Phew! What a summer. We've had so many visitors, it's been crazy and so happy and exciting. Last week my little sister flew in with my cousin Emily. The next day my cousin Tiffany and her husband Jake and their three kids all drove in from Kansas so we jumped ship and rented a beach house in Outer Banks.

Can I just pause a second to talk about how exhausting beaching is with four kids? Because I will. Because it is. Snacks, shade, towels, floaties, sand toys, hats, sunscreen, water bottles, diapers, wipes. Maybe the person who coined the "it takes a village" phrase really meant the stuff needed to care for kids literally fills up a village. And I even feel like I am minimalist when it comes to kids' stuff.

We did it, though. We trudged through the burning sand with our huge chariot stroller overflowing of beach fodder and set up camp and had a good time. Then we packed it all up, shower edit all off and trudged it home, as we do lots of weekends living here.

Beaching with kids is no picnic.

Picnicking with kids is no picnic!

Anyway, if you've never been to the outer banks, please make a note on your bucket list to go. It's just that good.

Here's my cute cousin:

And my cute sis (she's single!):

And my favorite light house in the world, adorned in my favorite colors:

And my favorite forever family: