Hilton Head Part 2

More pictures from our fabulous trip to Hilton Head!

Loaded up in the van ready to go.....we left around bedtime so the girls would sleep all most of the trip. It didn't quite work out like we planned. Stella fussed for a while and Annie stayed awake (although quiet) almost the entire time. Eventually everyone fell asleep and it was peaceful. My kids have never been great car sleepers. They like their beds.

One of the first nights there I took Lucy and Annie to walk on the beach....it is SO beautiful at sunset!

Our mornings were spent on the beach, followed by a swim in the pool, then lunch, then naps, then more swimming in the pool. The girls loved the ocean and I'm surprised at how much swimming they actually did in it. Lucy and Mark would ride the waves over and over. Stella stayed in the sand by me most of the time, and Annie went back and forth doing both.

You can tell she had zero fun.

Sweet baby just played and played in the sand. She was so content with a shovel and an occasional bucket full of water to dump everywhere.

Eventually they hijacked our chairs.

So glad my girls love the beach as much as I do. I'm not sure what I would do if they hated it.

Don't judge me for the floaties. This thing was amazing in the baby pool so that I could sit by the side and rest. Remember I'm hugely pregnant on this beach trip. Resting is in. Wrangling children in the pool is not.

So thankful for our little family trip to the beach before baby comes!

Hilton Head

We had the pleasure of going to Hilton Head with Mark's parents a few weeks ago and had such an amazing time. We didn't think we were going to be able to get away this summer but last minute this opportunity arose and we jumped on it. I'm so thankful we were able to spend time together as a family of five before the new baby comes (just 6 weeks away....eeeeek!!!)

Honestly, there was a lot of resting, swimming, and just sitting in the sand. I didn't take my camera anywhere....I hardly took my purse anywhere. It was fabulous. Flip flops and bathing suits were the only attire, and we ate lots of yummy beach food.

I walked on the beach one night with the big girls while Stella went to bed early and realized how beautiful and peaceful it was, so we took them back the next night to try to get a few pictures, to prove that we did, in fact, go to the beach, and to document these beautiful girls growing up right before our eyes.

I got a few pictures of us swimming and doing random things on my phone but I'm glad we took the time to have a little mini photo shoot with the girls in some sweet sundresses. I'm such a sucker for sundresses.

If you look really close you can see that Annie gained a few freckles on the trip.

Lucy tanned all beautiful and bronze-like. Stella is somewhere in the middle. Not quite as fair as Annie but not the brown lady Lucy is either. I slathered them all in spf 50 every day but they still got pretty good tans.

To say they loved the beach would be a massive understatement. Adored. Discovered. Inhaled. I especially love how Stella just sat down and made herself at home every morning in the sand after we set up our chairs. She is my child.

They had a blast running around and splashing, discovering sea creatures, and getting their adorable sundresses all wet and sandy.

I just wanted to pause life. Right there.

The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.

Psalm 19:1

Beach Teaser

We went to Hilton Head this past week with the whole Campbell side of the family (except Tim, we missed you!). Picture 12 people in a 3 bedroom condo, 5 of them kids. It was chaotic even in the best moments.

Despite the chaos and the cramped quarters, We. Had. A. Freaking. Blast.

Seriously. I was already pressuring everyone into a trip next year. Mark and I had to sleep with all three kids in the same room with us. Two of them in the bed with us. If you know anything about me, you know I'm not into that whole co-sleeping thing. I know plenty of people are fine with the whole "family bed" concept and everyone turns out alright and kids eventually grow up and move out of the bed. We are not those people.

I say all that so you understand that all three kids in the room with us for a week, is a big deal to us. We are used to our privacy, used to not being kicked 1200 times in the middle of the night, and used to not having to whisper and get ready for bed in the dark.

However, if it meant another week at the beach with this crew, I would do it again in a heartbeat. I would get slapped across the face and end up with multiple children on top of me at 2 am for another week. (those of you whose kids sleep with you probably want to punch me right now)

Since we're MOVING.....(that's a whole nother post) I don't have time to upload and edit all the pics from my camera. I promise I'll get to it soon. I do have some from my phone so they aren't the best quality (since I don't have that hot new iphone 5). I honestly didn't take that many pictures anyway because we were so busy having fun and hanging out.

Our dvd player broke half way through the trip down. Thank you Jesus for Leapfrog entertainment.

First night there, we went down to South Beach and ate at Salty Dog. I'm pretty sure its a requirement to eat at The Salty Dog if you're in Hilton Head. They have live music in the evenings and Lucy waited about 0.5 seconds before she started dancing in front of the stage.

Family dinner out...it was crazy but fun! The little ones were so patient.

The beach at Hilton Head isn't like the Gulf....its not as white and powdery and the water isn't as clear so I didn't know if Lucy would love it or not. Apparently she's not as much of a beach snob as I am because she loved every second.

Later that day...tuckered out from all the wave chasing

Stella with me at the pool one day. She's so fat I thought maybe she would make me look skinnier.

All the cousins! These kids love each other so much. I can't believe they didn't fight at all while we were there (aside from the usual sibling stuff). I swear we didn't coordinate these outfits but it turned out to be perfect for a photo night.

More pics to come!