Wild Horses of Carova Beach

We visited the northern most part of the Outer Banks, only accessible by four-wheel drive, during our trip in hopes of seeing some of the wild horses that still roam Carova Beach. The wild horses, or Spanish Mustangs, descended from spanish stock which arrived over 400 years ago and have lived on the barrier islands since the earliest explorers and shipwrecks. We saw quite a few on our trek through the dunes and I was able to get surprisingly close to some of them.

I could have stayed, capturing pictures of these beautiful creatures, all day! Hope you enjoy them!

NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island

During our trip to the Outer Banks we stopped at the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island. It was a small aquarium in comparison to others we have visited but perfect for the kids. Sprite loved the turtles and Sprout loved the shark tank. The highlight of this trip other than seeing the otters poop on a rock was the shark attack in the large tank. We were watching a show in the large tank- there were divers in the tank talking about the fish and answering questions under water. Immediatly after ther divers got out of the water, one of the large sharks, who must have been aggitated, attacked a large fish, biting it right in half. This caused quite a frenzy as all the kids screamed and the tank filled with blood, agitating the other sharks. The divers quickly scooped the remaining half of the fish out of the water in hopes of preventing further frenzy. The best shows are always the ones created by mother nature! I, of course, don't have any pictures of this because I was walking back into the room with Sprite at the tail end of this and heard all about it from Sprout and the Hubs!

After the aquarium, we ate at this restuarant called Big Al's. It was an old fashioned soda shop with black and white checkered floors, red booths and coca-cola memorabilia everywhere. The Hubs ordered a real cherry coke from the soda shop and I had the best clamboat I have ever tasted! On our way out the kids danced on the dance floor complete with disco ball for everyone to enjoy!

Bodie Island Lighthouse

Our first day in the Outer Banks was a little cloudy and cool so we decided to visit the Bodie Island Lighthouse located on the Roanoke Sound side of the first island that is part of the Cape Hatteras National Seashore. It was not open for climbing but we walked around the grounds and on the trails through the surrounding marsh.

Next up, the NC Aquarium on Roanoke Island.

"Cabbage by the Sea"

We spent last week in the Outer Banks (OBX) and had a wonderful time. One of our best vacations to date! We stayed in an oceanfront cottage which Sprout called the "cabbage," hence the title of this post. The name stuck and we referred to it as the "cabbage" all week! The "cabbage" was in Kitty Hawk and could not have been any closer to the water without being in the water. It was originally built in 1938 and was recently restored. There was a hot tub on the back porch overlooking the ocean and we spent every evening soaking in the hot tub listening to the sounds of the waves- it was heaven!

During the day, we spent a lot of time on the beach digging in the sand, climbing the dunes, collecting shells and watching the dolphins.

We spent a little time exploring too. We visited Bodie Island Light House, went to the Manteo Aquarium and went out onto the northern Outer Banks, which is only accessible by 4-wheel drive, where the wild horses roam and saw a few herds up close. I'll share pictures of each of these adventures separately.

We already can't wait to go back!

Happity Hop Hop!

Happy Easter!

The munchkins had a fun time searching for their baskets this year. Sprout is getting older so the Easter Bunny made finding his a little more challenging this year; but it was worth it! Sprite found hers, with a little help, and dug right in to her chocolate eggs.

And no Easter is complete without an easter egg hunt around here.

We could not have asked for a better day- it was warm and sunny outside and we spent the entire morning playing and then we all climbed into the hammock for a lazy afternoon.

Pictures from our vacation to the Outer Banks (OBX) are coming soon, stay-tuned!

He's Not the Only One Who Looks Good in a Stetson