With my brother in town, we decided to hit the beach for a few days! We hadn't been in nearly a year, and he hasn't been to the 'Atlantic' Ocean since he was 6 years old (unless you count the Gulf). This was also Liam's first trip to the ocean!
The first day we were there, it was a little overcast--so we decided it would be a good day to visit the Aquarium.
Here's Elizabeth checking out the sharks.
And the BIG fish... which she also called sharks.
At the "touch tank" Elizabeth did not hesitate in the least to touch a horse-shoe crab and a star fish!
Here's Uncle Matt showing Elizabeth the "Nemo" fish!
Wow! Fish! Gotta love looking at the world through the eyes of a child!
Elizabeth ran right up to this gater! I swear, this child has no fear!
Next we decided to stop at Fort Fisher. Daddy was ready to dive in the ocean... the rest of us did not have our suits ready, but daddy was pretty set on swimming. This did not come without some tantrums, but I won't tell by whom--lol.
As you can see, not having a swim suit was just okay with Elizabeth, who got to swim in nothing but her diaper. Vassil told us later, that when a big wave crashed on them, Elizabeth shouted, "Save me! Save me! Save the baby!" Pretty funny.
Here is Liam sporting his adorable crab ensemble, which I'd been saving for our beach trip (thanks Aunt Molly and fam).
Notice the bubbles! :)
Do you KNOW how hard it was to get this picture? Hard.
Here's proof of just how hard it was... I love this pic though! Liam is just irresistible when he gets really upset!
Playing in the dunes... the sand was pretty white. Elizabeth even called it snow at first.
Here she is after a long day of playing on the beach... notice just how covered in sand this girl is!
Elizabeth loved collecting shells (along with handfuls of muddy sand)... and LOVED swimming in the ocean.
We all took turns holding her hand at the shoreline as she giggled and giggled as each wave rolled in. She wasn't too happy about being held back... she kept saying she could "do it [her]self"
Here's my sailor boy! He wasn't a huge fan of the beach... the sun, the wind... he was much more content to curl up in my arms and sleep, which is what he did most of the trip!
Okay folks, I officially have the two cutest children EVER!
Building a sand castle with uncle Matt
More building... you would not believe how much sand we brought back to our hotel room in this girl's diaper! Wow.
Our cabana boy... holding up the umbrella for momma and Liam.
Mama and Elizabeth outside the hotel.... ready to take a tour of downtown Wilmington
Here we are on the River Walk in Wilmington. We saw lots of boats and even a big Battleship!
We decided to ride a trolley... or as Elizabeth called it, "the Fire bus."
Riding the Trolley... I love the matching postures!
Back at the hotel for a little pool time... aren't they cute?! These outfits were also a gift from Aunt Molly... and I also thought they were perfect for the beach!
Here's the cutest baby boy ever, lounging poolside on Mama's lap!
Swimming with daddy! Well... he got his toes wet at least.
And Elizabeth did great in this floatie! I think next year she will be ready for water wings.
All in all we had a fabulous vacation! I'm so glad my brother was able to come out. And so glad we got to hit the beach while he was here! Hopefully we can talk him into another trip out here sometime soon! Although, after all the babysitting he's done, it might be a while! Lol!
The first day we were there, it was a little overcast--so we decided it would be a good day to visit the Aquarium.
Here's Elizabeth checking out the sharks.
And the BIG fish... which she also called sharks.
At the "touch tank" Elizabeth did not hesitate in the least to touch a horse-shoe crab and a star fish!
Here's Uncle Matt showing Elizabeth the "Nemo" fish!
Wow! Fish! Gotta love looking at the world through the eyes of a child!
Elizabeth ran right up to this gater! I swear, this child has no fear!
Next we decided to stop at Fort Fisher. Daddy was ready to dive in the ocean... the rest of us did not have our suits ready, but daddy was pretty set on swimming. This did not come without some tantrums, but I won't tell by whom--lol.
As you can see, not having a swim suit was just okay with Elizabeth, who got to swim in nothing but her diaper. Vassil told us later, that when a big wave crashed on them, Elizabeth shouted, "Save me! Save me! Save the baby!" Pretty funny.
Here is Liam sporting his adorable crab ensemble, which I'd been saving for our beach trip (thanks Aunt Molly and fam). 
Notice the bubbles! :)
Do you KNOW how hard it was to get this picture? Hard. 
Here's proof of just how hard it was... I love this pic though! Liam is just irresistible when he gets really upset!
Playing in the dunes... the sand was pretty white. Elizabeth even called it snow at first.
Here she is after a long day of playing on the beach... notice just how covered in sand this girl is!
Elizabeth loved collecting shells (along with handfuls of muddy sand)... and LOVED swimming in the ocean.
We all took turns holding her hand at the shoreline as she giggled and giggled as each wave rolled in. She wasn't too happy about being held back... she kept saying she could "do it [her]self"
Here's my sailor boy! He wasn't a huge fan of the beach... the sun, the wind... he was much more content to curl up in my arms and sleep, which is what he did most of the trip!
Okay folks, I officially have the two cutest children EVER!
Building a sand castle with uncle Matt
More building... you would not believe how much sand we brought back to our hotel room in this girl's diaper! Wow.
Our cabana boy... holding up the umbrella for momma and Liam.
Mama and Elizabeth outside the hotel.... ready to take a tour of downtown Wilmington
Here we are on the River Walk in Wilmington. We saw lots of boats and even a big Battleship!
We decided to ride a trolley... or as Elizabeth called it, "the Fire bus."
Riding the Trolley... I love the matching postures!
Back at the hotel for a little pool time... aren't they cute?! These outfits were also a gift from Aunt Molly... and I also thought they were perfect for the beach!
Here's the cutest baby boy ever, lounging poolside on Mama's lap!
Swimming with daddy! Well... he got his toes wet at least.
And Elizabeth did great in this floatie! I think next year she will be ready for water wings.
All in all we had a fabulous vacation! I'm so glad my brother was able to come out. And so glad we got to hit the beach while he was here! Hopefully we can talk him into another trip out here sometime soon! Although, after all the babysitting he's done, it might be a while! Lol!
