How We Vacation: Isle of Palms With the Kids

I’m a little behind because I’ve been spending most of my free time keeping our clothes and dishes clean and sleeping! But here’s some snapshots from our vacation at the end of the summer.

Saying, “The kids.” is now my new favorite thing!

Here’s how we vacationed with the kids. That feels like a big triumph. It took us hours to get out the door but we did it!

Expectations

Before Brandon and I booked a place to stay we each wrote down what we were hoping this trip would look like and then we compared notes and discussed where would be best suited for us to stay. We chose Isle of Palms because it’s an easy straight trek to the beach from CLT. Lincoln did great in the car, we forgot one big thing that didn’t even end up being a big deal and overall our trip went well thanks to our planning. Our big takeaway from our rough Nashville trip was to make a plan, then make a plan B and also be adaptable. We also learned to be honest with eachother about what our current needs are before we go on a trip.

Because we booked this trip before Lincoln was born we decided to book a 3 night trip. Long enough to have some beach fun but short enough that if our baby wasn’t sleeping through the night yet we wouldn’t be miserable or causing excess noise for neighbors.

Adapting

The tide was pretty high the majority of our trip due to some storms coming through. We weren’t able to set up a space on the beach to hang out for the majority of the day because due to the tide there was little beach. However, that ended up being fine because Lincoln didn’t last a super long time laying on the beach anyway. I reminded Brandon that to be fair to Lincoln when we took Lici to the beach for the first time we never set up on the beach, we simply walked along the beach together with her in the ring sling.

Keep it Simple

Brandon took Felicity out on the beach a few times in the early morning while Lincoln and I slept in. They played, they flew a kite and Lincoln and I watched them from our balcony when we woke up. We’ve been fortunate to stay ocean front when we’ve traveled with kids which makes getting out to the beach several times a day more bearable, since it’s just steps away.

Felicity is such a big kid. I can’t believe it. She slept on a pull out couch in the living room, covered in the 10 stuffed animals she packed. She woke up each morning, turned on cartoons and poured herself a bowl of cereal I had set out for her the night before.

We took lots of walks on the beach where Felicity searched for shells and dug trenches for the waves to pour into. I reached for Brandon’s hand and asked if this is what he imagined when we started our life together. I’ve been having alot of surreal moments like that since having Lincoln. I tell Brandon and Felicity that I feel like I’m living in a dream come true.

We spent quite a bit of time in the pool with Felicity. While Felicity swam in the pool Lincoln laid in his bassinet in the stroller poolside napping or had what I called Condo Time where one of us took him upstairs to lay on his play mat in the condo and have a break from the heat. Since I hadn’t been able to swim most of the summer I thoroughly enjoyed swimming with Lici. That is until she yelled, “Get out! There’s a crab in the pool!”

Have a Rain Plan

On a day that there were scattered storms we went out to lunch to eat crab and then grabbed coffee. We always have to have an afternoon coffee break!

Decide When and Where to Eat Out Before Everyone is Hangry

This is a golden rule on trips for our family! Even if it’s just a day trip! We decided to bring breakfast food and easy dinners we could make in the condo, leaving lunchtime for eating out. This plan worked out really well, we didn’t want to have two tired kids out in the evening during the witching hour!

Brandon and I started a new habit this year. Toward the end of each day we ask each other how we’re feeling overall on a scale of 1 to 10. It’s a really easy way to get a good idea how his day has been and where I’m at. If I’m at a 3 and he’s at a 4 at the end of a work day that’s maybe a night to constitute ordering in. Or sometimes I think I’m wiped out but when given the opportunity to think about my day I actually feel gratitude and I realize I may be physically tired but I’m still at a 7. Since having Lincoln I haven’t been much higher than a 7 just because of the general lack of sleep! Sometimes I’m at a 5 but stopping to talk about why I’m low and getting a hug will push me to a 7. It’s been a great practice that works well for us. Typically one of us has a little more to give and being honest about that and communicating what our needs are has been really helpful in this season of raising littles.

One evening after we cleaned up our dinner I put Lincoln in the carrier and walked along the beach while Felicity ran up and down searching for shells. Brandon had gotten up early with Felicity and his number was lower than mine and he felt generally drained. I stopped to etch this in the sand and texted it to him. One summer when we were dating I did this and sent it to Brandon on a summer beach trip. As I gave him some alone time while the kids and I walked along the beach I thought this would be a sweet little way to say hey, we’re still us, I still love you after all these years and milestones in our lives, it’s still you and me.

We had such a lovely trip, I’m looking forward to many more trips together where we can bond as a family of 4!