Carter's 1st Vacation

Emerald Isle, NC

August 31-September 7

We had a great vacation on the beaches of coastal Carolina. Our house, Crystal Palms, was right on the beach, offering us a beautiful view of the water. We spent the week there with my parents who were a huge help with Carter! Here are a few highlights from the trip...

August 31

We flew into Raleigh (where my parents live) on Saturday and then drove with them on Sunday to Emerald Isle. Carter was a great traveler. We were really nervous about flying, but he was quiet and even slept most of the time. When awake, he loved peeking around our seats to smile at the people behind us.

September 1
Labor Day began with a walk on the beach! Carter was very intrigued with the sand. He kept scrunching up his toes. We also tested out the ocean waves. However, the rip current was extremely strong the whole week, so it was too rough to actually swim (or even wade) in the ocean. The tide was so rough that the waves would leave behind foam on the beach. That's the white stuff you see. Thankfully, we had a small pool at our house so Carter could swim. He loved the water! My mom had bought him a car floatie. Too cute! He thought the wheel make a great teething toy. And he would mostly rest his head on the front part so he could stare at the water through the leg holes. Mom and Dad were always willing to entertain Carter so Scott and I could have some quality time together. September 2
This is a picture of Mom and Dad...they were going out to dinner to celebrate their 35th wedding anniversary, which was September 8th!September 3
We drove to Beaufort (one of the oldest historical towns in NC) to check out the shops and eat at the highly recommended Beaufort Grocery Company. Poor Carter had this glazed-over look as we strolled him through antique shops. :) This is Carter's 1st crush, Jen White. She was the hostess at Beaufort Grocery Company. While Carter flirted with people on the planes, in every restaurant, and in the stores, he LOVED Jen more than anyone else. He literally dove into her arms when we walked into the restaurant. She loved it, having a son of her own about Carter's age. She kept coming by our table to talk to our little flirt. The other funny flirting story is from our plane trip home. On our flight from Memphis to Bham, we had just boarded and gotten settled in our seats. Suddenly, Carter looked up and gave a huge grin and raise of the eyebrow. Who did he see coming down the plane aisle? The entire Samford University Women's Volleyball team. They gushed...he gushed...it was enough to know that we need to lock Carter up for the next 20 years.

September 4

Lunch at Flipperz
Carter was staring at a couple in the booth to our left. While we thought it was cute that he would flirt with everyone, it was a bit embarrassing when he would continue to stare for 15 more minutes. Let the people eat for goodness sake! :)

Another nautical-themed outfit that we put on just because it was cute to photograph by the ocean. That's me and my mom for you. :)September 5
Making his crazy faces to entertain us.
Tropical Storm Hanna begins to blow in. September 6
We made it through the storm. But we were all up at 4 am...the house was literally shaking at the peaks of the 50-60 mph wind gusts. It was actually very exciting. But I can't imagine why people choose to stay in their home when hurricanes with 3x the strength come tearing through!

After the rain had stopped, Scott and I ran outside to see what it was like. The wind was so strong that I nearly fell over. The sand was pelting us, and we were barely able to get the sliding door closed again, but it was fun. And we weren't the only morons out on the beach! :)
By that evening, all had calmed down. We attempted a few final beach photos and then headed to dinner.


This was a funny picture. While the sky had cleared, it was still pretty windy. Carter and I were trying to avoid sand in our faces, and Scott has a big grin but closed eyes. And for some reason, my 6'5" husband looks huge behind us! :)
I think Carter enjoyed his first vacation! As did all of us. Bye Emerald Isle! We hope to be back!