Beach Week

After a rough travel weekend with United and Continental, we made it to the beach and enjoyed a week of great weather and good company. We were in Emerald Isle, NC last week with Stan's family.... Gramma Lois; Aunt Lisa and her kids, Ashlynne, Morganne and Max; Great Uncle Marvin and Great Aunt Linda; Auntie Cousin Blair and her little boy, Grayson. The weather was perfect.

The first day, Casey was a little unsure about the hot sand and crashing waves, but the next day and the rest of the week, she loved the beach. She would wake up in the morning and say, "I wanna go swimming." She had a great time playing with her cousins, Ashlynne, Morgie, Max and Grayson. She was very independent the whole week, going up and down the stairs finding things to do. "Where are my friends?" she would ask when she woke from her nap. She and Max were crazy together. One minute they were best friends, laying on Max's bed watching TV with their blankeys, the next minute they were fighting, taking things away from each other, crying, hitting (Casey's new thing), then the next minute they would be following each other around the whole house.

Our days were rough...we were on the beach from 9:00 to 11:30 every day. Casey swam in the ocean with a life jacket and swimmies. She would swim back and forth from Daddy, to Mommy, to Aunt Lisa. "I swim by myself." After swimming she and Max would snack under the shade tent, then play in the sand. Up to the house for lunch, then nap. She took the longest naps!! One day she took a 3 1/2 hour nap!!

There were no waves this year, so we rented an ocean kayak for a day. Even Ashlynne got to go out in it and paddle around. It was a fun week!

We got back to CO, Aunt Kel babysat Casey while I went to "book" club Monday night. Aunt Kel hung out most of the week, then went to Boulder for the weekend. This past weekend was mainly packing up the house. We leave tomorrow for VA for the month of July!

Casey wants to wish Gramma Lois a belated birthday! We got to celebrate with her at the beach!!

Here are pix.

Gramma Lois and Casey watching the others build sandcastles

Casey hanging with her cousins, Ashlynne and Max

Swimming in the Ocean

playing in the sand with Max

photo op with her cousins

ready for the beach

snack time with Max (and his yogurt mustache) and Grayson

the crew

Roanoke, Charlotte, Dillon

Memorial weekend was spent in Roanoke and Charlotte.  Casey and I flew to Roanoke Thursday.  Casey was an angel on the plane and I was the envy of many mom's, with my car seat wheelie attachment.  Casey got to watch a movie and then took a long nap. She was very excited to see her Gramma Lois and her Daddy at the airport.  Casey spent the weekend entertaining Gramma, Aunt Donnie, Aunt Linda and Uncle Marvin, while Stan and I drove down to Charlotte for our annual Coca Cola 600 Nascar weekend.  We all had great weather and a very fun weekend.

Last week, Casey got her first haircut.  She was perfect in the chair.  She held still and smiled the whole time. 

This weekend Geoff and Sarah visited from Denver, with their kids, Kaelin and Graham.  Casey had so much fun playing with them.  They played with the sand and water table, always in their "birthday suits," we took a couple walks, and had breakfast at ACafe.  We also went for a hike, and Casey experienced her first peeing in the woods.  Very exciting!!

naked sand and water table play

getting cleaned up after being all sandy

hiking Lily Pad Lake trail

Aunt Kel came up Sunday.  We celebrated her birthday with yummy cake and lots of "Happy Birthday" singing. Monday we took the canoe to Green Mountain Reservoir.  Casey liked riding in the boat and stopping off at different spots along shore and at an island, which we named, "Casey's Island."  She got her first fishing pole and Daddy showed her how to cast it and reel it in.  She can reel it in, but we have to cast it out for her.

figuring out her fishing pole

paddle! nice lips kel

enjoying the ride...and a fruit snack

Aunt Kel teaching Casey how to skip rocks

Daddy and Casey fishing...no one caught any fish this trip:(

in mid cast...even though it's already casted

fishing

Casey is still talking non-stop.  This week, every time I go to get her up from her crib she says, "I wanna go to beach."  She likes to say, "Wha happen?" "You Okay?"  She says, "No thank you" when she doesn't want something you offer her.  "Your Welcome" when you say thank you.  She has become quite a parrot too.  This morning Kel said, "oopsiedaisy" so now Casey has been say this all day.  She likes washing her hands a lot! and has now learned how to get the soap out of the pump by herself.  This weekend, she learned, from Kaelin, about putting lotion on after washing and drying her hands, so now that is part of her hand washing ritual.  She is starting to play a little make believe with her dolls.  She changes their diapers and gives them drinks of her sippy cup and asks them questions and then answers for them.

changing her dolls diaper

bear and doll diapers are changed

"here is how you put on the lotion"