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| Here we go, go, go, go... on an adventure! |
A couple of weeks ago, after lots of planning and waiting, Jason, Sophie and I took off for a week on Hilton Head Island with my mother-in-law, Mary, Jason's sister, Shannon, and her family (husband Michael, son Andrew and daughter Olivia) to celebrate Mary's retirement. Despite the early hour we departed, Sophie was so excited to get on the road to see her cousins, she was all smiles.
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| Seriously, the best I could do to get her to stay still long enough for a pic! |
After about eight long hours, several pit stops, lots of screen time (introducing her to Cinderella and Tangled) and a time change, we arrived on Hilton Head and couldn't believe how beautiful the beach was or our good fortune in finding a large oceanfront rental in Sea Pines where we could all stay together. It looked good online, but you just never know! We used The Vacation Company and were really happy with their customer service and prices. They even have an app that allows users to access all rental info, attractions, gate codes, etc in one place and that was really convenient.
Our condo had four bedrooms and the kids decided they had to sleep in the same room and, even though I'm still sometimes an anxious parent about doing anything out of the ordinary or out of our normal routine, I didn't let that get the best of me and went with it... and it turned out to be great. So good, one morning I had to wake Sophie up after 10am because she was passed out cold after having so much fun.
We did a lot of good eating during our week on the beach, so we tried to round it out with a lot of running on the beach. It was great to get up and hit the sand with Jason, Shannon, Michael and Andrew every day and feel a little less guilty about all the good food. And the food... here goes the list: Giuseppe's, Steamer Seafood, Old Oyster Factory, redfish, Santa Fe Cafe, Hudson's and our absolute favorite, Skull Creek Boathouse. I'd be remiss if I didn't add that we had ice cream at least 4 out of 7 nights and our favorite place was The Ice Cream Cone in Coligny Plaza.
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| 22 weeks |
There's a bump now and I got a few stares and second looks on the beach but I decided I didn't mind. This was taken at 22 weeks, proof that Baby Powell was with us at the beach! I had a chance to be pampered, along with Mary and Shannon, when we took some time out to visit Ahh Green Spa, where I had not only the best prenatal massage I've ever had, but one of the best massages overall.
We took a break from playing in the pool and at the beach for a two-hour boat ride through the Broad Channel, dolphin and bird watching and just enjoying the ride. We had a fantastic captain who took our family out in a small boat and we were excited to see lots of dolphins up close as well as plenty of beautiful birds and other scenery. Here's a video of the dolphins swimming and playing next to our boat.
It was great to spend a week with our extended family and have it be unencumbered by the stress of holidays or the other events that usually bring us together. We got to just have fun!
The ride home was uneventful and long, like rides home always seem to be. Sophie fought valiantly to stay awake for the entire drive, only to fall asleep about 15 minutes from home. Isn't that always how it goes?? Overall a great week and we can't wait to do it again.
