Rodanthe, NC

Well we're back from Rodanthe, NC. It was a great trip...Merrick's first time at the beach! :) I have lots of great memories of traveling (and going to the beach with my family) from when I was little, so it was fun to take Merrick for the first time!

He did great...and as usual wasn't afraid of anything. :) He (and therefore WE) had a very eventful week. He yelled at the waves, splashed in the pool until he looked like a prune, crawled away on the beach, and did a face-plant in the sand when he took a dive out of his "pool". It was classic Merrick style: head first and full-out wherever you go...even if it's off a bed or head first into the sand. :) Here is a picture of him crawling away on the beach...

and him in his "pool"...

We had a great time hanging out with my mom's side of the family...and were able to celebrate our second cousin Avery's 1st birthday...she and Merrick are about two months apart in age, and had a good time playing together this week. (Minus a few pacifier stealing incidents and getting jealous of each other's food) :) Vacation with a baby is definitely a new experience...because laying out or playing a little volleyball have to be arranged around napping/eating schedules. And as we realized this week...babies get fussier than adults when they get too hot. :) We are glad to be back home, though. Hope everyone is taking time to enjoy this last month of summer!