That Vacation We Went on a Long Time Ago

Way back in August, when the days were nice and warm, my family took our annual trip to Hilton Head. It was a different sort of year. With 15 grandkids now, and four babies under a year old, we spent more time just trying to survive at the house together (yes, we were all in one house). It was slow paced and hectic at the same time. 

But there were still beach days, and lots of swimming in the pool for the kids, and meals followed by good talks around the table, and the girls' shopping day and Starbucks run, and the boys' basketball game, and Bry and I even snuck in a lunch date.

First day on the beach...

Luca and Poppy making a run for it

Digging her toes in the sand for the first time

Willem and Poppy

Hannah (our wonderful nanny!) teaching Poppy to "surf"

Alesa, Greyson, and Ellie

Her favorite thing this year was finding treasures on the beach

Our night for dinner: fish tacos, mango salsa, charred zucchini, and coconut tres leches cake

Mimi love

Adrian being Adrian

The girls!

Our little family of four in the South Carolina sun

More treasures

Ellie and Poppy

The path to the ocean

Coffee shop with the girls

Andria

Mia, Kaitlin and Mom...cute, cute.

My hot date

And a sign I liked next to our couch at the coffee shop

Our attempt at a family photo in the rain. Craziness.

Another year come and gone. I love traditions...and Hilton Head is an especially good one.

Seven Months

What Cetty has been up to...

+ Pulling herself up on everything and proving to be quite the little daredevil

+ Making a mess with oatmeal cereal, but eating it better than her sister did

+ Climbing up stairs, and falling down them (yikes) 

+ Becoming quite the finicky sleeper. Only her own crib will do, thank you!

+ Passing her echo with flying colors (her VSD has now officially closed up!)

Growing up fast, but still not too old for this...

Back to the Windy City

Bry turned 30 this year. Monumental. I thought about throwing a surprise party, since that seems to be the thing to do for thirtieth birthdays, but decided to plan a day at the Art Institute instead because that sounded like more fun. 

Most people probably wouldn't suspect that Bryan, the CPA, likes art museums. But he really does, which I think is rather wonderful. He also writes poetry from time to time. (Seriously. But don't tell him I told you that.) No, not your ordinary accountant.

Sam and Kait also surprised him by "just happening" to show up at the same coffee shop in Chicago and then spent the day with us. I enjoyed Bry's confused face expression when they walked up to our table. 

So now for the pictures...

Had to visit this one.

 Hopefully this isn't what Bry and I are starting to look like now that we're finishing up our twenties (though for the record, I'm only 26).

This was a really good special exhibit (girls may have enjoyed it a tad more than the boys).

 Japanese art...for Sam.

Poppy was with Bry's parents, but we had the pleasure of this little lady's company for the day.

So maybe everyone is right...she does look a bit like her daddy. Fine by me.

 Horribly blurry, but the best we have of all of us. Love these guys!

 And then he had to ruin this one with a weird face. Boys...

As for the babies on the way to dinner...

 Guess all that deep pondering over art did them in.

Good restaurant!
(though it would have been more relaxing if Cetty hadn't blown out of her diaper all over the place during the main course)

Wells in the mirror

Loved the sun setting on our walk back to the car.

 And this may be my favorite picture... 

Studs with strollers. Don't they make fatherhood look epic? Walking the next generation straight into the future...(insert dramatic theme music here)

So that was our day. And Bry seemed to like it. Though I have to admit that it was a teensy bit selfish on my part. I've had the travel bug pretty bad lately and thought a trip to Chicago might help. It did...but just a little.

Happy birthday, Babe. May your thirtieth year be the best one yet!