Home from the beach

Well, we made it, and we had a blast! (Wee One and Hubs rested. Mom did not. I think that's pretty much the way it's going to be.) We went down Friday, stayed til Sunday, and made the most of every moment! We stayed at the Hidden Treasure Inn in Kure Beach. Very cute little place, privately owned and made us feel like we were really at the beach. The efficiency that we stayed in had a bedroom w/ a queen bed (occupied by my boy and his father) and a living space with a twin bed that doubled as a couch for watching TV (occupied by yours truly). Our door opened onto a big porch and looked out over a neatly manicured (fenced-in) front yard replete with a hammock, grill, picnic table, and pool (fenced in within the fence). And lots of pretty flowers. (I sound like a travel brochure.) Not bad for an Internet find and $125/night. Oh, and 3 blocks away from the beach.

Some highlights:
1) The beach, of course: My mother and grandmother were sure Wee One would be afraid of the water. Not so. He made sand castles w/ Hubs for about 90 seconds and was off like a flash into the water (with us right behind him of course). Loved getting splashed, loved the big waves, and when a big one would knock him down, he got right back up and signed "more." Did not want to leave.

2) The NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher: For about the first 10 minutes he loved the fish, then it got old. Plus he had a stinky diaper that was discovered early on and so we were trying to get in and get out, as we had forgotten to pack diapers. (I know, how could you possibly forget diapers for a toddler...). Plus he was getting tired. However, he thoroughly enjoyed the steering wheel on the little machine where you put in a penny & it spits out a design of a fish or the aquarium or whatever. So the next time you wonder where your state tax dollars are going, there's your answer.

3) The pool: We spent by far more time in the pool (covered in sunscreen of course) (at least the boys) than anywhere else. My boy thought the little floaty toys were great until we took him out to kick his feet in the water & that was it. No more floaties. He actually did really well and seemed to understand (with parental instruction and handholding of course) how to behave himself around the water.

4) Marina and Lucy: Nancy's (the inn owner) dogs. Marina is a dachschund (?) mix puppy who ran circles around my boy barking the entire time with him in the middle giggling his head off. Lucy is a 15-year-old German shepherd who was not very playful due to her age but still provided my boy with something to bark at for a while.

For parents and prospective parents who plan on taking their children to the beach: I highly recommend Huggies Little Swimmers or the like over swim trunks. One, they are disposable. Two, they contain any pee or poo that a little one would decide to make.

Of all the NC beaches out there that we've been to, Kure is still the favorite. Commercial enough to have a Food Lion within short distance but not so much that the beachfront is spoiled.