OBX 2015

We had another fabulous vacation in the Outer Banks this August. We headed down late Saturday as soon as my summer programs ended since daycare was closed the following week and enjoyed a little over a week of sunshine, family, the beach, and the pool. It was great to see my parents, Mike, and my grandma and I am so glad that my kids love them and the OBX as much as I do. Here are some pictures from our trip. Noelle did turn 6 while we visited but I'll do another post on that!

Love these two. And crabs.

First crabs of the year. MD why do you charge like double what NC does?

My favorite three

My children are insane beach people. They took turns going out in the deep water with B (and me when it wasn't as rough) and otherwise spent there time jumping waves and inching closer and closer to the ocean.

Pool time with Tick Tock Crock

Couch snuggles

We don't build castles, we build train stations and airports.

The OBX equals 4000 miles of walks at my parents' house each week :)

Love this guy

Best attempt at a family pic

Relaxing by the sea

Can you tell she is 6 now?

My determined swimmer

My two girls

They are also insane in the pool. Thankfully I am fairly confident in their swimming skills at this point. Do I see a book by the pool in 2016?

Me and my little loves

Wagon riding

OBX 2015

Cape Charles Getaway

In the middle of our August OBX adventures, Bryan and I journeyed back north to just across the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel to have a two night getaway in Cape Charles. While our past two adult excursions have been to the land of Disney, this year we decided to stay closer to home to save money and time and truly relax. Don't worry, year of Disney, Part 2 is coming after Thanksgiving complete with an adult only trip in April 2016! But for this year we booked a bed and breakfast on the Bay that was super reasonable in price and within a 90 minute drive of my parents house. I had pretty low expectations but we had a great time, were able to eat some good food, relax a lot, and get to enjoy the outdoors so it was perfect!

We arrived late afternoon, just in time to check out the grounds and our room and then head to town for an early dinner at the local pub. Cape Charles is small. Like single street of cute shops plus the small bay access beach area small. But it was very quaint. Dinner and the VA crafted beers were excellent and we made it back to the B&B just in time to watch an amazing storm roll in off the water.

On Wednesday we had breakfast with the other guests (a crazy married couple and her mom - it was only 3 total rooms) and then rented paddle boards to try out some Bay fun. It was a windy day with pretty rough water but after a bit we got the hang of it and it was fun and good exercise for the morning.

After cleaning up we went back to town for an ice cream lunch :) and some shopping. Somehow the only thing we bought was olive oil and special bacon flavored and jalapeno pepper salt seasoning at a gourmet tasting store. We are so dorky. After we browsed a bit, we hit one local seafood restaurant for drinks and appetizers (including fresh oysters!) and then another for dinner. Restaurant hopping doesn't exist in the world of parents with young children so this was amazing.

 

Our final morning consisted of breakfast with the owner, a goodbye to the bay, and then a quick excursion to the local wildlife refuge. This was actually the location of a World War 2 bunker so it was pretty cool. We also went on a 1/2 mile butterfly trail (twice since we took it to the center and back) and saw a total of 28 butterflies. There are more circling my parents' driveway at any given time. There were 8 zillion dragonflies though. And it was a nice way to end the short trip before we headed back to finish our OBX vacation. We did stop for a quick Mexican meal on our way home but were back almost exactly 48 hours after we left and ready to enjoy our last few days of summer vacation.

Cape Charles was cute on the VA eastern shore, the Baywood Bed and Breakfast was lovely and super inexpensive, and we'd recommend both to friends looking for a quick getaway about 90 minutes south of Salisbury.

Kel's First O's Game

On July 31st the whole Saxton clan journeyed down to Bryan's law school and then Camden Yards for an alumni/accepted student event. It was a great opportunity for us to get to the O's game so Kel could experience the fun in person! Our seats weren't great but they were free so we weren't complaining. After a slow start, the home runs started like crazy! While we couldn't make it the whole game we were excited to see the fireworks as the home runs went off and we made it home by 10 which was pretty good for a busy Friday evening.

Here we are posing as we waited for the game to start. And with popcorn, his one demand for the game! And I am happy to report the O's won Kellen's first game, he got his certificate and packet for his first experience, and we all survived the heat!

 

Six!

Noelle is six going on 25. She is a ball of energy, smart, sweet, and sassy. Here is a little bit about Noelle, in her own words, as she turns six. After several years of mostly the same answers, Noelle is changing her mind on some things. I am not sure if this is because she is growing up and becoming independent or because of the influence of peers. Hoping for the first!

1. What is your favorite color? Pink
Of course now that we have painted her room yellow, she likes pink and purple the best!

2. What is your favorite toy? iPad

 I swear she only gets it rarely on weekends during rest time or when waiting for doctor appointments.

 

3. What is your favorite fruit and vegetable? Cantaloupe and cucumbers
Really, this kid eats pretty much everything. I love it!

4. What is your favorite tv show?  Doc McStuffins
Doc and Jake still ring strong here!

5. What is your favorite movie? Beauty and the Beast
Or Frozen, or any other Disney movie...

6. What is your favorite thing to wear?  A Dress
Good thing she just got like 8 more for her birthday

7. What is your favorite animal? Dog
Noelle and Maddie have a new found love

8. What is your favorite song? We Didn't Start the Fire
Daddy has done some influencing here...

9. What is your favorite book? Any first chapter book

So proud of my little reader

10. Who is your best friend? Veronica
Veronica is her best friend from school and the pool. Unfortunately they aren't in the same class this year.

11. What is your favorite snack? Cheez Its

Yum, healthy.

 

12. What is your favorite drink? Milk

13. What is your favorite breakfast? Blueberry Waffles
Both my kids would still eat these every day. See Bryan's pregnancy post for the probable cause. 

 

14. What is your favorite lunch? Grilled cheese.

Sorry we are back to PB&J or salami and cheese for school buddy

15. What is your favorite dinner? Pizza

Thankfully she still eats whatever I put in front of her.

16. What is your favorite game? No answer.

 She likes pretending to golf with her dad, tag, Yahtzee, Jake Operation, Jenga...

17. What is your favorite thing to do outside? Swim
Signing up for some winter swim ASAP

18. What is your favorite holiday? Halloween
Not sure where this one came from. I think it is because we are trying to grow pumpkins.

19. What do you sleep with at night? Tons of things!
Violet has been kicked out this year but all her babies, puppies, and baby blanket and little pillow remain.

20. What do you want to be when you grow up? Not sure
Noelle is interested in lots of things right now. Ballet dancer, swimming, doctor, vet, grocery store worker, teacher, child care provider. We'll see what happens!

Happy Birthday, Noelle!