Summer Beach Tripping: Va Beach & Nags Head

I've been MIA for a while and I only have so many excuses:  we're just too stinking busy!  :)  Every summer, I think life will slow down because the kids are getting older and should need less from me, right?!  The complete opposite is true!  Thank goodness I don't work in the summer because these kids are in endless camps, swimming lessons, Camp Invention, play dates, pool visits, beach trips, and more!  I'm exhausted and poor. 
And I may be out of work by Memorial Day but that means I'm back at work by the first week of August.  So I've been very behind on posting pics, so here's some from our two trips to the beach this summer:  Nags Head for a week in June and Va Beach for the week of 4th of July.  I think this post has plenty of pics on its own, so Va Beach gets its own post next  :)

We have a tradition of getting to the beach by lunch time, then playing mini golf before our rental is ready.  Professor Hacker's is everyone's first choice.

Then lunch at Kill Devil's Frozen Custard & Beach Fries!

Passing on my childhood tradition of building drip castles.

This is the view from our back deck.  All we had to do was cut through the grass and there was an access right across the street.  It was very convenient!

Vegging out and watching cartoons!

Tim taught Emily how to dive under the waves!

Another yearly tradition:  American Pie ice cream!  I'm a huge fan of their peanut butter banana (a.k.a "The Elvis Presley").

Garrett had to miss out on the fun because of work so Caroline's friend Bella came along!  She was super fun and had a great time playing with the kids  :)