We finally got into Clayton late Wednesday night. Friday we all went to Raleigh and walked downtown to the Capital. Here we are in front of three Presidents that all came from NC. Do you know who they are?
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The downtown area is also full of museums. All museums in Raleigh are free! Here the boys are in front of one of the crop exhibits outside one of the museums. Do you know what this is? They harvest the leaves from the bottom up as the leaves turn yellow. Needless to say, I find it a shame that this plant is still utilized widely. Did you guess tobacco? You were right. We also saw peanuts, corn, and soybeans.
Here we are in the Natural History Museum. Celie liked looking up and seeing the flying dinosaurs.
Here we are in the Natural History Museum. Celie liked looking up and seeing the flying dinosaurs. 
We packed up the trailer and headed to the coast for a couple of days at the beach. We had a blast! The water was perfect. We were not too hot or too cool. Avery spent alot of time exploring how the water comes in and goes out. He, Ellis, Jessie, and Jason also had great fun finding sand crabs along the shore and having races with them!
Isaak was our swimmer of the day. You could barely get the boy out of the water. He was searching for the "perfect wave". He did get a few good ones. Unfortunately, he and Brad both suffered a few jellyfish stings (very small ones) and spent the ride back to camp in a bit of pain. But if you ask him, he will tell you that he just wanted to swim, no matter what. When it stormed the following morning and we had to reschedule our plans and not go back to the beach, Isaak was very disappointed.
Celie was so cute. She played in the sand and loved standing along the edge and letting the waves hit her legs. She just giggled and stomped the waves.
Ellis was also a discoverer. He took a bit of time to warm up to the waves so he spent alot of time making sand castles, playing with the sand crabs, and collecting shells. Once he discovered the fun of running into and out of the waves, he was unstoppable.
I have to say, the beach was certainly enjoyable. I loved seeing the kids enjoying the newness of the experience. Brad too, was like a kid playing in the water. What fun!
As I mentioned earlier, we woke Monday morning to storms. Thank goodness for the trailer! We scrapped the beach plans and went downtown Wilmington to see the USS North Carolina battleship in port. WOW! You know that are huge, but when you see one up close and tour the inside and out, it is gigantic! All the males in our group were like a bunch of school boys that had gone to heaven. They enjoyed learning and seeing how the soldiers lived and operated the massive ship. They were able to do some hands on moving of the exterior guns and turrets. Jessie, Celie and I enjoyed the history of the ship, but were not as moved by the "guns and shooting" aspect as the men. Unfortunately, shortly into the tour, my camera lost battery. Oh well. We came on back to Clayton to do laundry and rest. It had been a very busy weekend.!
We are looking to head out tomorrow, Tuesday to head back to Jeff City. I believe we will be going through Ashville, NC and spending some time there. I can't wait! It will be like my battleship tour!
Isaak was our swimmer of the day. You could barely get the boy out of the water. He was searching for the "perfect wave". He did get a few good ones. Unfortunately, he and Brad both suffered a few jellyfish stings (very small ones) and spent the ride back to camp in a bit of pain. But if you ask him, he will tell you that he just wanted to swim, no matter what. When it stormed the following morning and we had to reschedule our plans and not go back to the beach, Isaak was very disappointed.
Celie was so cute. She played in the sand and loved standing along the edge and letting the waves hit her legs. She just giggled and stomped the waves.
Ellis was also a discoverer. He took a bit of time to warm up to the waves so he spent alot of time making sand castles, playing with the sand crabs, and collecting shells. Once he discovered the fun of running into and out of the waves, he was unstoppable.
I have to say, the beach was certainly enjoyable. I loved seeing the kids enjoying the newness of the experience. Brad too, was like a kid playing in the water. What fun!
As I mentioned earlier, we woke Monday morning to storms. Thank goodness for the trailer! We scrapped the beach plans and went downtown Wilmington to see the USS North Carolina battleship in port. WOW! You know that are huge, but when you see one up close and tour the inside and out, it is gigantic! All the males in our group were like a bunch of school boys that had gone to heaven. They enjoyed learning and seeing how the soldiers lived and operated the massive ship. They were able to do some hands on moving of the exterior guns and turrets. Jessie, Celie and I enjoyed the history of the ship, but were not as moved by the "guns and shooting" aspect as the men. Unfortunately, shortly into the tour, my camera lost battery. Oh well. We came on back to Clayton to do laundry and rest. It had been a very busy weekend.!
We are looking to head out tomorrow, Tuesday to head back to Jeff City. I believe we will be going through Ashville, NC and spending some time there. I can't wait! It will be like my battleship tour!
I clearly don't spend enough time in the sun.
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