Prelude to a Recap

Well, we made it home safe and sound after 17 hours of travel each way. The travel days were somewhat hellish, but definitely worth it for the fun we had. We got home around 10:30 last night, and slept the sweet sleep of the exhausted, that is unmatched by anyone who has not traveled such a distance with a baby in tow. I was thinking it's a good thing I wasn't a pioneer because I would have been far too whiny.
As I was preparing to make a post highlighting the trip, I was having a hard time deciding which pictures to post, and where to begin. So more for my good than yours, I have decided to go slowly and savor it. I will post a few pictures everyday, and in the torturous way I have become accustomed, remember what it was I was doing a week ago that day in Charleston.
This is a picture of the house we stay in each year. I have many more pictures of the interior, but from previous years and they are not digital. Alas, I do not have a scanner. It is a beautiful house as you can see, and finely appointed since it was my mom the designer who outfitted it. It has 6 bedrooms and 5 1/2 baths over 3 floors. It is only one house from the beach which is the ideal location for insurance against hurricanes. You are close enough to walk to the beach in just a minute, but you have a 'buffer house' to shield you from those pesky hurricane winds and rain.

The beaches are beautiful because we stayed in a private resort called Wild Dunes on the Isle of Palms. The beaches are pristine because they are private and securely maintained. This means clean and sparsely populated for your beach-going pleasure. This is the 3rd year that we have gone to the same beautiful house in the same luxurious location, and also our last. For anyone interested, the house is selling for merely $4 million. Have at it!
As you can see, Bella clearly enjoys the beach as much as the rest of us.

She loved to just crawl right into the surf, mouth agape for whatever salty surprise would greet her. We had to keep a close eye on her because she wouldn't stop crawling straight out to sea. We both loved it when there were tide pools that she could play in. Tide pools are created when the tide goes out, but due to differences in the elevation of the sand, a pool of water is left behind. They are perfect because they're generally not deeper than waist-high, and fairly small. The babies could just crawl/walk in and out on their own accord. We dubbed them the 'baby pools' of the ocean. More to come tomorrow. For now, in keeping with the torturous exercise I practice:

(this should be said in my whiniest voice, which if you know me, is pretty whiny.)

Last Monday in Charleston:

• Might have been the best day because it was our first full day there. We knew we had the whole week to enjoy, and could savor the knowledge and anticipation of each day.
• We went grocery shopping for a few meals.
• We played cards and games.
• We ate too much great food.
• We went to the beach.
• We lounged.
• We enjoyed the company of those we love most.