We kicked off the summer with a quick jaunt to Hilton Head Island this past weekend. We were only there for 3 nights, which was quite a tease, but after several weeks of rain showers and cloudy days in Atlanta, even just a couple of sunny beach days was enough to renew our spirits and whet the appetite for the months of summer fun ahead.
We arrived Thursday evening and quickly settled into our condo just in time for Sophie and Jack to burn some energy from the drive before hitting the sack. They got to enjoy their very first sleepover, which required multiple trips into the room to remind them not to talk to each other. Sophie was sweetly playing into all of Jack's manipulative requests for water, more lullabyes and who knows what else. She really was trying to help but finally realized that it was futile and that Daddy was all business about getting them both to fall asleep.
Story Time
The following morning we hit the beach. They have both had several opportunities to enjoy the beach on a variety of trips we've taken, but this was the first time they were compatible enough to play together. It was also the first time that Eric and I could actually sit down for a few minutes and enjoy ourselves without constantly chasing them down or worrying about some of the things that go along with having toddlers on the beach. It gave us hope that it will only get easier (until the teenage years of course).
Jack was quite enthusisatic in the ocean, which was a change from the last time we were at the beach in September. After he got his feet wet and studied the pattern of the waves breaking, he sat right down and let the water rush over him. Stubborn as he sometimes is, he refused to let us hold his hand, so all I could do was just spot him from behind. We had to let him take a couple of hits from the waves to help him understand the respect the ocean commands. After the water washed over his head the first time, he was slightly stunned, but not upset. He just stood up and said "All Clean".
The real reason for our trip was to check out Eric's Mom's new home, located about 30 minutes off the island in Bluffton, South Carolina. She will be retiring there in the early fall after working for Airbus for more than 25 years. Lucky for us, she chose a beautiful place in a brand new development that has many amenities catering to young families.
After seeing Barbara's beautiful home-to-be, we headed to the pool area, the highlight of which was a lazy river which brought you under a spectacular waterfall that the kids loved. Sophie was able to independently "swim" through the river with her water wings, and as much as Jack loved it, he clung pretty tightly to one of us as we went along, opening his mouth each time we went under the waterfall. We enjoyed lunch by the pool and had a great time. We went to the beack again later that afternoon, which wasn't quite as relaxing as the first time since it was low tide with more room for Jack to run away. He kept saying "I'll be right back". I wanted to believe him of course, but you just never know, so it was an active afternoon for both of us.
Another highlight of our weekend was visiting with our friends The Kuenkels. Christa and Rainer used to live near us in Virginia, and they have a beautiful home in Hilton Head where they have moved for retirement. We spent some time at there place on Friday afternoon, and the kids were delighted to be able to feed turtles from the dock of the back yard. I've never seen so many turtles in one place. This picture is a little murky, but if you look closely, you can see a bunch.
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