I hate the ocean....and so does my son

For real, I hate the ocean. I've never been a fan, ever since I was little. Something about the saltwater, sand, and thought of jellyfish makes me cringe. Nevertheless, my family has always gone on summer beach trips, so I've learned to deal. I just wish there could be a pool right by the ocean!! Anyways, as to be expected, Nate is not a fan of the ocean. In fact, it scares him to death! He still managed to have fun at the beach, but it took quite some creative entertaining on Nana's part, and we had to make sure he was far enough from the water at all times...or else he'd start screaming (I'm not kidding, it kinda hilarious actually).

Luckily, Bec had a friend with a nearby beach house that had access to a nice pool, so we did manage to get some pool time in. And Nate loved that! Not so much his floaties though.

We all had a great time at the beach....a full week of fun, sun, family time, laughs, and good seafood. Of course there are a million stories and pictures, but I will spare you and TRY to just hit a few highlights. (Check back in a few days for more pics - have to get those from Bec & Dad's cameras.)

Some of the fun times at the Gibbs Family Beach Week:
-For the first time, N got to have his own seat on the plane. The tray table, snack, and looking out the window kept him busy.
-My carry-on bag got a double security check b/c of all of N's beeping/talking toys. Oops, guess I should have considered that might be suspicious.
-N loved collecting shells, playing in the sand, taking walks, giving the shells a "bath" in his wagon, pouring water on Nana's feet, stepping on the sandcastles, and drinking juice boxes on the beach.
-I discovered O'Douls! And it actually tastes pretty good!
-Visiting with the Ervins & Berlys. And poor N, one of his cousins Anna made him try on her old tutu. He was adorable but Greg was not happy!
-Swinging on the hammock & front porch swing.
-N is learning at least 2 new words a day now. It is so fun to hear him talk! Ones that I can remember: trash, bib, turtle, go, hole, drive, bubble, pee pee, Big Bird, mine.
-Joy rides in the golf cart with Dad or Pops, and N driving like a wildman when given the chance
-Seeing the turtles and alligators
-Poor Greg slept on a twin air mattress and compared it to a "canoe on land." Let's just say he didn't get a lot of sleep while he was there.
-N enjoyed LOTS of treats....oreos, cookies, donuts, chips, juice boxes, etc. Can you tell the Gibbs family likes junk food? (Well, mostly me & Pops.)
-Bec peeing on Greg and Greg not caring (yes, you read that right). Bec was "holding" Greg in the ocean b/c he thought he saw a skate. (He's not a fan of the ocean either!! Poor Nate is doomed.)
-Dixie Reunion (minus Nat) one day! And I got to meet sweet Hadley for the first time. We had a mini 1st bday for her, full out with cake & presents. We put she & Nate in a chair together and they went to town....yes, I mean kissing! And N clapped after each kiss. (I might have to do a seperate blog post with pics from that one. Perhaps the funniest/cutest thing I've seen in my life.) It was so good catching up wtih Joy, Klug, Becca, and their men!!
-Pops playing Ladder Golf on the beach with all the guys. He was in heaven! Who knew the old man was such a gamer :)
-Celebrating Father's Day (early) with key lime pie and a scary chocolate eclair cake - Thanks Bones.
-Brookgreen Gardens petting zoo - N's favorite were the birds, alligator statue, and juice box (typical).
-N found a hiding spot, in the sunroom under a side table. He would go under there and just sit and hold dvd's and grin. Forbidden fruit I guess.
-Cooking out, spaghetti, pizza, and mexican family dinners.
-The exploding dishwasher.
-Shopping at the outlets with N & Nana.
-Dinners at Hanser House & Cedar Hill. Yummy seafood! Too bad all N ate was french fries and a few bites of applesauce. Oh but he did walk around holding a whole chicken tender one night after dinner for an hour.
-Thanks to a 2 1/2 hr delay on the way home Friday, Nate & I got to spend an hour at Lora's house in Raleigh. Nate was thrilled to see her cat, Simon! He couldn't stop following Simon around and petting him actually.

After a long day of traveling yesterday, we finally made it to the airport and who was waiting for us, but Greg! Nate was thrilled and SO WAS I. (He had come back to TN on Tuesday to teach summer school.) We loved the beach, but we missed our home & little family!




Finally, here are the pics! Be glad I only posted 32....our family took close to 300 total!! :)