Hilton Head, Take 2

We returned to Hilton Head, South Carolina, for our summer vacation again this year after enjoying it so much last year.  This time we brought Grandma and Grandpa with us!  We rented a condo in the same complex as last summer, this time just with a third bedroom.  Last year we left on Friday morning and stayed overnight in Charlotte and drove straight through on the way home.  Since that trip home went pretty well, we decided not to stay overnight on the way down and just go for it! Keith and I got the kids up at 4 AM and loaded them in the car in their jammies.  We had hopes (not high ones) that they might fall back asleep in the car but that didn't happen.  In fact, no one slept a wink the whole 12.5 hour trip there!  I suppose everyone was too excited and we had lots of new activities to keep them occupied in the car (mostly movies although we didn't allow anyone to watch anything until after 7 AM).

It was a great trip - Hilton Head is very family friendly.  It's on an island and everything is beautifully maintained and not over-commercial.  The live oak trees with Spanish moss are right next to pines and palm trees, making for an interesting and unexpected mix.  The beaches are hard packed so riding bikes on the beach is a favorite pastime.  The whole island has a network of bike paths making it very bike-friendly.  We rented bikes and a bike trailer again this year.  Our condo was in a great location - just down a short path to the beach and right by a shopping center with ice cream, entertainment, grocery store, restaurants, etc.

Father's Day was the first Sunday we were there so it was fun to celebrate that in a new, fun place. We gave Keith his gifts and had reservations for a celebratory dinner at a place called The Old Oyster Factory.  Keith gave Grandpa a chartered fishing trip for Father's Day/70th birthday that was a surprise and happened on Monday.  The guys had a great time in a small boat with Captain Chris at the helm.  They caught sharks (!), sting rays, and luckily some ocean trout that we fried up for some fish nuggets that evening.  The ladies climbed the lighthouse, enjoyed ice cream, and played on the cool nature-themed playground while the boys were on the water.

Happy Father's Day!

Father's Day and birthday fishing trip

Teeter totter log

The rest of the week was a blur of beach time and pool time with a few diversions mixed in.  Having grandparents around meant that Keith and I could have a little time to ourselves to take a morning jog on the beach, an evening stroll on the beach, a bike ride to the Piggly Wiggly after the kids were in bed, and best of all a nice dinner and drinks while watching the sunset over the water.

Beautiful mermaid Julia

We returned for a walk on a little cove on the Southern tip of the island to look for crabs and dolphins (we saw more of the latter) followed by lunch at the Salty Dog (which you can't not go to if you're in Hilton Head).  We took a dolphin cruise one morning so that the ladies could also have an opportunity to get out on a boat and see some dolphins.

Nature walk

One of the cool things about this trip was that our friends the Thompons just happened to be there the same week as us and were staying very close by!  We met up with them twice on the beach for a half-day of playing in the surf and sand.  It was a very cool way to catch up with them and hang out.

Kevin, Keith and their kiddos

The only downside of the trip was that I caught a little cold starting on Tuesday.  I didn't feel that bad though (could have been a lot worse) but no one wants to be even a little bit sick on vacation.  I tried to help my scratchy throat with frozen adult beverages and ice cream and was pretty successful!

The kids had an absolute blast.  They enjoyed the pool more this year than last year.  They are all more confident in the water (the girls with their puddle jumpers and Colin just with his swimming) and couldn't get enough pool time.

All in all I'd say it was a big success!