Oak Island July 2015.

In July, our family joined my sister's family for an Oak Island, NC beach trip. This was our first vacation together with our husbands and children, and it was fantastic! I don't think it's always easy to vacation for an entire week with another family, but with Ashley, Landon, and the kids, it was effortless and relaxing. We hope to make the Vaughan-Levan (Levan-Vaughan?) vacation a yearly thing. 

I have so many "favorite" pictures from this trip. We were blessed with wonderful weather and zero shark sightings. ;)


I captured this incredible moment on our very first evening. If only the picture did justice to God's beautiful creation...


This was Ryleigh's first time on the beach! It was so special being able to experience this with her. Austin was very young the last time he went to the beach, so it was also like the first time for him. Once he was in the water, it was hard to get him out!












We spent a lot of time enjoying the beach and ocean waves. We also did a little shopping, drove to see the Oak Island Lighthouse, and visited the USS North Carolina Battleship in Wilmington. On our last full day, we took the kids to play putt-putt, which actually went a lot more smoothly than we were anticipating!


Chandler and Gracie were able to tour the lighthouse with their dads. There aren't actually steps inside, but instead a series of ships ladders, which makes it too dangerous for younger children.


Touring the battleship was so much fun! There seemed to be an endless amount of hallways to pass through and stairways to either climb or descend. Toward the end of our tour, we began to feel like we were lost in a never-ending maze. Sweet memories... :)



More Little Moments...


Sean and I had a wonderful date at a seafood restaurant with an outdoor ocean view. I had stuffed flounder, he had crab legs. Both were delicious!


Sean and Landon set up our tent on the beach, complete with frozen daiquiris, and let Ashley and I have a couple of child-free hours on the beach together.


Almost every morning began, and every evening ended, on this screened-in porch. It was the perfect place to wake up with a cup of coffee, or wind down with a drink and "grown-up time" once the kids were in bed. Lots of laughter and family bonding happened right here on this porch swing.


This picture makes me laugh. Gracie, Austin, Chandler, and Ethan are in the background. Sean and the kids had a beach race. Sean won this first race, but Chandler beat him the next time! The whole trip provided such great opportunities to spend time with our children, our niece, and nephews. I am already looking forward to next year!

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