I'm telling you...Kiawah Island just gets better year after year. You would think we wouldn't be as excited about going 20 years after we started, but we are. And this year's Kiawah adventure did not disappoint!
Here are the girls in "packing mode" aka as "silly mode". Collins had the idea to do a "sister rollback" which Addie quickly agreed was a good idea.
Before we left, we checked the garden and look what we found...our first tomatoes! I can't believe we actually succeeded in growing tomatoes- and they tasted really good! Collins said it was the best day of her life (but she says that about a lot of things). :)
I had been dreading the road trip to Kiawah long before we left. I bought special supplies (travel pillows, toys, special snacks) in preparation. All I really ended up needing was a paci for Addie and a Bible School CD for Collins. They started losing it near the end, but it is a long trip so I don't blame them.
When we finally made it to James Island (the neighboring island next to Kiawah), we had the idea to stop and see the Angel Oak. How we have never stopped to see this amazing tree in our 20+ years of whizzing past it, I will never know. So glad we finally stopped to see!
I have no idea what Addie was pointing at, but it certainly wasn't the gigantic tree behind her!
Mom picked out a new house this year, and guess what it had??? My child never wanted to leave the pool. She kept using the word "refreshing" to describe it and literally wanted to get in it any minute she was at the beach house. Since she is kind of swimming now, it really was wonderful practice for her. And she was right, after a hot, sandy morning at the beach, it was very refreshing! :)
"Cannon ball!"
Collins was all about the pool- Addie was all about accessorizing...
Addie surprised us. She did better on the beach this time- being happier for longer periods of time. Her favorite activities were getting dirty in the sand, playing in holes, and chasing "ducks".
For Collins, the beach was more about showing off her suits, the sand structures she could build, and hanging out with her family.
Rachel, Natalie's friend, showed Collins how to be a mermaid and how to make a complex tunnel system in the sand. Collins made a bridge by herself and said, "I can't believe I did it by myself- I must almost be 4 1/2!".
And we had a first on this trip...the girls actually playing together on the beach! It was a glimpse of our future vacations, and it was pretty neat. We were treated to a beach concert by Collins (her "God" music) while Addie danced along beside her (followed by plops into the tidal pools).
And when they weren't performing, they were perfectly happy in a large hole.
When we weren't on the beach or in the pool, chances are good that we were on the bikes. That is one of my very favorite ways to see the island.
We weren't sure how Addie would like her first biking experience, but she liked it so much she started chanting "yah, yah, yah!" when she was on the bike. When she wasn't on the bike, she was chanting, "bike, bike, bike!" begging for a ride. She LOVED it!
Terrapin Island...
Addie and I came upon three deer one morning beach front. The wildlife was out in full force this vacation! We saw a ton of deer, lots of alligators, crazy big spiders, and a snake in our front yard!
Our early riser (Brian) got this pretty sunrise from his bike one morning.
One bike ride surprised us...after seeing "Marsh Island" on the map and not knowing what that was, we checked it out. Turns out it's a nature preserve with this at the end of it...
There was a four-story wooden tower at the end of the bike path with a breathtaking marsh view as far as the eye could see. We couldn't believe it! How in the world had we missed this cool place in coming all these years???
Mom caught this cool shot one day...
So happy to spend a week with my girls...
And homeward bound with these wild and crazy two...
And now for the official trip photos...look what incredible images my sister captured during the course of the week! She is entering them in a Kiawah photography contest, and I think she has a good chance of winning!
It was such a relaxing, fun, gorgeous vacation. We can't thank Mom and Nick enough for it!
