Is it Emilie or is it Kendyl?

This is a picture I took of Kendyl at the beach:

and this is a picture Michelle took of Emilie in 2002 at the same beach :

CRAZY!! Definitely could be the same child!!

Kendyl's First Beach Vacation

Where to start?!?! Our trip to the beach was phenomenal and now that the pictures from our five cameras have been merged, I can give you an update!

It’s a tradition for us to take pictures of the kids sitting on the front porch and unlocking the door to the "new house." They like to check everything out before the rest of us enter. Of course, Kendyl started her exploring after the doors were opened but her knees hit the ground running.

After unpacking the cars, we headed to the pool. This was Kendyl’s first time in a pool so we were extremely excited. Even better, when we were walking to the pool, we realized Emilie and Kendyl had on the same bathing suit – Michelle and I had not even planned this!

We left the pool and took the kids to the beach. Here’s a peek at Kendyl’s first sand and ocean experience…

We had to have our 'Yes Dear' moment as we carried all of our gear to the beach. After getting settled in, it didn’t take Kendyl long to become a beach babe! She had the relaxin’ down pat!

Of course, I have to touch on a few of my favorite things about Sea Pines (in no particular order):

1. The Dolphin Experience – Dolphins frequent the sound where we stay and this year, one came within 10 feet of Kevin and I was able to snap a shot!





2. The Bike Experience – Bikes are a must in Sea Pines and Kendyl had her first bike riding experience. After the initial ride (1st picture), she really started to enjoy it (second picture). It may have had something to do with the helmet. . .



3. The Salty Dog Experience – Many afternoons and evening have been spent hanging out at the Salty Dog.





4. The Sunset Experience – These pictures say it all!





5. The Kite Experience – The area where we stay is at the end of Hilton Head Island so the beach is never crowded which allows for a lot of room to fly kites. So much fun!





6. The Harbour Town Experience – A trip to Hilton Head wouldn’t be complete without a visit to Harbour Town. Kendyl really enjoyed the playground!





7. The Dunes Picture Experience – Each year, the kids have their picture taken with the Dunes in the background. This year, we did it twice, once with a professional photographer and once on our last day. Since it was the 4th of July, the kids were dressed patriotically so the pictures look too cute with their coordinated outfits. Once again, Emilie and Kendyl matched and Michelle and I had not planned it!

Every year, there is some funny theme that carries throughout the week. This year we had two themes but I have three new favorite things about Hilton Head (drum roll):

1. The High Tide – When the tide came in, the water took over our beach - literally, there was NO beach left. Our chairs, coolers, baby pool, books, EZ ups, and other beach necessities were swallowed. We refused to go without a fight though and I quickly became a fan of swimming under the tents. It didn’t do much for my Casper skin tone though.





2. The Crabs – When the tide was out, the crabs took over the beach! I have never seen so many little guys and they hate the water, so when the tide crept up the sand, they took cover under/on our chairs.





This picture is only a small indication as to what we really saw.

3. The Disney Resort – Since none of us wanted to travel on the 4th, my mom booked a night at the Disney Resort within Shelter Cove. It turned about to be perfection! Our villa was directly next to the pool which had the 'Big Dipper' water slide. I don't know who enjoyed it more: Emilie, Mason, or Owens! It was great! Our balcony had the best view of the sunset and fireworks in the entire resort so we hung out on our porch to watch the AMAZING Shelter Cove fireworks show. We may have to make this our new 4th of July tradition!

Here are just a few other fun pictures. It's easy to see how much we enjoyed our vacay!

I just love this picture!

and the countdown begins for next year!

So Big!

Kendyl and I were having snack time tonight (her new favorite thing) and I was telling her what a big girl she was for chewing the whole puff and not the half I had been giving her. Every time I said the word 'big' she raised one or two of her hands. I realized she was playing 'SO big' all by herself. We have been playing this with her for awhile but we usually raise her hands for her. Now she really is SO big....

As I rewatched this video, I realized she is looking up too.

How smart is she?!?!

Ahhh....

Summer school is finished! Kevin survived my marriage and family counseling class without too many 'guinea pig' moments. So now I only have five classes left before graduation. Whoop Whoop! I also completed all of the housing assignments and deposit refunds so I am actually caught up at work too! What an amazing feeling. Now we are preparing for our trip to Hilton Head and I am proud to report to all the doubters out there - I actually HAVE started packing! That still doesn't mean I won't be doing laundry at 2am (sorry, Mom) or that we won't show up at the rendezvous point late, but I certainly don't want to disappoint anyone. As I learned in class - we all have a role to play in our families and if you deviate from that role, you cause chaos in the family system. Now, you wouldn't want me to cause chaos, would you......

Stay tuned for Kendyl's beach debut pictures!