Beach Day 1

As I mentioned in my first post about this trip…I overdid it hardcore on Day 1. I had spent that morning rushing around packing, then we got there and I rushed around unpacking, and then we did all the walking in Old Town. Once we were back for the night I chugged water like a crazy person in hopes of helping my swelling go down and my pain to as well. Of course the more water you drink…the more you have to pee. 

Sharing one bathroom got to be tricky and I had to resort to: a cup. Thankfully ALL the peeing in the cups at the dr office each visit has paid off and I now have phenomenal aim 😉 

Another great perk about staying at Inn at Camanchee Harbor is that they hook you up with breakfast vouchers! Yup, free breakfast! It’s only two vouchers I think per night but still it’s awesome! We got into a great routine where Zach took the kids down to the restaurant each morning and got breakfast which gave me about 20 min to get ready (which is all I need…I have perfected my morning routine!). The kids LOVED it because they had some awesome breakfast options 🙂

We took our time getting ready and then headed to the beach! It’s such a blessing to be on our third baby. We FULLY know what a new baby means to the family and the sacrifices that will be made by us all…so we also knew what to enjoy while we could during this pregnancy! One of the things is no morning nap 🙂 Once Leo comes…mornings get tied up with nap time until he or she is about 18 months old! We LOVED having the big block of time for the beach!!! It was awesome!

Miss Priss watched while everyone set up haha

Beach pics!

I love this 🙂

Zach and I had envisioned this beach morning being like it was with Kye when he was around Britt’s age. We got to sit and literally do nothing. All the kid wanted to do was play with his truck in the sand so Zach and I actually relaxed! We assumed we’d get to relax this time around as well…haha. We were wrong!!! Kye is older now so he wanted to be OUT in the ocean which required Daddy to go with him and Britt is ALL about Mommy so I played in the ocean more this trip than I probably have every other trip combined 🙂

But at least our chairs sure were cute…even if they remained empty most of the morning! 

(Sidenote: I got the kids chairs from Toys R Us on clearance for $3 each! SCORE!)

Boogie Boarding!

I mentioned about this in my foot post but for the first morning I wore my new water shoes to the beach. I figured they would give me the best support but I didn’t consider the SAND. Oh. My. Goodness. Legit, it’s been over a month since this trip and I STILL have sand in those shoes!!! My dr. told me to stick to the hard sand so I did the best I could to stay down by the water where the sand is the hardest. I did end up taking the shoes off a bit b/c the sand issue was so aggravating. I originally didn’t plan to be standing and running and playing so much as I assumed Zach would handle most of that. But when your daughter says “mommy come play” you play!!! I read an AWESOME blog post not too long ago about how moms need to put on our bathing suits and interact with our children more. I agree! I am BAD about not wanting to get wet 😉 But I had THE BEST time this trip!!! I’m so thankful Britt insisted on me playing as it was a memory I won’t ever forget and a great lesson I needed to learn!

“HI MOM!!!!”

When I think of Kye at the beach, I picture him with a truck in the sand. He has LOVED playing with trucks in the sand for as long as I can remember. I have so many pictures of him doing exactly this 🙂 I wonder at what age it’ll stop…I hope never 😉 I mean he could totally be 15 still playing in the sand, right? No matter how old he gets…this is my beach image of my sweet boy 🙂

And, of course, Britt now joins in the fun too!

I love this sweet, proud smile!

She kept bringing us piles of sand and telling us it was cookies. Zach and I got smart and “made” a plate in the sand and let her put our “cookies” on our plate rather than on our laps 😉

I know I look like a legit beached whale but I also know someday I’ll look back and cherish these pictures and the memories they bring back to me 🙂 Not that the suit looks very flattering in these but I actually found it at TJMaxx and it’s not maternity! Hopefully that means it won’t fit me once Leo arrives haha

She is so silly!

I was CRUNK when we lucked out and saw dolphins!!! They swam around the area for a good bit and we even saw them jump!

Britt’s favorite thing is airplanes. She stops and shots every time she hears one so everyone will look at it haha!

