On the Town

We did venture into Hilton Head a time or two while on vacation (I know, you thought I was done talking about the beach trip, but HA!! I fooled you!)

So we left the Palmetto Dunes area where our “beach house” was and went to see the marina and lighthouse in Sea Pines.

As we were walking along, we came across a statue (below) of a man eating a sandwich while reading a book. How cute! Let’s have all the kids sit around the statue like they’re being read to! It was a great idea, but in the process there was a tragic collision between Jim's tennis shoe and one of my toenails.

So we finished the picture, and then I hobbled my bleeding foot over to the nearest bench to assess the damages.

I managed to find ONE tissue in my purse, which I used to mop up the blood as best I could. The toenail on my right big toe had ripped up in an unfortunate way, but not off, luckily. I was able to stop the bleeding, but not really clean it off much. My bloody toe was not a pretty sight, so I went digging in my purse yet again and discovered ONE band-aid.

That’s right. Lightning McQueen.

Oh, well. I’m a trooper, and although my toe really hurt and I basically limped the rest of the evening, I tried not to complain (at least most of the time) or ruin any of our plans.

Kennedy

We had lots to look at and do in Sea Pines. We enjoyed just walking around and looking at the huge boats, and there was a great big stage for the kids to dance on!

Thomas learned all his best moved from his dad!

We even climbed to the top of the lighthouse! I was really impressed by how well the kids did walking up all those stairs. They were troopers too!

Zachary, Thomas, Reagan, Carter, Jonathan, and Kennedy

After the lighthouse, we needed AIR CONDITIONING, so we decided it was time to eat! We were hot and thirsty, so it was really nice to get inside and sit down and have something to drink.

Our little diva

Later we visited a second marina beside the Salty Dog Cafe. There the kids got to play on the playground, we bought them some shirts, and everybody had ice cream!

After this, I must admit that my patience was wearing thin. My toe was throbbing, we had walked and walked and walked, and I was SO HOT. I was ready for this day to be done.

Goodbye, Salty Dog!

Bathing Beauties

We loved the beach, but we also loved the pool! With the Puddle Jumpers, the kids felt comfortable enough to float all over the pool. They loved that freedom!

Beautiful baby Kennedy

Mama and her ducklings

I told Jonathan that he was my little water bug because he LOVED the water so much! He was the only one to voluntarily (and happily) put his whole head under water. I even coaxed him out of his floats for some real swimming. I hope the kids can take swimming lessons next summer!

Do I look like a bug to you?

Reagan

Zachary, loving life away from the stairs

Zachary and Daddy

My COLD little water bug

Heading back to “the beach house”

More to come! I hope to get finished soon!

Makin’ Waves

One of the purchases we made in preparation for this trip was buying Stearns Puddle Jumpers for each of the kids. Carter already had one and loved his, and I was interested in having different floats from the ones we had last year. Last year’s floats weren’t certified as lifejackets. They were to aid in floating while gradually teaching to swim, or something like that. Anyway, mostly they were good at flipping the kids on their stomachs and plunging their faces in the water. I didn’t want to use them again. The Puddle Jumpers were FABULOUS! Coast Guard certified, adorable, comfortable. The kids loved wearing them! We highly recommend them!

The floats made the kids really comfortable in the water, both at the ocean and the pool! Here are a few shots of them enjoying those ocean waves!

Jonathan

Thomas

I couldn’t get enough of watching Zachary enjoy the ocean! I’m SO GLAD he loved it this year!

Reagan

Well, I’m out of time! More soon!

To The BEACH!!

As I mentioned before, we’ve just returned home from our trip to the beach! We had so much fun, and what a difference a year made in the kids and their enjoyment of the beach too!

We had a blast in Ft. Morgan, AL last year (read about it here and here and here) with my family, but four (not quite) three-year-olds at the beach did present its problems. Getting them ready was a HASSLE since none of them could put on their own swimsuits well, all of them had to have swim diapers, and they fought tooth and nail against sunscreen applications. Plus, Zachary wouldn’t go within ten feet of the ocean after being knocked down by it the first night and wouldn’t come off the stairs in the pool. A fun trip, but with its share of headaches.

BUT THIS YEAR! Oh, so different! No swim diapers. They dressed themselves. They only mildly protested sunscreen because it was cold. They ALL, even Zachary, loved the ocean and the pool!

This year we went with our good friends Josh and Cris and their kids Carter and Kennedy to Hilton Head, SC. We stayed in the Palmetto Dunes area of Hilton Head, at the Windsor II. It was quite different from having a whole house to ourselves like we did last year. Our condo had 4 bedrooms and 4 baths, plus a living room and fully-equipped kitchen. It was a perfect space that worked really well for us. In the picture below, you can see our balcony. It’s the one with all the towels!

the grounds

the boardwalk to the beach

It was a beautiful area, and our condo was really nice. I think we really lucked out on the time of year that we went because it wasn’t too crowded. At the height of the summer season, with the Windsor II full, and all the other developments around it full, I imagine the beach can get pretty crowded. I don’t think we would've enjoyed our time there as much if it had been really crowded.

Here are a few quick shots of the kids enjoying the beach one evening after dinner.

Jonathan, Thomas, Reagan, Carter, and Zachary testing out the water’s edge (How far can we go before our parents yell at us for getting our clothes wet?)

Thomas

Jonathan

Zachary

Well, that will have to do for now! Don’t worry, there are tons more pictures and stories to share! More soon!

Missed us?

Well, as much as we love you, we have not missed you! We've been at the beach! Woohoo! And we had a blast!

So I promise to post beach pics soon. And after that, SOCCER!!!