Vacation - Part 3 - Night Life!

Oh my how things have changed.  With two kiddos in tow, we opted to stay in much more than we went out while on vacation.  We really only ventured out for a "night on the town" once since our friends treated us to dinner at their house one night and on the other we just snacked until we were full. But our big night out was oh so much fun and started with a seafood dinner of course, where we gorged ourselves on the best shrimp we've ever eaten, crab legs, oysters (well, Josh... not me), and conch fritters.  Jake and Lilly opted for battered chicken fingers and "fry-fries."  I don't know what it is, but there is something about having dinner in a tiki-hut type place with the sea air blowing in that is just perfect to me.  I could've sat there all night if it hadn't been for two restless little ones (who were actually angels the whole time we were there).

Daddy and Lilly got a great "date night" picture together, but in true Jake form, this is the best we got of our mommy-son time:

Our main event for the night was the Carolina boardwalk!  I don't think I've ever been to a beach with an actual carnival set up on a good ol'-fashioned boardwalk along the ocean.  It was picturesque and perfect, plus the weather was cool and breezy.

The kids loved looking at all of the lights... there was so much to see!  Jake just kept saying "fireworks" which has been his favorite word since he discovered their wonder on the fourth of July. 

As for the rides, we had no idea what to expect out of our little Jake.  He has never done any sort of kiddie-ride, so we knew he would either love it or completely freak out.  Jake spotted the dinosaurs that went round and round and up and down and decided that this would be his first adventure. We could not go with him on this one, so all I could see were visions of him getting scared, having a meltdown, and jumping out of the flying car... typical, rational mom-thoughts I'm sure.  Instead, before we could even hand the ride attendant the ticket, he had already walked through the gate and climbed up into one, looking at us like "let's go already!"  Once buckled in, he just sat there and rode on it like he had done it a million times before.  He was pretty serious on the ride, too, but would sometimes say "I really high!" when he whizzed by.  It was one of the scariest / proudest moments as a parent to date.

By the time we called it a night, Jake had ridden everything that he was tall enough for, including the kiddie roller coaster, which was bigger than most that I've seen.  I got to ride with him on that one and it   worked up some speed!  Our favorite, however was probably the big slide.  Notice in the video that after he rides with Daddy he just says "Whee!  It's fun!" but after he rides with me he says, "You okay?"  My little boy needed to check on his mama... he just melts my heart.

Know what else melts my heart?  Dressing Miss Lil in outfits to match her mama... yes, I went there.  I'll spare my children from doing it often, but on occasion and at this age I thought we looked adorable (if I do say so myself).

And no night out is complete without a stop for ice cream!  The Lil-bug loves it more than anyone I know and is the only baby I've ever seen eat an entire cone without spilling a drop.  

This was certainly one of the best nights we've had as a family, and certainly a great one as a parent.  Here's to great memories!