This year we stayed at the Blue House, right next door to the Red House from the previous two years.  The first year's Green House is right across the street.

For the fourth consecutive year, we took a trip to the beach in North Carolina, visiting with Katie's family.

By now, Cara is a pro at air travel.  She's a good kid.  Taking the red-eye, she gets excited about choosing which pajamas to where on the plane (ducks, this time).  Then she dutifully attempts to go to bed at home--before we wake her up, load her in the car, and head to the airport.  She knows the shoes have to come off through security.  Then she excitedly watches out the window:  planes taxiing by, planes taking off, luggage trains going by, jetways moving, etc.

Finally we are allowed to board.  Time to snuggle up with Henry and Blankie, and go to sleep!

Cara isn't exactly swimming in the waves yet, but by the end of the week she couldn't get enough of jumping in the surf (with helping hands). 

Cara is an experienced sand-digger, however.  Here cousins Skyler, Charlie, Fiona, and Uncle Murph pitch in.

One morning we took a hike around the marshes at the end of the peninsula formed by the Cape Fear River.  We thought it would be a good idea to do the hike in the morning before it got too hot.  It was too hot anyway.  Zero breeze.  Stop moving and you bake in your own heat radiation.  But we made it back and saw some scenery beyond the usual beach hangouts.  The only lingering negative effects were several hundred itchy mosquito bites, mostly on me and Skyler it seems.

The final destination of the hike was an old World War II bunker.  Apparently some hippie lived there for a long time during the 60's and somehow he was a big tourist attraction.  I couldn't read the sign well through the sweat dripping down my face.

Actually, it was only the final destination for me, Katie, and Cara.  Having consumed half our water, we turned back and made a run for air conditioning.  I didn't want to have to carry 2.5 people AND the darn stroller through the sand...

Somehow the remaining six kids made it twice the distance.

We had a good evening thunderstorm which cooled things off a little the next morning.  We took a stroll down the beach to the pier.