Kiawah...year 16 (and counting)

Okay...so we're home and alive. The children may not be soon, as we readjust to "real" life. But for now...alive.

I must write an entire post about Kiawah. Seriously, screw D-land...Kiawah is the best place on earth. I think I've figured out that this was my 16th visit to the fair isle. Which is pretty much like screaming at Jeff "buy some real estate...PRONTO!" Except that we could *maybe* afford a 2 bedroom condo built in 1950...and that is only if we sold our current place and lived in a cardboard box for the other 51 weeks of the year that we were not in Kiawah. So....

The drive down was fine. I had wrapped gifts for each state line...which was a HIT! I highly recommend this method of breaking down a long trip. And, bonus, when you drive from Ohio instead of Philly, you only go through 4 states instead of 5. And the first 3 aren't all within 3 hours of each other. ;) We stopped in Charlotte at a very nice hotel and the kids slept AWESOME. We even had to wake Andrew up. Amazing.

Once we got to the beach house, the true magic unfolds. Each kid was so much fun this year...it almost made my heart burst. I'll recap the trip through each child...

Andrew (age 6.5)-

Andrew had his normal "adjustment" period to the beach. He really really loves the beach, but those first few days he just has a hard time getting over the salt! and the sand! and the inability to body board! We've learned to just watch him mope and pat him on the back and try to help him through this as quickly as possible. Because inevitable by the end of the week, he's in and out of the waves, laughing as he wipes the salt from his eyes, and eagerly helping find critters at the bottom of the sea. This year, Jeff had the brilliant idea to take Andrew on a special beach walk...just the two of them. They left early-ish, and walked to the point...an area of the island where the Kiawah River meets the ocean. It is an excellent place for seeing all types of sea critter. The didn't see any river dolphins, but they did see hundreds of hermit crabs in conch shells, snails, 4 horseshoe crabs, 4 sea stars, and a blue crab caught in a tidal pool.

Andrew came back energized and enthusiastic. It was just what he needed. The rest of the week he eagerly came to the beach and played with us in the water, took short walks, played with his cousin Colin and his siblings, and was just generally agreeable and enjoyable. At the house, he entertained himself well with this book of MadLibs that I brought. Bonus to a reading child? He can do them by himself this year...he did a few with the little guys, but most all by himself. Occasionally he'd come by and read us all the silly stories that he'd made up.

Lily (age 3.5)-

Lily...oh Lily. She is my beach girl. What a difference a year makes. Lily was completely and utterly fun. She played quietly and happily in the house, she was not a pest, there were very few tantrums, and she slept great. She very eagerly got ready for the beach each day and happily complied with the de-sanding that comes after a day at the beach. She never took a single nap.

Have you ever watch a dog at the beach? I always think it is a living breathing ball of happiness. That is Lily at the beach. She digs and plays in holes in the sand. She dances through the surf. She lays in the small waves for hours, just singing little songs and talking to herself. She laughs. She beams. She is pure joy.


Michael (age 2)-

Michael loved it all. He entertained everyone with his budding speech..."Wha da doin', Pe?" "Wha da doin', Me?" "Wha sound?" "Where Pe go?" Always nosy, always interested in what was going on. He did amazing in the house...basically just playing with the toys we'd brought and not destructive at all with the glass tables, knick-nacks, etc. He ate like a champ. He napped like a champ. He hated suntan lotion and swim diapers...screaming like a banshee every. single. time. we lathered him up and suited him up. But once we got that finished, he happily climbed into his umbrella stroller for the walk to the beach.

And at the beach...Michael became the ultimate sand engineer. I had bought him this little tiny wagon filled with beach toys. He pulled that thing around, dug in the sand, and destroyed every sand castle that he came across. I had bought a few cheap-o trucks, and he drove them all over the beach, making sound effects galore. He "helped" his Pepere put up the cabana, and he delighted in having us put the sea snails on his arm. The last few days the water was very calm, so we were able to take him out onto the sandbar pretty far out in the ocean. He ADORED it...calling out, "Oh no! Big wave!" and then when it would roll past us, "Wheeeeeeeee!"

He learned to say sea gull instead of "shhshh", his previous word for birds. He learned the word wave, shell, Colin (cah-yin), Colin-ma, pika (pizza), snake, pin-pin (pinch pinch...aka crab), some garbly goop that means alligator. I'm sure there are more.


Anyhoo...I'll post pictures in a little while. We drove back in one big trip...because our kids were so daggone wonderful in the car. 13 hours...only 3 stops. Seriously. I have a feeling this is just the start of really really fun vacations with these guys. It felt almost relaxing and easy. I imagine that next year Mike will be out of a crib and *maybe* out of diapers. Sounds delightful to me.

So thanks to Mom and Dad for the amazing memories and experiences...once again. Lily is telling everyone that she just got back from "Memere and Pepere's house at the beach. They are going to give it to me when I get big." No pressure, Me and Pe...but your beach girl is expecting an inheritance :)