North Carolina Trip - Day 1

I took the boys to North Carolina again this summer on my own.  And we survived the long car ride!  It took us 11 1/2 hours to drive from our house to my mom's house in Wilmington.  That was with minimal stops and eating all meals in the car.  The boys did amazing.  There was plenty of "how much longer?" and "I don't ever want to drive this far ever again" and "I want to go home", but it was manageable.  Considering Carter didn't nap and Rylan only slept 10 minutes and I didn't go crazy, it was a success :)

Must say that there are perks to a minivan!  When Carter needed to pee, I could get off on a rural exit ramp, unbuckle him reaching from my seat, and open his sliding door so he could just pee out the car.  It really reduced our stopping time!

When we arrived in Wilmington around 7:30 pm Eastern, we picked up my mom and headed straight to Wrightsville Beach so the kids could burn off a little energy.  We pulled their shovels out of our toy bag and they were content to dig lots of holes.

First steps into the ocean this summer ...

And Rylan's first steps into the ocean this summer ...

 Love this little series of photos from Rylan's second steps into the ocean ...

Love evenings on the beach ... It's empty, there always seems to be a nice breeze, and sunsets can be beautiful!

Super sweet boy!

 Walking down the beach with Grandma ...

We headed back after about an hour to unpack the car and get ready for bed.

Lots more beach pictures to come!