Oh my goodness, I had forgotten how much stuff we have to pack for the beach! This was going to be our first road trip with our new minivan, and I have to admit, the extra room and comfort was pretty darn nice. It was the first time Dan didn't curse the number of bags I packed! :) The last time we went to the beach, Luke and Olivia were 6 months old. Now, granted, we had to take A TON of stuff back then, too (bumbos, playmats, etc), but we still had to take a TON of stuff this time, too. Pack n plays, beach toys, beach towels, beach chairs, a canopy, the wagon, clothes, bath stuff, etc....basically our house on wheels :) I have (sort of) developed a system of packing in which Luke gets his own bag, Olivia gets her own bag, they share a "bath bag" and a "night bag" that includes their blankets, etc. Of course, I have a bag for me and a bag for my toiletries. That's a lot of bags! Not to mention all of the beach stuff. Whew!
Thankfully the added room of the van and the removal of the large stroller gave us lots of space to pack, and for the first road trip ever Dan could see out of the back window. Success and happiness! We decided to leave around nap time on Saturday in the hopes of a)missing traffic b)L and O napping 1-2 hours in the car c)stopping for dinner after said nap for some stretch time. Answer: none of the above happened! Our 4 hour road trip turned into over 5 1/2 because of traffic, Luke and Olivia slept for maybe 45 min and we were only 2-3 miles out before we found somewhere to stop for food (in which we ended up going in, getting food, and taking it to the condo). Poor Luke was over his car seat and kept asking to get out and sit with mommy. For the first time ever, we put on a DVD in the car on Dan's iPad, so that provided some entertainment and distraction. Luke still isn't a big TV watcher, but at this point he didn't have much choice :( They were such troopers until the last hour, and who could really blame them? Confinement for two 2.5 yr olds doesn't typically go over really well!
We arrived around 7pm and I got them fed immediately while Dan got the car unloaded so he could get their beds, etc set up. MauMaw and PauPaw were a big help, too. We knew L and O would probably extend their normal 8/8:15pm bedtime, and night one was no exception. They stayed up playing for awhile and checking out their new surroundings. They did procrastinate when it came to bedtime a little as their typical routine was off, but overall they did great, and even managed to nap every day we were there. Yay!
We woke up early on Sunday, but not by choice :) Luke and Olivia don't share rooms at home and Dan and I knew that since their pack n plays were side by side, once one kiddo was awake, the other one would be, too. Usually they wake up and play for a little bit in their beds, but this was a new surrounding and not their comfortable bed. Sunday morning Luke woke up around 6am and stood up saying "get out of bed." This woke Olivia up, too, who was none too pleased to be woken up before she was ready. We tried to get them to lay back down for a bit with us in bed, but they were having none of it. They were awake and ready to play! We tried to keep them quiet as long as possible so they didn't wake up MauMaw and Paupaw, but we finally gave up a little after 7am and took them into the living room. They played for a bit, ate breakfast, and then they were ready to hit the beach. Olivia kept saying she was going to build a "big sandcastle" and Luke said he was going to dig a "big hole."
The Bartlett's do not travel lightly! We brought the wagon so we could drag all of the toys, beach bags, etc and I had bought a mini wagon for L and O to pull as well. They were so cute pulling their little blue and pink wagons down the sidewalk. Thankfully we were really close to the beach (just one street over) so we could walk over very easily.
As soon as we hit the sand, their shoes came off and we got settled under the canopy. They were both a little tentative at first when it came to getting near the ocean, but eventually Olivia warmed up and got in as far as her knees. Luke never did touch the ocean. Sigh...maybe next time :) Daddy and Luke got busy building that "big hole" and Olivia went between the ocean and building her sand castles.
It was so much easier to be at the beach this time vs when they were 6 months old for a few reasons. Now they are only napping 1 time per day and they can eat non-baby food. They can also tolerate the heat a little bit better and are more entertained by the sand, etc.
By about mid-day, they were ready to call it quits and head for the pool. So we packed up and set up camp at the pool for an hour or two. I ran up to the condo and made lunch while Dan splashed with the kiddos. Then we got them rinsed off and ready for naps. Thankfully they napped, as we all needed some rest :)
After naps, we had dinner at the condo and played before bedtime. The next morning, Olivia woke up early this time, so we were up and at 'em before 6am. This day we decided to go to the outlets because there was a chance of rain. We hit a few stores and tried to eat lunch at Outback, but it was closed. So we decided to head back to the condo and just eat lunch there. More playtime and naps and a relaxing dinner of take out food.
Tuesday morning we woke up early again and headed out for a walk on the beach so as not to wake MauMaw and PauPaw. It's actually the best time of day to be out as it's not so hot and it's gorgeous watching the sun come up. They had fun walking in their pj's (no, we didn't change them!) and I'm glad I grabbed my camera at the last minute. It will probably be one of my favorite family memories ever. Just the four of us, running, laughing, touching the sand, holding hands...perfect!
After breakfast, we tried to go for a swim in the pool but it was surprisingly chilly. Much too chilly for the beach or pool so we decided to head out to play putt putt with MauMaw and PauPaw. It was Luke and Olivia's first time going, and we weren't sure how they were going to do. Much to our surprise, they did AWESOME. They never lost their ball and they were very careful with their clubs. Luke took to it immediately and can actually swing a club pretty darn well! Olivia was more interested in setting her ball next to the hole and then hitting it in. She also preferred to hit our balls in, too, so Dan, MauMaw, PauPaw and myself usually got one swing in per hole! We managed to play all 18 holes at our own pace, so we couldn't have asked for anything better. Then we went to McDonald's for a quick lunch and some outdoor playtime on the playground. Afterwards, back to the condo for naps, play, walk on the beach, and dinner.
Wednesday and Thursday were beach days and we took full advantage of the beautiful weather. We set up the canopy and spent lots of time in the sand. We also spent some time in the pool, too. On Wednesday night we went to the local ice cream shop and indulged in some yummy ice cream. On Thursday night, we met some friends that were staying about 25 minutes away from us. We had dinner and then went their condo to let the kids play on the beach for a little bit. I also wanted to do a mini photo session with Luke and Olivia, and I got some great stuff :)
Friday we decided to stick close to the pool since we were going to be heading home mid afternoon. After some splash time and lunch, we got the car loaded and left about 2pm. Our hope was the same as when we were heading to the beach...naps in the car. This time, our plan worked! They both took great naps and woke up when we were only about 30 minutes from home.
It's always a little sad to come home from vacation, especially one as fun and memorable as this one. But we are also excited to experience that traveling is getting easier and Luke and Olivia are very adaptable to new places. We had a fantastic time and we are already talking about doing another beach trip next year.
I will have more pics to post soon.............
Olivia and our good friend and neighbor's little boy, Grant. What a little Romeo!
Grant playing hard to get...
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