Kiawah 2016

The night before we left for our Kiawah vacation, Brian surprised me with an alternate plan for heading South in the morning. What did I think about getting up early and visiting Fort Sumter in Charleston before heading over to Kiawah? Intrigued by the idea of seeing a new sight and getting more time in Charleston, I agreed. Then came the realization that we had to get out of the house by 6:30 a.m. Say WHAT?!?

Neither one of us got much sleep that night, but don't you know we made it to Charleston by 11 a.m. A record! We got to ride a ferry and then show the girls an important piece of the Civil War...

Turns out Fort Sumter is the hottest place on earth in July. The girls and I melted while Brian soaked up the American history. I seriously almost passed out at one point, getting dizzy and nausea and having to take shelter in the one air-conditioned place on the fort. The girls and I threw in the towel after that, taking shelter on the ferry where they sold water and hot dogs. Note to self- next time- eat before you take on Fort Sumter and you might enjoy it a little more. 

We got off that ferry and couldn't get to Lewis Barbecue fast enough. Al gave us the fabulous recommendation, and our hungry selves loved every bite of this authentic Texas barbecue. 

The girls got on that island and went straight to the pool. We asked if they wanted to go to the beach or the pool first, and that was no contest. They could not be torn away from that pool. Except when they got out to check on Baba's whereabouts...

Our new flamingo friend made herself at home pretty quickly...

This one also acclimated to the water quickly thanks to her use of the floaties (finally) and her many "CANNON BALLS!!!!".

Collins was amazing in that pool showing off her new swimming skills. She didn't ever want to stop, and she really did get a lot of great practice in that week. We are so proud of her and love that she is now officially a real swimmer!

The only problem came when a certain stench creeped up on us. Initially, we thought an animal had died in the lagoon behind our house then we realized it unfortunately wasn't just one. Turns out hundreds of fish had died after the 12-HOUR thunderstorm we had endured our first full day at the beach. Apparently, if it rains too hard, it can alter the oxygen levels in the water and kill the fish. Wow, did we find out the hard way. We literally could not walk out back on the pool deck for a full day the smell was so horrible. It stunk (pun intended) to lose a whole day with the pool, but we made up for it in the days to come!

And believe it or not, we did actually make it to the beach every once in awhile...good thing because Addie figured out that floating waves in the ocean was pretty fun! Both girls were braver in the water because the waves were so calm.

Bumping big time in this picture...was 19 weeks pregnant on this vacation. I think it's pretty neat that I've been pregnant with all three of our babies while at Kiawah. Collins was just a "blueberry" while we were there, Addie was more of a "bell pepper" and baby boy (still un-named despite our best efforts) was about the size of a "banana"! 

Mimi made us all winners in the sand castle contest giving out awards for "best design", "most artistic" and "cutest". Not sure that Addie was much help to her starfish team- except when it came to knocking it down! :)

And when we weren't in the pool or at the beach, chances are good that we were on the bike. It was really neat watching Collins take off on her bike and whiz across the island. When we later asked her what her favorite part of vacation was she surprised us by answering, "riding bikes"! 

We all rode bikes over to the tennis center to watch C take two tennis lessons. She enjoyed them, and I was glad she had the opportunity to play at Kiawah.

One of the neatest places we biked to was the Marsh Overlook. We found this spot last year, and couldn't wait to come back this year. The views from the top are amazing!

Brian and I took a twilight bike ride to the beach to see things in a different light...

And we all were perfectly content at the beach house hanging out with each other and coloring... (Collins decided she was ready to graduate from kiddie coloring books to adult ones and did a great job taking her time and focusing on the harder pictures.)

We all colored so much we had a designated "coloring table" in the kitchen where we left our supplies out at all times! Loved coloring while drinking my coffee...very relaxing. 

The girls were excited when Mimi offered to give them a manicure and pedicure...

These two took very good care of "soft baby" togeher...Addie and Baba have always had a special bond- so glad they got to spend a whole week together!

Bubbles were a must on our wash-out day...

We also had fun watching the wildlife around us at the beach house...this guy hung close by while we packed up. The girls were amazed when we saw a mama and her two babies the morning we left!

And then, Friday night ice cream! It's become a tradition, and the girls wanted to get dolled up for the big night out. :)

Addie put on a little dance performance for us after Baba fed her "chocolate chip" (aka mint chocolate chip) ice cream...

And just like that our vacation was over! The girls did much better on the way home than they did on the way down. After a much-begged-for lunch at "Bone-jangles" (Addie), they both conked out for me and slept for a whole half hour! We were excited to get home, but so very grateful for another wonderful and memorable trip to our special island. Thank you so much, Mom and Nick!

And many thanks to Al and all the amazing things she does with her camera. I treasure the photos she takes on our vacations- especially when they're of my girls being so happy! 

Already looking forward to 2017! Hard to believe we will have a little boy joining our gang of girls, but can't wait to introduce him to our special place.