up to by myself. It was a VERY hot walk but the views from the top were worth it. A bit of trivia - we all know the first flight was in Kitty Hawk, but the memorial and museum are in Kill Devil Hills. The reason for that is at one time that area was part of Kitty Hawk, but has since become the town of Kill Devil Hills. After that we drove home and fortunately had a sleeping boy to lay down for a nap.
Paul cooked dinner for the night and after the kids went to sleep the adults had fun playing board games. We had some lovely background music for the game playing - Rudy decided this was the night he would stay awake and sing and read stories. This went on until about 11:15 when Paul went in, read him one more story and patted his back until he fell asleep around 11:30.
And of course after being awake until 11:30, Rudy was wide awake at 6:45am. It was okay that he was awake early since it was a day with an early start. Everyone except Lucy, Renee, and I went to ride jeeps on the beach to look for wild horses. They had a great time and saw horses, and a snake, and some of them saw a fox. We had a lazy day at home. Rudy, obviously, had a rough day so we decided to take a ride to a park about 30 minutes away. We were hoping he'd fall asleep in the car since he was getting VERY cranky, but figured if he didn't we'd let him run around the park and tire himself out even more for the ride home. About 5 minutes before we got to the park, he finally fell asleep after crying and screaming for most of the ride. So we headed back to the house and he took a nice long nap. For dinner we had a barbecue (and tried not to burn the rental house down) and then we all went outside and rode bikes around our cul-de-sac. Rudy did his usual walking his bike for most of the time but towards the end Uncle Bill was able to convince him to sit on the bike. He actually did pedal a lot and even propelled himself for a foot or two before he needed to be pushed again so he made some progress.
Tonight after bedtime, Bill, Renee, Paul and I relaxed in the hot tub. The water was very hot but it felt good and was a great end to the day.

Vacation Days 1-3

We left our house early Friday morning to catch a ferry to start our trip to North Carolina. We had a great ride on the ferry (made even better by the fact that I didn't get sick or even feel sick) and made very good time getting to Virginia. We stayed the night in Virginia with my Aunt Lee and Uncle Mike. The highlight of this stop for Rudy was the horses my aunt and uncle have. He got to pet them and feed them carrots. In the morning we waited for Chris, Patti, Max and Lucy to arrive. Paul and I then took Max and Rudy to the Virginia Zoo while Chris, Patti, Lucy and Dad stayed a little longer at my aunt and uncle's. The zoo was nice - the best part was the African safari area where you can get really close to the giraffes. The boys enjoyed the animals and we left preparing for our drive to the Outer Banks. It ended up being quite a long, slow drive. Fortunately we had plenty of toys and books and food to keep the boys from complaining too much. Unfortunately neither of them decided it would be a good idea to take a nap. We finally arrived at our "vacation house" about an hour after Chris, Patti, Dad and Lucy and about 30 minutes before Bill & Renee. The first night we just explored the house, unpacked, made shopping lists, and relaxed.
We woke up in the morning, Rudy and I took a long walk to find the beach access (and fortunately found a shortcut for the way back) and then we all had a big breakfast. We then decided to go swimming - our house has a private pool and a community pool we can use. The private pool was a little cold but that didn't stop any of us from going in it. We played and floated in the pool for a while and gradually got out and dressed. Bill & Renee went out to rent bikes and the rest of us decided to go for a drive and see what was around in Duck and Corolla. All 3 kids fell asleep in the car for much-needed naps before we arrived in Corolla so we ended up just driving around and planning where to go another day. After we got home (and of course all the kids were awake by then) we went back in the pool. The water was much warmer this time. We then got dressed and went out to dinner - delicious seafood (for those of us who weren't allergic).
After dinner Paul, Rudy and I took a walk down to the ocean and made plans to go to the beach tomorrow. The kids all drifted off to sleep after another busy day and the adults relaxed.
I probably won't be posting pictures from here - it will be too hard to download them and then have to delete them all from the computer - so once we get home I'll do some pictures posts.

'Cation

Sorry no posts lately (I'm sure all 3 of my regular readers have been wondering about us :) ). We've been getting ready for our vacation. We leave tomorrow for The Outer Banks with my family. Two years ago (pre-Rudy and Lucy) we all went to Ocean City, MD for a week and had a great time. Last summer Lucy was born and Paul and I were visiting Rudy and preparing for his homecoming so we weren't able to do it. I think we started planning this trip just after Christmas so it has been a long wait. It's hard to believe it is finally here.
Hopefully I will get some opportunities to post pictures and updates but if not, know that when we get back, I will have plenty of things to blog about. Especially since the weather currently calls for at least 4 days of thunderstorms. So being stuck inside the house with 7 adults and 3 kids under 5 should be interesting. I do know it can be done, though. When I was about 6 we went on a vacation with another family. There were 6 kids under 7 and 4 adults and we had at least one rainy day because I remember playing lots of board games. At least we have better odds this time.
Oh, and the title of the blog is what Rudy's been calling our vacation. Must be the age because two years ago that's what Max called it.
Here are just a few random pictures because I know that's the only reason people look at blogs!