Hilton Head 2016

4th of July weekend we got to go to Hilton Head for a family beach trip!!!  And just like last year it was awesome - in fact, better because I wasn't a beached whale in a bathing suit this time.  No more pregnant at the beach - woohoo!  Score!

In order to entertain Charlie and service everyone's whim on the 8 hour car ride, I rode in the back with Jack and I must say - he was the perfect little travel companion back there.  We goofed off with the best of them.  Also, I was able to comfort Charlie, pass out snacks, change out the movies. And at one point I read my Kindle.  It was magical.  

The first day we were there we decided to hit up this Coastal Discovery Museum down the road, because according to their website they had a Creature Meet and Greet where you pay money to hold animals that are native to the region.  Lucy mostly enjoyed the Butterfly House they had onsite.  it was adorable and she was super worried about them running into the fan I had attached to Charlie's stroller.  At one point you could hear her scream from across the lawn because one of them almost bit it in the little fan blades.  Aside from the near death experience of the wildlife, she still had a good time :)

So one of the things you got to do was hold a baby alligator...  At least now I can say I've done this.

Jack held it about 10 different times.  Although I appreciate his bravery here, I'm hoping this will be the last time he snuggles with these things.

Jack also got to hold a Horned Something or other.  I thought it was an iguana but some 10 year old corrected me.  Oh well.  It was a big lizard in any case.

They also had chickens for some reason. Lucy loved petting this thing.

There was also a boardwalk area over the marsh and there were all these baby crabs walking along the creek bed.  It was so cool! Here is Jack and Lucy actually getting along!

Proof Andy and I do vacation together :)

There were also snakes and bunnies.  Believe it or not, the bunny made Lucy freak out more than the snake.  This was a definite hit and we will be coming back here for sure next year.

On to the beach!  We visited the beach that evening and had so much fun dipping our toes in the ocean.

Andy even found a sea star randomly as we were walking to the water.  He has a knack for finding things like this - along with about 10 sand dollars.

Jack kept calling it Patrick. #spongebob

Charlie's first time in the ocean!

I LOVE this picture so much.  Two of my favorite boys, Charlie's chubby legs, and Lucy posing the only way she knows how - with lots of sass.

The next morning, while we were waiting on everyone to get ready to leave for the beach, I took the kids on an exploration of the neighborhood.  It didn't last too long because of the sweltering heat but I do love their enthusiasm here.

The beach!  I read on a baby blog to bring a pool to the beach with you for little ones.  It proved to be a godsend.  Granted poor Andy had to blow this thing up and deflate it each time we went BUT Charlie loved it and it helped keep him from eating sand.  Everyone wins.

Uncle Allen and Lucy making drip castles together :)

Excuse my finger in the way but if you squint you can see Jack in the surf with Ben and Eli.  He was in heaven once again when his cousins showed up.  Jack wanted to hang out with them every second of the day and it was beyond cute.  I wish they lived closer.

A nice little summary of our first day at the beach :)

Later we went back to the pool at the house and Lucy managed to find the world's tiniest lizard.

At one point, while passing time at the house, Jack and Andy went on a short bike ride while I tested out the bike carrier for the kids.  here I am riding a bike for the first time in about 7 years and taking a selfie.  And no one crashed or fell out.  That is winning at parenting my friends.

That night, we all tried going to dinner at Salty Dog.  Unfortunately the wait was two hours long and after two hours I decided to drive the kiddos back home and let everyone else enjoy a kid free meal. We fed the little ones before going out but there was no telling how they'd behave once they had to sit still in a restaurant.  It worked out perfectly though because the weather was perfect and we all sat outside and visited with each other for a while, had a few fruity drinks, and then I was able to get the kids to sleep at a regular hour while Andy brought me home a delicious shrimp po boy as take out.  Not too shabby. :)  Plus everyone chipped in with kiddo duty while we were waiting.  Behold, Aunt Kerry - the Baby Whisperer.

Another beautiful beach day!  We had perfect weather the entire time we were there.  Everything was really nice.  Mimi stocked the fridge and pantry with all our favorite goodies and we had all the comforts of home.  We lacked for nothing while we were there.

Although keeping a 9 month old from eating sand nonstop is a challenge, we still had a blast and can't wait to come back again next year.  Mimi was kind enough on that second day to watch Charlie at the house so we could go to the beach for a couple hours without a small, chubby terrorist trying to ingest the beach.

I love these little ones :)

Cousins!!!  Loved getting some extra hang out time with the boys that week as well.  I can't believe Ben is going to be in high school next year!  And Eli is so grown up and such a character to talk to.  Jack loves being part of action with them and Lucy likes bossing all these boys around.  The role suits her :)

So much fun stuff to do in HH and the best part is we have years ahead of us to explore it all.  This is definitely an awesome family tradition and we are so grateful for Mimi and Grandaddy for giving us this chance to all be together at the beach.  HH2016 was a blast!