August Beach trip: Day 2 of 5 (catch up post!)

The 2nd day we were at the beach was my actual 30th birthday!!! Such fun :) We started out back on the beach with our friends at Sunset and had another great time. Funny story: so, all the neighborhood girls (7-12yrs. old) are so into cheerleading and gymnastics. Well, I just so happened to have been a cheerleader and a gymnast in my day, so I kinda get all giddy inside when I see their excitement :) At one point they were all standing around trying to get someone to do a round-off and I just flippantly said, "oh, I can do that!". Oops!! Next thing I know....after a little persuasion from my dear friend Kathleen, I find myself doing a round-off backhandspring on the beach....just out of the blue. Haven't done one in about 10 years so why not just do it!??! (thank the LORD I didn't break my entire body!). A little while later, a young girl NOT with our group was doing a row of back-handspings down the beach and my other dear friend, Lisa Cassel, decided to start harrassing me to do 3 in a row for my 3-0 bday. The young girl had left the beach by now, so it wasn't like a "back handspring battle", as my husband likes to think :) I immediately said "NO!". Of course my friends like to harass people and even get the kids involved!! I clearly remember Kathleen saying, "Aw, you're not going to disappoint these little girls, now are you?!" Are you serious?! So, yes, I did in fact cave and successfully completed a series of round-off and 3 backhandsprings down the beach on my 30th birthday. (what an idiot!). :)

After we left the beach, we headed back to Memama's house where my parents had just arrived. We put the kids down for nap and then it happened. Yes, I "made" Shawn (he did it very willingly!) drive me down to Cherry Grove (20 mins. away--the nearest Chick-Fil-A to Ocean Isle!) so that I could get a CFA sweet tea on my birthday :) And man was it good :)

Reilly had been dying to go fishing and we told her that uncle Brandon was the fisherman so she couldn't wait for him to get there!! Daddy even bought her a MickeyMouse Clubhouse fishing rod to use :) She was so pumped to be out on the dock with Uncle B and quickly was saying, "Mommy, I don't need any help. I can DO it!" Amazing the things she feels so confident in after only 2 seconds of introduction :) We spent some time out on the dock while grill master Shawn fixed up Salmon and shrimp for my birthday dinner. Memama MADE the most fabulous birthday cake ever! It was a 4 layer mint-chocolate-chip ICE CREAM cake with mint icing on it. Holy cow. It was good.





Jack Nicholas look-a-like??!!