Whelp*, I'm totally overwhelmed! I have 1400 pics to sort through to keep the blog roll going so I'm going to pick a select few and keep things going.....
The WHELPer's embarked on our second big beach trip and became the WHELLPers. That's right, this year the Long's joined us and increased our beach party to 24! You can read about our last trip, from two Summers ago, here.
This year we ventured to the Outer Banks of North Carolina almost due east of the Wright Brothers memorial in Kitty Hawk. Our house was called Just Peachy. A bigger group meant a bigger house and we all voted for bigger and better. The pool, two hot tubs, and poolside bar and cabana meant we all were outside more and meal-times could go on and on as people and kids could be entertained nearby. This house also had a game room with pool and air hockey, and a TV adjacent to the pool as well as an outdoor ping (beer) pong table.
We utilized lots of fresh local fish this year and tamed the menu down a bit. Hayley and Jana added some yummy apps and desserts to the simplified menu I had created and we've almost got this down to a science. The signature cocktails flowed freely and were delicious.
There was a consensus that the assigned cooking and or cleaning of our first trip was nice and guilt-relieving as many of us helped cook or clean at every meal this trip. By the time the kids are in college, we will really have this process perfected.
Our biggest outing this year was to a local brewery for lunch and then to the Wright Brothers memorial. I had been there over ten years ago in the pouring rain, so it was nice to see it again. The brewery Jason picked was delicious and all the (12) kids sat at their own table and behaved perfectly, (thank-you to whoever granted that Christmas miracle in July.)
We had planned on Ben having his own bed this year and as the straws were drawn he was slotted to share a room with Grayson. It did end up working for about 1.5 nights but differing bed times and some other factors meant Ben spent most of the trip in our bed. I didn't mind a bit as he was a little far away and our bed was plenty big.
This trip meant Ben's first experience with a life jacket and he loved wearing it in the ocean along with his goggles to float on top and gaze under the water. Uncle Cole and Sara took him on his first ocean kayak ride and I'm sure had they been out five minutes longer, he would have just passed out and taken a nice, long ocean nap. He really enjoyed the reprieve the (cool) hot tub offered and was content to take breaks in there frequently. He swam on his own in the pool a lot despite the depth. The couple of times we jumped in to help, we were pushed away with an emphatic, "I got this." My heart is warmed to know how much Ben will look forward to this trip in the years to come, especially when beaches and pools are involved.
This year our boy/girl outings were less planned but the ladies headed out for paddle boarding one morning and we all loved it. Crystall had been many times and was a life-saver. Jill and I ended up with beginner boards that were lots harder to move quickly and Amy and Crystall kindly traded with us. I did enjoy it and will try it again but would like time to explore the limits of the board before heading out again. The shallow sound we did paddle in was the perfect place for beginners and Jana was a natural who sped ahead and got to see lots of neat fish.
The boys opted for some quality quiet time at the bar where the conversations could flow without screaming children or nagging wives. The chose they day that was the most "hung-over" for most but still enjoyed their time together.
As with many trips, the first few days seemed delightfully slow and then the week came to a quick and slamming end. We were all discussing the next one, though, in 2016, long before we left, so the Whellp adventure continues...............
underway....
We landed in Norfolk and got to borrow the Petersen's car which meant Ben's first booster experience......and Dad's awesome feat of engineering.
Wilson
Heimer
Earnest
Lineberry
Long
Petersen
all 12 kiddos
Wright memorial.......
Our digs.......
These two had an absolute blast playing in the ocean
Wilson's famous cajun seafood boil night
ice cream for breakfast was not a hit :(
we did not starve or go thirsty
double hydration and double-trouble
peek-a-boo
look at me!
sea-kayaking........
my fave
*whelp
interjection. A remark, generally thought of as southern
slang, that is derived from the word "Well" and also used in its stead
in order to lead one into another sentence that may continue a paused
conversation/story or be used to signify the conclusion of one. Where as
pronunciation of "Well" can be drawn out, "Whelp" is strictly
pronounced very quickly and with a slight rising-inflection.
