The next day called for rain (and even hail!) so I decided an indoor activity was in order! We spent a nice afternoon at the North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores.
Kade finally remembered this was the same aquarium he visited for his fourth grade field trip when we got to the otter exhibit. They were just as cute and just as fast. They would not stay still for a photo!
I think the boys were in awe that Brent could name almost any fish without looking at the description plaques.
A baby sea turtle in rehabilitation.
Brent had his heart set on Sanitary Restaurant - we go early enough that we beat the crowds - also, a benefit of a bad weather week (no wait at restaurants).
After dinner, we enjoyed a little stroll along the waterfront. Brent recounted how he and his Dad took the Carolina Princess charter boat fishing when he was younger.
Kade had to touch the water, of course.
The next day, I was determined to get the boys to the beach! 20mph winds and red flag be damned - we were going to the beach! (Okay, in all seriousness - I explained to them they were only allowed to go so far deep, etc. And I parked my beach chair closer than usual to keep my eyes on them!)
As it was just after low tide when we arrived, I told the boys that we would head out when the water got to our chair.
Meanwhile, Brent and Moose were having a different sort of outing - he brought Moose back to the Morehead waterfront so he could smell all the smells!
He's such a good boy!
Brock and Kade dropped off their boards and opted to jump the waves themselves. As you can see - they weren't that deep at all, but that current was strong! You could feel the wave push and pull you as it went back out.
The boys are so funny about things - they begged me for a chance to feed the seagulls. Fine - when we were all packed up, I allowed them to "share" their snacks with the birds.
On our last day, we finally made it to downtown Beaufort. Poor Brock somehow ended up with another piece of glass stuck in his foot. No clue if it got into his Croc while he was there or how it happened, but he let us know while we had stopped for ice cream. General Store for the win and some $3 tweezers made him happy (and able to walk) again!
As we made our way down Front Street, Brent suggested we stop in to the Sea Bags store again since I ogled it last year. Some cool new designs - like this map of the Crystal Coast (Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle, Beaufort, etc).
I decided to treat myself. :)
No fishing understandably made Brent very sad, but we made the most of our beach week with lots of quality family time. We enjoyed meals together, played several board and card games, and enjoyed a few days away from work, busy schedules, and all the usual distractions. The beach is definitely our happy place.
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