Take a Break

We spent most of our weekend outside enjoying as much family time as possible especially since we dragged the kids around trying to get as many errands done as possible on Friday. If you caught my stories on Instagram, Saturday was spent celebrating our dear friend’s 30th birthday. She is such a fun loving person! Only she would ring in her 30th by renting a giant inflatable water slide for all the kids and adults to enjoy! It’s definitely the most fun way to celebrate a birthday! #slidinginto30

Once we got home and put the kids to bed, it wasn’t long before they were all up from all the commotion of a thunderstorm. All snuggled on the couch, reading Kensi’s new favorite chapter books aloud eventually put everyone back to sleep and Mike and I were able to get a little shut eye before our alarms went off at 5:30am to start our new morning tradition of  an early coffee date together. While sipping our hot coffee on our couch we opted to spend our Sunday morning getting out of routine and head to the beach. Lately, we’ve (mostly me) have been feeling overwhelmed and after reading Present Over Perfect by Shauna Niequist, we decided to strip away a lot of our extra curricular commitments for the next couple months and heading to the beach was exactly what our little family needed.

We drove down to Oak Island for the first time. Usually when we go to the south beaches we make our way to Caswell Beach, just east of Oak Island beach, but we love trying new places and we found such a fun little area. Parking was a breeze since we left the house early and it was just feet away from the sandy beach and crashing waves. The kids were so excited to break away from our traditional Sunday morning routine and enjoy the natural beauty around us. The water was so refreshing and warm. The kids were more engaged in the water than ever before. Jumping over the waves, rolling in the sand and letting the water rush over them with each crashing wave. Kensi was in pure imagination heaven, playing mermaid and looking for shells. Finn was all about getting as many buckets of water as he could to fill his moats and destroy his sandcastles. Olivia was enthralled with splashing in the water, feeling the water run over her legs and eating as much sand as her two little fists could possibly shovel into her mouth! 

As always we brought way too much sand home and even after vacuuming twice I’m still feeling the little sand granules all over the bathroom floor and throughout the kitchen and laundry room. We realize how easy it is to get caught up in everyday life, commitments and overwhelming chaos; and how important it is to re-prioritize, refocus on what really matters and that it’s okay to take a break, breathe and most importantly....play.