HHI: Boating

We rented a pontoon boat and headed out to explore the water and search for dolphins.  I know this will surprise you, but once again I did not have a camera.  This time I chose not to take it as I figured I would be too busy with Reid to take pictures.  I was right.  These are Holly's and Kelly's pictures.

 The older kids loved sitting up front and getting splashed occasionally.

 Ryan and Joel

 We did a drive-by...or a float-by of the lighthouse.

This friendly dolphin came right up to our boat!  Reid was so enthralled with it and kept signing "more" and saying, "Mo! Mo!" as if he thought I could control the dolphin.  :)

Reid with Grandpa Stan.  He looks thrilled, doesn't he?

A storm was rolling in so we had to cut our trip a little short.  Thankfully we were able to stop for a quick picture, though.  Priorities, right?  :)

HHI: The 4th of July

I wasn't sure if I was going to like being gone on the 4th of July.  That is, of course, until I remembered that we always get together on that day anyway, so why not spend it in one of our favorite places?!

We decided to hit the beach that day...and apparently everyone else on the island had the exact same idea.  I had never seen the beaches so crowded!  I forgot my camera that day, so I took these pictures from Kelly's blog.  

 Reid wasn't sure about the ocean at first, but then he just couldn't get enough of it!

 Bathing Cuties!

 Ryan and Joel kept going farther and farther in the water.  Next year we'll have to bring boogie boards.  Reese and Clare had fun jumping over the waves.

 The kids loved digging and making castles in the sand.

 Reid was "helping" Clare fill her bucket with sand.  ;)

After a 4th of July cookout, we all headed to Shelter Cove to see Shannon Tanner.  (Yes, it's a guy with a girl's name.  He has a great attitude about it, though!)

 Reese, Grace, and Clare

 We had a long walk to the concert from our parking space, but no one complained!

 Ryan with Mom and Dad

 Ryan with Aunt Holly

Shannon Tanner was a hit as always!

We ended the night by watching fireworks, then we headed to McDonald's for a little cool ice cream treat.  Happy 4th of July!

HHI: Hangin' Out

One of the best things about being on vacation with family is having time to just hang out together.  I found myself taking pictures of these random moments:

Where's Reid???

 There he is!!!

 Reid signed "more" each time so we could put the pillow back and start the whole process over again.

 He thought he was so clever finding a hiding place under the clear glass table...

 Everyone made fun of me for my sunscreen application.  Can you tell I'm terrified of my kids getting a sunburn???  We went through so many bottles that week.  Sidenote:  It makes me sick that Reid wore SPF 50 and was outside about half as much as I was.  I wore SPF 30 and guess who is the darker one???  You guessed it!  Reid.

 Uncle Keith brought along his Ms. Pacman video game and helped Ryan figure out the controls.

 Ryan loved it!

 In my desperate attempt to keep Reid off the bunkbed ladders, I found this Barbie RV in the closet to distract him.

 It might have distracted him a little too much.  He loved sitting in that thing and pressing the buttons!

 This picture was taken early one morning--shortly after they had all rolled out of bed.

 They just loved being together!

 Sometimes "hanging out" was done best all cuddled up and watching a show together after getting cleaned up for the day.  The pool really wore everyone out, right, Dad?  Dad??

See?  Case in point.  :)  

Hilton Head 2011: Pool Time!

On July 1st we left for our vacation with the Schenher family.  It's a 13 hour drive on a good day with minimal stops, so we broke it up by stopping in Knoxville, Tennessee for a night.  This was our first big trip in our new minivan, and I have to say it was sooooo nice!  Last year we had to watch how much we packed since our Pacifica didn't have much storage.  Last year we also borrowed a roof-top luggage carrier and had to stop several times to tie it down since one of the locks didn't work.  This year we didn't have to worry about any of that--plus we had plenty of room inside so we weren't squished. 

I wasn't worried about Reese and Ryan. I knew between the Leapsters, books, toys, and movies, they would be no problem.  I was mainly worried about how Reid would do.  On our 2-hour trips to Fort Wayne, you would hardly notice he is in the car.  We usually try to time our trips around his nap time....something that's a little hard to do on a long car trip.  He did pretty well considering it's the longest trip he's ever been on, but he didn't sleep as much as I thought he would.  He kept grabbing his ears, which later prompted me to call the doctor when we were in Hilton Head.  So even though he didn't sleep very much, Holly and I took turns keeping him entertained with toys.  

The first thing we did when we arrived at the house in Hilton Head was change into our swimsuits so we could jump in the pool!  We could not get enough of the pool that week...there is something so nice about having your own private pool right outside your door.  A few days into the trip, Holly came inside and told me that Ryan and Grace were swimming without their lifejackets.  I couldn't believe it!  I quickly grabbed my camera and went outside to see for myself: 

 Go, Ryan!!!!

 Grace was also doing an excellent job!

I couldn't believe how well both of them were doing.  Such a stark contrast from the week before when a friend had to jump into the pool to grab Ryan when he slipped on the slope separating the shallow end from the deep end at her pool.

 When kids weren't practicing their swimming, they were making water "smoothies" for sale or having water fights.

 Sometimes I think Grandpa Stan was the instigator.

 Ryan got tired of filling up the water gun and decided to break out the hose.  :)

 Grandpa Stan getting the girls.

 Aiming for the boys to keep it fair.

 Reid decided to get in on the fun.

 He loved being able to get Grandpa!

 Grace perfected her cannonball this week.

 Great form, Grace!

 On the last day, Reese was brave enough to take off her lifejacket and try swimming on her own.  Uncle Keith and I had tried and failed earlier in the week, but I think it was bothering her that the 5-year-olds could swim and she could not.  Hey, whatever motivates you!

 Good job, Reese!

 Reese with Grandpa Stan

 Ryan and Grace

Reese and Grace

More Hilton Head adventures to come!