Beach Vacation #1

We spent the first week of May soaking up the rays at Topsail, North Carolina. Our trip began with the celebration of Mark's cousin's wedding in Wilmington. This was Eli's third wedding and things were so different this time around. During his first two wedding appearances in early January, he was barely 4-months-old and slept through both ceremonies. Fast forward to 4 months later and our plan-of-attack for the ceremony was slightly altered, since we now have a very vocal and somewhat mobile little guy. Suffice it to say, Eli made it through the bride walking down the aisle and that was about it. (Our experience made me appreciate our weekly church nursery workers even more!) The reception was held at the Duplin Winery, which Mark and I were totally excited about, since we LOVE their wine. Everything was beautiful and we had a wonderful time.


Got to start the party off right!


(No, we did NOT give our son even the tiniest sip of our yummy Duplin wine...this was just a photo-op we could not pass up!)





Eli was given a cute little goodie-bag at the reception, complete with this hilarious bib he's wearing that said: "Pass me another bottle...it's a wedding!"







We were invited to spend the week following the wedding in a rented ocean-front house, so that is just what we did. Eli was able to experience many firsts during our time there. He saw and felt the Atlantic Ocean for the first time. Growing-up on the east coast of Virginia, I was beyond excited for this moment! He didn't seem to mind having his feet in the wet sand, but the tiny waves made him a little uneasy. However, the sound of the waves seemed to be very calming to him, as he would frequently fall asleep while we were outside walking along the ocean's edge or swinging on the porch. I think one of my favorite memories of our stay was when I took Eli for a walk along the beachfront in the Ergo carrier and he was all snuggled-up asleep on my chest. It was just a sweet time with my little guy, just soaking in the sights and sounds of God's beautiful creation.

Unfortunately, Elijah also got his first cold while we there. I hated hearing him so stuffed-up! Lastly, he attended his first funeral on Thursday of our trip. Mark's Grandfather (who lived in the area where we were staying) passed away earlier in the week. It was not unexpected but the loss of a family member is never an easy thing. We were so thankful to be able to be there for his memorial service.

Overall, it was quite a full trip but a good time for us to escape "real life" for a short while and enjoy some much-needed time together as a family. We're looking forward to the adventures of our next beach vacation with my family in July!