What a fantastic trip to Hilton Head! Daddy, Owen, Grandma and I all left Baltimore, Friday evening June 26th, facing the first 6+ hours of our trip. Owen was very good in the car, even though he didn't sleep a wink! We drove until 12:30 am, and finally checked into the hotel, not a moment too soon.
We all crashed and woke up about 8am, got some breakfast, and headed back onto the road. We arrived in Hilton Head, after our 11 hour journey and were so excited to see what a gorgeous home we would be staying in. The ride was long, but after seeing the beauty of Hilton Head, we were convinced this would be one cool place to vacation. The house was huge and very nicely decorated. We had 5 bedrooms, 5 1/2 baths, a gourmet kitchen, a large deck and huge patio with a pool. We were 3 or 4 rows back from the beach, but once we figured out how to get there, it was well worth the trek. I would definitely stay at this same house again!
Steve, Lisa, Taylor & Sienna arrived late night on Saturday, so after everyone finally got settled into bed much later than normal, but very excited about heading to the beach in the morning. Sunday we decided to head to the public beach, where we could drive there, park, and then take all our stuff to the beach. Sounded good, but the downside was the crowd! It was so crowded there, it was hard to even find a spot to put our stuff down. We made the best of it, but definitely decided we needed to figure out how to get everyone to the private beach that was near our home.
The kids really enjoyed the pool at our house too. Owen LOVED having a pool in his back yard. He swam so well, it was amazing how quickly he had picked up kicking his feet to motor where he wanted to go. He was swimming like a little fish by the end of the first day. So independent!
Once we decided the public beach was for the birds, we set out the second day for the private beach. Then we really got to enjoy the luxurious side of Hilton Head. We had the beach almost to our selves. It was so great, because the kids could play and have fun and we didn't have to be worried about them lost in the crowd. It was also so incredible watching Owen braving the waves, and having a blast in the ocean. Last year in Ocean City, he wouldn't even put his feet in the sand, much less a big toe in the ocean! How much he has grown!
The crabs on the beach were definitely a sight. I haven't seen anything like them ever! They were everywhere! They crawled into your bag, over the beach blankets, they were kinda gross. The kids didn't mind them, but Grandma - batted down everyone that got near her! One even found it's way into my beach bag, and we found it in our room under the night stand. EWWW! Fortunately, they started to disappear by the end of the week.
The cousins got a long great. They had their little tiffs, but Owen loved being around them. Every morning, he would wake up and say - where are the cousins? It was so neat for them to get to spend such good quality time together, since they live so far apart! Oh, and the grownups had fun too!!!
One of the highlights of the trip was definitely Greg Russell. He plays in a place called Harbor Town, under a huge oak tree. Has been singing there for over 30 years, and he invites all the kids up on stage, sings songs, tells funny stories, invites the kids to sing along. It was so good, we went back a second time. Owen is still singing the Green Alligator Song. So adorable!
We had dinners in, dinners out, and even some carry out. We had a terrific (but very late) dinner at the Crazy Crab,
Uncle Steve & Aunt Lisa took us all out to dinner at Red Fish, we also went to the Salty Dog Harbor, and a few other places. It was nice to get out and explore such a neat place.
After years and years of vacationing in Ocean City, Maryland, we now fully understand why people drive 10+ hours to the South Carolina beaches, year after year. It was wonderful, and a very memorable trip that we will remember for a long time. We decided to make the drive all the way home without stopping at the hotel. We were so tired after the long drive home, but so happy to be home rather than still facing a few hours in the car on Sunday. Grandma was also super happy to get back to our house on Saturday, because that meant that she could drive home Sunday morning. It had been such a long car ride, but Owen was so amazing, we were so proud of him!
We got home on the 4th of July about 8pm, just in time for Daddy to get ready to light off the fireworks he had bought in South Carolina! What a way to end our trip!
Owen creating a masterpiece!
