oak island 2013

vacation could not have come at a more perfect time this year. we loaded up and headed up and over to the north carolina coast at oak island to spend a few days, just the five of us. 

first off, it is such an incredible blessing to be able to do this. the Lord continues to provide above and beyond what we could ever imagine and this little vacation was nothing short of that in every single way. the time together, the amazing home we get to stay in, the time together, an awesome place to explore, the time together, getting away from the busyness, the time together. that's the picture i have and remain thankful for all of it. 

beach time this year was super awesome because the fisherman beside us caught a baby shark. and of course tuck held it and got to let it go.

will was the sand castle destroyer and digger hunter extraordinaire.

we fished at the waterway and explored in wide open spaces. this area continues to be our favorite. we found crabs and shells and dug in the sand for hours.

we spent lots of time on the porch playing hide and seek, eating breakfast and lunch, reading books, talking. it was perfect.

i grabbed a few silly shots of the boys one morning before hitting the beach. they are characters.

and grey read lots to tuck.

one evening we got ice cream and took it to the rooftop deck. we laughed until our sides hurt and the boys sang and danced for us.

we took many bike rides together. we loaded will and tuck in the back of my bike and road until grey got too tired. it was awesome and riding a bike made me giddy. i couldn't quit smiling when i got on. and i loved hearing tuck and will's conversation behind me each trip.

we ended the trip with a ghost crab hunt in which matthew actually got pinched by one which terrified grey of coming within yards of a crab ever again.

we value this special time more and more as the boys grow. we hold these days and memories so close as i know the Lord is using them to shape our family and all of our hearts.