The stomach bug hit...

We knew prior to coming that our nephew was sick with the stomach bug. He had symptoms thurs-friday before we left and did on Saturday and Sunday also. We told our family it didn't matter and they could come to the beach anyway. Well, unfortunately, Sean came down with the bug on Sunday night and he got it bad. He threw up on and off from Sunday evening-Thursday evening. Carter started throwing up Monday night and had other stomach issues the rest of the week. I was sick Monday-Thursday also. Dan was spared as were all the other adults and even our other nephew didn't catch it. It was bad. Sean was miserable. We stayed in the room for DAYS, trying to contain the germs. Dan and I took turns going down to the beach so that someone could be with him at all times. Every time he started to feel better he would eat a little and then start throwing up again. Carter didn't start feeling better until Monday after we got home. What a bad stomach bug it was! So, our week was a little off this year which explains why there isn't a ton of pictures. I was not up to my normal photographer self. We deifnitely still had fun but it won't go down in history as our best beach week. Luckily, our last day at the beach everyone (except Carter) was feeling better and Sean got in an awesome beach day.

Sean had been throwing up earlier this day.

A night out

 After driving home from OBX and unpacking and taking a nap (me) we headed out to celebrate a good friends 40th birthday. We had a babysitter and all which is rare for us. It was a fun night with great friends!

OBX 2016

To avoid traffic and get an early start, the Rettigs, Petersons and Ertels stayed with us in Richmond on Friday night prior to heading to OBX. It was fun to have everyone under one roof and go out a nice dinner at a Japanese Steak house. It is nice to be able to host our family. That is one reason we always wanted to have a bigger house, to have enough space for everyone. Vacation started off real early at 5 am when we all woke up. It was worth it though to avoid the massive traffic jam that ensues every sat morning on the way to Corolla. We met up at the local pizza place (as per usual) and then went over to the house, changed to went straight to the beach. The water was chilly on Saturday but it was a great start to our week!

Sunday morning we were out there by 9 am to start off our day at the beach. The kids loved playing in the water and luckily the water got warmer as the week went on.

 Elliott is not a huge fan of the sand.....yet!

Last Swim Meet

The kids have had a great season and until tonight we've avoided any weather delays affecting the swim meets. On the drive to the pool where we were swimming (about 30 minutes away) a huge storm hit Richmond. As we parked, we were informed the meet would be delayed until 7pm. So, we ate dinner and hung at a friends house to pass the time. Nama drove up from NC just to see the kids so were glad that the meet wasn't cancelled altogether. The relays were cancelled but that allowed the meet to move a little faster. Even so, the kids were swimming in the dark for the first time. Carter finished right at 10pm! All night she had been bugging me for a lolipop and I kept telling her that if she wanted one, she had to win her heat. Well, she will do anything for candy! Sean also won his heat and got a coveted lollipop to enjoy on the ride home. It was a really awesome way to end the season!

Carter ended up getting 3rd and 5th overall in her events age 6 and under and Sean got several first places in his events. What a season! They improved each week and had a lot of fun along the way!

Back on the Lake

We were up early and out on the boat again for day 2 at SML. The kids really enjoyed tubing and when we finally pulled them off Chase, Dan and I were able to take some time in a quiet area to wake board. Dan did great and got up and definitely had success. I did a lot better this time and I think with more practice I could do it. We were running out of time and the kids were getting tired so we had to head back to the dock to get packed up to go home. But, before we left Sean really wanted to try knee boarding. He did great on his first try! Great job Seanie! It was another wonderful day on SML! We are so lucky to have been invited. It was a great weekend!

Smith Mountain Lake

Our close friends have a place at SML and invited us for the weekend. Having just had a blast in NY at Rushford Lake, we jumped at the chance to get back on a lake. SML is HUGE! After a tour of part of the lake, we took a couple swims and then the kids tubed the majority of the day. We made a pit stop at the marina and fed some huge fish with bread. We came back in the afternoon and hung at the beach near their place. There were a ton of kids and all sorts of water toys to play with. It was a great day all around!

Last day in NY

 On our last day at the lake we spent the afternoon over at my grandparents house. We made a pit stop at my uncles to visit and ride his horses. Carter was a little nervous but Sean jumped right on. I had never been on a horse before. It is a little scary being that high and slightly unbalanced. Carter ended up giving it a try with me. Then we had a nice afternoon visiting with my grandparents and eating hot dogs over the bonfire, followed by smores of course. It was a great end to a wonderful week of fun!

Water sports galore!

It was a little overcast when we woke up so we decided to visit an old favorite spot for us to feed the fish at Moss Lake. Unfortunately, the geese were monopolizing the food and were quite aggressive. We did get to feed a few fish and we spotted a rather large turtle!

 The sun came out and so we headed to the lake. The kids enjoyed the small beach area near our lake house a lot. There was a beach entry and sand to play in. Dan and I rented paddle boards and my mom and Jenn borrowed some kayaks for the day from my aunt and uncle. Our cousin had his boat and my dad was driving my uncles boat and so we went back and forth between the beach and the boats and played most of the day. We paddle boarded, kayaked, swam, skied, boated, you name it! It was so much fun. Dan and I really enjoyed the paddle boards and though they weren't a huge workout, they were fun to play on! Sean was whizzing around the lake with no issue in a small kayak. He loved it! He was quite fast! The weather was perfect and the water felt amazing. Dan gave wake boarding another try and was more successful that time. I still struggled on the skis but it was fun trying!