Taking a break from jumping waves with Mommy 🙂

For lunch we packed lunchables which were a BIG treat for our kids! When we went to Wild Adventures with Crissy she had them for her kids and my kids were mega jealous haha. Zach and I discussed it and decided they really are the perfect beach lunch! I’m not a huge fan of prepackaged food like that (both from an expense side as well as a health one) but it’s good for a treat! I actually had Zach buy several of them recently at the store as they will make good fast lunches when I have a newborn…

View of the massive crowd down the way from us on one side!

And the clear beach on the other side of us 🙂 Love our secret spot!!!

STUD 😉

Britt asked me to take pictures of her…you know I’m not going to say no to that request!

Zach and the kids worked hard building a massive sand castle. Zach is mega into building things and doing creative projects so he naturally loves some sand castles 🙂 Kye and Zach did most of the work…and most of the repairs from when Britt “helped”

We saw another family sitting not too far from us and the parents stayed WAY up on the beach from their kids and had their music playing and were in total relax mode while their kids played in the ocean together. The parents never went to play with the kids and when the kids did come up from playing the parents seemed annoyed at the interruption. I get it, the beach is an awesome place to relax! But even if we were able to relax more, I know Zach and I both would want to be playing WITH our children too. I’m all about kids finding their own entertainment and playing together and such…but I’m also about being hands on and having fun as a family! 

Such a great, hands on Daddy!

Always chasing her brother 😉

I had SO much fun with my girl!!! 

The only negative about our secret spot is how far of a walk it is to the car. Poor Zach has SO MUCH to carry. You can’t really tell in this picture but he has a beach tent, two chairs, a beach bag full of stuff, and a HUGE storage tub full of stuff that he’s carrying!!! BEAST MODE! Kye really loves helping and he carried both of the kids beach chairs 🙂 Big boy! I do hope to find a good deal on a beach cart once the season is over!

After we finish at the beach we always go hit up the hotel pool. The spot where we park doesn’t have showers so we use the hose at the pool to clean off ourselves and our stuff then take some time for a little swim action! 

Showing off that starfish!

Kye swam the entire length of the pool!

This girl prefers the stairs still haha

I followed the same routine I had at Disney…I napped when the kids napped on this trip. I needed the rest and I LOVED it too! I tried to only let myself nap for an hour each day as “they say” that if you sleep longer than 45 min that you get into the deep sleep and it’s harder to wake up. Which I have found to be true, at least for myself!

Britt woke up from nap and, of course, wanted her mama so she came in and woke me up. I LOVED the cuddle time! 

After nap we planned a chill afternoon and put together our Ridemakerz. I already wrote a post about that experience here! It was SO fun and we have LOVED the cars!!! It was a great thing to do on vacation together for sure 🙂

The car making took up a good bit of our evening! Then everyone wanted to spend the rest of the time racing them!!! I loved watching them have so much fun…and I think Zach may have enjoyed them even more than the kids 😉

For dinner we had our traditional crock pot cube steak. I know I get teased a good bit about how we go on trips and make this haha! But we do eat it at home too…it’s just SO awesome as a vacation meal 🙂 Zach went to the grocery store when we got there and also picked up some stuff to make it a FEAST! Fresh corn on the cobb and AMAZING rolls. We never, ever have rolls at home. So when we do, we are all PUMPED! Kye was also very excited on this trip to be using the “grown up” plates and he asked to drink from the “grown up” cups too 🙂

Another downside about the place we stay is the lack of a bathtub. All their units only have showers. Which is tricky! Britt was NOT a fan of the shower so hers were always super quick!!!

I love these pictures of Britt. They bring back memories of Kye as he would wear hats, be naked, and “talk” on the phone in our beach room 🙂 (I found one here!)

Yes,that’s ZACH’S hat and it doesn’t fit my head hahaha Big Head = Big Brains 😉

More car racing after shower time!

Legit, 5 min after putting her down she was OUT!

I think one of the reasons this is always one of my favorite trips is that it’s SO CHILL. We have SIMPLE fun! Nothing crazy, no major plans. Just a lot of togetherness and down time together. I feel like I have no stress or pressure and can truly relax and just enjoy my family. We are so blessed to be able to have each other and do so many amazing things together 🙂