We were blessed to spend a family vacation on Hilton Head Island this year. We stayed at the Omni Hotel and Resort in Palmetto Dunes. The week was a great mix of relaxing at the beach and pool, while also hiking, biking, sightseeing and eating plenty of fresh seafood! Henry was so excited, and a little confused, by the whole vacation process, he kept asking if we lived there now, if he could go dig at the pool and if each place we ate at was a hotel :-) The kids all had a blast, even Sam seemed to really enjoy himself! None of them had any fear of the ocean and were all (including Sam) equally excited to splash in the waves and dig in the sand. The boys definitely preferred the beach while Grace favored the pool. Thankfully we had no run in with sharks however Nicholas did get a pretty bad sting from a jellyfish. It didn't dampen the wonderfully, super fun week though!!
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| Enjoying dinner poolside, just after arriving |
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| Day 1 at the beach, Sam was instantly right at home....actually napping better than at home, with the ocean breezes and sound of the waves to lull him to sleep....love it!! |
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| The girls at the beach |
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| The big boys enjoying the water |
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| Henry instantly loved the ocean! He of course didn't remember the last time he had seen it 2 years ago |
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| The first of several castles built over the course of the week |
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| The boys are in a treehouse built around a Live Oak which was part of a super cool nature themed playground in Sea Pines |
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| Happy kiddos on the playground |
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| A true southern vacation....sipping pink lemonade while rocking in chairs and listening to live outdoor music.....ahhh! |
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| Looking at the yachts in the marina with Daddy |
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| Near the iconic lighthouse |
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| Look at my seashells Daddy! |
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| We ate ice cream cones while watching Gregg Russell perform under the Live Oak in Sea Pines...what a great show!! |
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| Teamwork |
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| Happy beach baby |
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| Yes, that's sand on his mouth..... having a crawling baby on the beach who puts everything in his mouth, means he's bound to eat a little dirt on this trip, no matter what we did....oh well, I don't think it hurt him a bit! |
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| The boys both LOVE TO DIG, so it was great to have a place other than our back yard for them to enjoy themselves! |
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| Fun in the waves....the surf was just right for our kids....enough of a wave to have fun but not too much to be dangerous |
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| Daddy joined in the fun too! |
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| All our beach babies |
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| Grace's own design and hard work |
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| Sunset at Shelter Cove. We enjoyed a carnival and live entertainment while watching this. Fireworks followed however it was a little too late for our crew to stay and watch those this trip. |
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| We hiked a few hours through the Sea Pines Forest Preserve. It was so nice to soak in the low country scenery and even see some wildlife! The gorgeous Live Oak trees and spanish moss were the highlight. We all enjoyed this activity but for sure Henry, a.k.a. Mr. Outdoors, was head over heals happy here. After 3 hours hiking in the humid heat, he had no desire to stop...he was in his zone! |
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| We spotted this little guy in the marsh |
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| A boardwalk took us through the marshy areas |
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| And this blue heron was in the pond |
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| "Look, I am like Grandpa!" #sillyboywithspanishmoss |
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| Sam is so great about going with the flow and is always up for most any activity |
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| More playground fun |
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| We climbed the 117 steps to the top of the light house |
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| Here was the view from the top |
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| Movie night at the pool... |
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| The kids watched Enchanted on a blow up screen at the pool after dark. What a special treat! |
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| Gracie...always eager to strike a pose |
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| Henry found this starfish washed ashore |
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| Nicholas found several sand dollars in the water |
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| We visited the Coastal Discovery Museum where we learned all about the history of the island and the plants and wildlife there. Very cool place! It was comprised several neat attractions including historic buildings, horse stables, boardwalks through the swamp, and a butterfly house, just to name a few....all free! |
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| The butterfly house |
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| One of Five species of butterflies present |
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| The larva stage |
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| Grace modeling the cool trees for us |
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| This tree is estimated to be over 500 years old |
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| Sam had a blast in the little splash pad at the pool |
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| Henry tried Sushi for the first time at the Skull Creek Boathouse. This was one of many great restaurants we ate at. This one was particularly cool because we could sit outside and watch the large forklifts bring the boats in and out of the boathouse and water while we were eating. |
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| On our last night we roasted marshmallows by the bonfire and ate smores...mmmm! |
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| Daddy rented a tandem bike and took turns riding it with Grace and Nicholas on the beach. It was a muddy, but very fun endeavor! |
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