Our Memorial Day Weekend Staycation

One of the best parts about where we live now is that even when we don't get a big vacation, we still have lots of options for a little staycation at home.  We have several good beaches within a relatively easy driving distance for day trips.  We have enjoyed trying out several of these beaches this summer.  For Memorial Day weekend, we knew the beaches would be more crowded than usual.  We headed up to one of our favorites at Hilton Head Island, SC.  Most beach goers favor the morning and early afternoon times so we have decided that we like the later afternoon less crowded time.  We don't like getting up too early on Saturdays anyway so we head up about lunch time, stop for lunch, and then make it to the beach by 2:30 or 3:00 and stay for 3 or 4 hours.  By the time we leave the beach after getting cleaned up at the nice bathroom and shower facilities and stopping for a quick bite to eat, we get the boys home with just time to get them bathed and in the bed.  We discovered one of Hilton Head's many public beach parks is a little more hidden away and less crowded than the rest and that one has become our favorite spot.  However, on Memorial Day weekend, even that one was busier so we waited until later in the day to head there.  We actually hit a little less crowded spot that is located on the inlet side of the island where the river flows into the ocean.  It is a pretty spot for pictures although less ideal for swimming since the water feels more like a riverbottom with slimy silt instead of sand.  It was kind of neat for the kids to explore here because it was low tide so they walked a long way out and saw thousands of little hermit crabs just lying on the riverbottom.  Brody wanted to catch some and bring them home.

On Sunday, we spent the day doing the usual activities of church, lunch, and relaxing at home.  On Monday, we spent some time at our neighborhood pool.  It was a fun and relatively laid back weekend (if any weekend with four kids is laid back...Ha!).

Of course, we had to take some family pictures in our red, white and blue in honor of Memorial Day. 

I love these boys! 

Mommy's boys

First stop of the weekend was lunch at Chick-fil-a.  We don't really love the Chick-fil-a's closest to us in Savannah as they just don't seem to be the best managed restaurants which is definitely not typical of Chick-fil-a establishments.  No matter how busy they are, they can usually handle it quickly, efficiently, and with extra courtesy.  The two in Savannah are the only ones I have been in that consistently cannot handle the tasks of getting your order prepared correctly and efficiently.  Anyway, we usually stop at the one on the way to the beach in Bluffton, SC.  

The boys explored the beach at Mitchellville Park and found lots of hermit crabs.  I meant to try to capture a picture of the thousands of those and never did.  

Mattox enjoyed playing in the sand while big brother Evan read and Brody caught some hermit crabs in his bucket.  We returned them to their home before we left. 

That picture of my husband cracks me up.  He was modeling my new straw hat.  

Mattox didn't quite understand the concept of soccer and just wanted to run off with the ball. 

I just love sitting back and watching these boys in action. 

I love these two sweet boys who look so much alike. 

I love playing with my boys too. 

At the pool, Evan attempted to help Brody learn to swim. What a great swim instructor he could be! 

My sweet Mattox loves the water.  I wish our pool was more little kid friendly with either a 0 entry area or a kid's pool.  We miss the little toddler pool in Charlotte.  Mattox mostly has to stay on the steps unless he is in his float or with us.  

Daddy gave Brody a really good swim lesson and had him swimming by himself a couple of feet to the edge of the pool.  I just hate that we haven't visited the pool as much this summer because I do not feel comfortable taking the boys by myself, and we have had an unusually stormy summer with lots of late afternoon and evening thunderstorms. 

Evan did a good job helping with Mattox. 

I just enjoyed sitting on the edge watching these boys and holding Grayson. 

Daddy making Brody chase him. 

Just hanging out in the pool with my boys. 

Evan really misses having a diving board still, but he still loves practicing his jumps.  He was watching some bigger boys doing some cool dives and did try diving a little too.