The Final Vacation Post

Saturday morning began with packing up the van and checking out of the condo we had called home for the past week. Next we checked into the Inn where we would spend our last night.
Our mission for the day was to have a family bike ride. However, we had some business to take care of first. Like 1 1/2 hours of business at the photography studio sorting through and picking pictures from Friday morning. Next, of coarse, was lunch and a few minutes at the playground.

Our biking adventure didn't turn out as expected, but it made for some laughable moments. We ended up relaying the bikes back to the rental shop and heading in the van to a beach side dinner.

After dinner we hit the waves for the final time.
Now these were waves!! BIG WAVES!!
We had a BLAST with many giggles and screams of delight!

After one more stop at Hilton Head Ice Cream three exhausted girls, and two very exhausted parents headed back to the room for scrubbing and a special family movie night.

On the way out of town we made our final stop,
The Flamingo Doughnut Shop.

That was the end of a sweet family vacation...

... and this is the end of the vacation posts :)

Sunrise to Sunset ~ Friday

"What did you do to your girls?"
This was the question asked by our waitress at breakfast early Friday morning.

The answer was...
We were up and on the beach by 6:15 A.M.
As part of our hotel booking package we had a family portrait sitting on the beach. When Mark called to schedule our session all of the "sunset bookings" for the week were full. You guessed it, that left the "sunrise booking."
Looking back on it, it was fun. Mackenzie made it somewhat stressful at the time. She was less than happy and really didn't want to get wet or sandy. Oh well, we did the best we could and will treasure the pictures we got forever!

Since we were up so early we had lots of time to fill up with fun.
Gran and Meeps took Sophie down to the pool while Mark and I took Haleigh and Mackenzie biking toward Harbour Town. Haleigh had a blast being "second seat" on the tandem bike with Mark. Mackenzie didn't like the biking adventure much at first. As we made our way down the paths she wanted me to sing to her so she wouldn't be scared of falling. After a few minutes I looked around to find her sound asleep!

Gran, Meeps, and Sophie met us for lunch and we traded bikers. Haleigh and Mackenzie went back to the condo for some rest and cooling off. Sophie, Mark, and I headed to a coffee shop and then hit the path to bike back. It was super fun!

Late afternoon found us on the beach followed by dinner, gelato, and a beautiful sunset!

Creature Day at the Beach ~ Thursday

Thursday morning we hit the beach. There were starfish everywhere. At one point we had about 12 starfish gathered in our buckets. (We released them all back to their home.) Several folks walking down the beach stopped to enjoy these unique little creatures that God was using to entertaining us. One lady was so taken with the girls' excitement she later came back to bring us a hermit crab her daughter found on the beach.

After a great morning in the sand, we headed to lunch to meet up with Gran and Meeps. With full bellies we headed back to the water and sand.

Of coarse we wrapped up the evening with a trip for what else...
ICE CREAM!!

Wednesday at the Beach!!

When we woke up to Wednesday it was still raining, BUT everyone was feeling GREAT!!
Mark called from his conference somewhat discouraged by the rain with a suggestion of adding one more day/night to our vacation. Who was I to argue with that?!
After us gals ate breakfast on the balcony watching it rain on the ocean we made our "extended stay" arrangements and we were set.

The sun made its way through the clouds and we headed to the stables. The girls LOVED it!
They even had a pet deer (they had rescued the year before) in the petting area.

After lunch we headed to Mackenzie's favorite place,
the playground at Harbor Town.

That evening we enjoyed a Harbor Town evening. A fantastic dinner, singing under the big tree, and of coarse a stop for ice cream!

This rainy day turned out to be a beautiful one packed with fun and laughter!!

day 4

Tuesday morning everyone was finally feeling better!!
My mom and dad had to head back to West Virginia, so the girls and I headed out to the pool and then the beach.

Early in the week we had planned to take a dolphin cruise. (We were told the 2:00 slot was the best viewing time, even though it was usually the hottest). It was getting pretty dreary so we decided we would take the cruise even in the rain if it meant not overheating. We saw about 18 dolphins as we cruised and learned about these finned creatures and much of the surrounding area.

When the cruise was over we dashed back to the condo for dry clothes and a quick rest to recharge. Mark went across the street to wait the 45 minutes to get into the Original Salty Dog Cafe. Once he secured a table we darted over to meet him. Then we headed to the old-timey movie theater to see The Zoo Keeper.
As everyone was getting ready for bed Sophie finally got her ice cream she missed out on. AND she lost another tooth.
We packed as much as we could into the rainy day and every one slept well!!

day 3

Monday morning was beautiful on the beach (the deer thought so too -see the pic.) It was the perfect temperature!! Sophie was down for the count for the day, not feeling well at all. My dad stayed in the condo with her (he hates the heat anyway) for the morning. My mom and I took Haleigh and Mackenzie out to the beach and they played hard! We headed to lunch once Mark finished his class for the morning (less than enjoyable for the sick ones of the bunch, for the rest of us it was really nice.) After lunch Haleigh and I headed out for a bike ride on the tandem bike. We had so much fun! Haleigh always eats up one-on-one time. That evening Mark and my mom fixed a wonderful steak dinner for us- YUM!

After dinner most of the crew headed out for ice cream. Sophie and I stayed behind. Don't worry they brought some home for us :)

day 2

Sunday we headed out to the beach. It was so much fun watching the girls play. It is always a blast taking in just how unique the girls really are. Sophie loves to be in the water with the waves. Mackenzie stays in pretty shallow water digging in the sand. Of coarse, Haleigh is a mix, she loves to dig, cover herself in sand, and dash into the ocean to rinse off.

After hours on the beach we headed in for lunch and a break from the sun. (And a quick rescue mission to save our little shelter as it flapped in the wind.) After a good break some of us headed out to the pool for a while. Sophie wasn't feeling so great so she stayed in with Poppy. Haleigh and Mackenzie played hard, Mackenzie actually fell asleep on my shoulders in the pool. As my mom carried her in she actually stayed asleep through the whole transition from my shoulders to Grandma's lap in the condo. That evening Mark and I got to head out on a nice dinner date for the evening (thanks Mom and Dad ;)