Beach Vacation!!

Finally!! It's the pictures from the beach :) Sorry it took so long but there were so many and it was hard to choose. Plus, my schedule has been crazy. But, what else is new?

We had a GREAT time at the beach. I really think salt water and ocean air is good for the soul. It is just about impossible to be stressed at the beach. Must be the sound of the waves. Or the fact that it's acceptable to drink at any time of day. (Is that just me?)

Anywho...We spent the week in Kure Beach which was a new spot for both of us. It's on the NC coast just south of Wilmington. We really loved it. For most of the week we had the beach to ourselves and other than a bit of cloudy weather and some heavy winds on one day (Thanks, Earl!) we had perfect weather. The Carnes came down the first half of the week and the Kelleys the second half. It was so nice to have some time to really relax and enjoy time with family.

The fam on the beach! So excited to be there!!

The Carnes side of the family

Ella's very first beach experience. Can't you just feel the excitement?

Hey, Mom!!

Love this picture of Daddy and his little girl!

Our beach tent and Ella's hangout for the majority of the day. Seriously, this was probably the best purchase we made. It was so nice to have a shelter from the wind, sand and sun. And, Ella thought it made a pretty nice napping spot.

She would be the little red, white and blue lump on the blanket :)

Grandpa, Dad and Uncle Justin built me a pool!

Ella loved playing in the shallow water...unfortunately, the waves kept crashing in which Ella was not too fond of.

Little snack of sand. Turns out, sand does not digest very well and looks pretty much the same on the back end.

(For those of you saying "ewww..." right now and acting all grossed out...Whatever, you know you were wondering.)

WARNING...if you are at all offended by naked babies please do not scroll down any further....

....also you are abnormal because who is grossed out by naked babies????

Seriously, it just does NOT get any more adorable than that.

Hanging out with Uncle Justin in the tent.

My favorite toy. A scoop found in the kitchen of our rental house.

Yay, scoop!

Time out for a little juice with Dad.

Whew, that was exhausting!

And, the Kelley/Carnes Crew!! I think this is really a pretty good photo. Turns out, adding three munchkins to the mix makes getting a good photo pretty challenging!

The Gamecocks played their first game (and won!) of the season on Thursday while we were at the beach so Ella broke out her new cheerleading outfit.

Ella would also like to take this time to say "Go Cocks!" and congratulate them on their awesome victory over those poor Bulldogs.

Getting ready to head to the beach! Please note bathing suit and matching beach bag. Ella carried her own sunscreen. She's very conscientious about skin care.

Our little "beach city." Going to the beach is a whole different ballgame with babies involved.

Henry really had a hard time relaxing.

The boys playing in the waves.

Henry and Ella chilling out.

We took a trip to the local aquarium. Ella and John Dickson sitting on their Daddy's shoulders watching the the gators get fed.

Mommy and Ella...really, I just wanted to show I actually went on this trip since usually I'm behind the camera :)

John Dickson and Ella in front of the albino alligator exhibit. Love John Dickson's face. Seems to be a theme in most of his photos with Ella, haha!

This was a giant crab that you could climb inside and stick your head in the hole to get your picture taken. What you can't tell is I am actually inside with John Dickson holding him up to the hole - which, by the way, was no easy task. Unfortunately, we couldn't get the picture because "Is sceery." Can't blame him. It was dark and smelled like BO. Crab picture = FAIL.

Ella agreed. She was not at all sure about this photo of the crab "pinching" her.

These next pictures are kind of grainy because it was really dark in the aquarium but I just had to keep taking them because Ella LOVED all the fish. She was mesmerized. We may have to get her a fish for home.

Right after we figure out a place where neither she or Maggie can get to it when we aren't looking and eat it.

Staring at the big fish.

Clapping for the shark! I got video of this but it really didn't turn out because of the darkness. She was squealing and clapping for all the fish swimming by.

Flapping her hands and staring at all the fishies!

Group picture with the frog. (I think John Dickson was getting hungry at this point.)

That's a small sample (can you believe it?) of the pictures I took for the week. It was great! Wish we could all move to the beach :) But...back to work it is!