Anyway, the anticipation for the weekend was at an all time high given our crazy work schedules and my high stress levels as of late with all the work travel, added responsibilities and nanny drama so last Wednesday could not have come at a better time.
We rented a house in Palmetto Plantation right down the street from the Omni Hotel where Trey and I went over Memorial Day weekend and our rental was from Thursday to Monday but Trey and I decided to leave Wednesday night and stay at a Hampton Inn 20 miles outside of Hilton Head to get a jump start (and possibly have an easier drive with the kids). It was a wise decision. Even though we couldn't get done and out the door until around 6 we were able to make it to McDonough and stop at the Truett Dine in Chick Fil A for a fine dining experience and the kids fell asleep and rode pretty easy the whole way (except for about an hour stretch where Sophia thought it was funny to kick her little feet through the hole in my head rest and drive mama crazy... silly little girl).
The kids did get a little cranky when we got to the hotel but overall fell back asleep pretty easily and slept the night.
It was so nice waking up knowing we were already in Hilton Head and it was nice that one of the other families went early too and they stayed at the Sonesta Resort on the water in Hilton Head so when we got ready we just headed over to their place to enjoy the beach and pool until it was check in time. 
Sophia was beside herself excited to be at the "Ocean" and pool and got so excited to see her friends Kara and Charlotte. We played around the pool and enjoyed the beach for a few hours and then it was time to check in to our new home away from home for a few days.
I was so excited to see the inside of the house because we'd rode our bikes over there earlier this summer and it was pretty nice from the outside. The inside did not disappoint. It was perfect for the 6 families we had there. It had 6 decent sized bedrooms far enough away from the commotion and with huge walk in closets perfect to put one pack and play and keep the kids separate. It had a huge living rooms upstairs and downstairs complete with tons of flat screen tvs, large kitchen and table to congregate and a pool table downstairs. It did have a pool but that was probably the one downside to the home because it was kinda a death trap for the kids with a hot tub that flowed off of the pool and for some reason kept draining so it was more like a 6 foot drop off with tons of sharp edges. That and the pool was always in the shade so it was like jumping into a bucket of ice... literally. But... the house was 2nd row from the water and not that the walk was that bad but after lugging the kids and all our stuff back and forth from the beach, a jump in that water was quite refreshing and necessary so it wasn't that bad.
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| the 5 minutes a day the pool was in the sun... totally refreshing though |
All our friends trickled in at various times between Thursday night and Friday morning and it was nonstop fun fun fun. Sophia had SUCH A GOOD TIME! That is quite an understatement. I really don't think Trey and I have ever seen her so beside herself happy. She was in heaven playing with her best friend Colton and the two of them ran themselves ragged everyday playing and giggling. She loved playing with all her friends and every single morning she'd wake up an the first thing she'd say to Trey and I would be "I go play with friends" or "see Cotton, Jaime, Mr. Wayen (her version of Colton, Jaime and Mr. Warren). It was the cutest thing. She loved asking us to go to the ocean and didn't ever want to stop. Not sure how relaxing per say the weekend was but as Trey calls vacation with kids... we definitely "made some memories."
One afternoon we decided to attempt a family picture when it looked a little overcast outside and ripe for picture time. We didn't even bother showering and just put clothes over all our swimsuits in an attempt to snag a few pictures of the kids and family. They turned out great but we got caught in a storm. I was so grateful we weren't struck by lightening because it came on so fast. We literally snapped our pictures and then a monsoon came forcing us to run back inside. I'm sure we looked funny to our friends who opened the door for us but it was kinda scary at the time. Not sure any picture would've been worth that but at least we got a few and nobody was killed in the process ;)
We stayed in the first three nights ordering pizza, then enjoying the yummy cooking of Chef Longmire and Parr with some delicious Beef Tenderloin and Low Country Boil and then the last night braved the crowds to have a change of scenery and let the kids run around at Harbor Town and eat out.
It worked out well because our group kind of split up that night so we were able to get a table just fine. We also got some great family pictures because we ate early enough to wrap up and take in the beautiful sunsetting behind the lighthouse. It was the perfect end to a perfect weekend and we were so sad to come back home and back to reality.
We all had such a good time that we're already talking about making this a tradition and I hope we can do just that. I think between spending Memorial Day with my family and Labor Day with our friends in Hilton Head, Trey and I have grown to really love the beaches and the town and were talking about making that a good spot for an annual trip. There is just so much to do and it's very kid friendly and doesn't hurt that it's really only a 4.5 hour drive from home so it's really easy to get there.
Anyway, it was sad to leave but it was the perfect way to close out an amazing summer in the same fashion that it began and we are definitely excited to see all the fun in store for our family this fall with football season, pumpkin patches, apple picking and all things Fall right around the corner!
Looks like such a fun trip!!! I'm impressed y'all got 6 families in one house! You are so lucky to have such great neighbors/friends for your kids to grow up with and make all these memories with. :-)
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