Hilton Head

...Hilton Head 2014...

...When we were invited by the owner of Daddy's company to join him for a week in Hilton Head this summer...after we asked a few times to make sure he really wanted our whole family....we jumped at the opportunity...Daddy was the only one of us that had been before and we all knew a road trip that ended in a beach was one for us...

...so we loaded up and hit the road...

...and this summer has been a little different...well, a lot different...since we now have three little people in the house and since Mommy was at home, life has had a simpler feel, less hectic in so many ways...and more hectic in others...

...we have tried to focus on what do we need versus want and how can we maximize family together time...and if that was the mission of the summer...we are definitely on track...

...but I digress, so planning for a 12 hour road trip with a 4 year old, 2 year old and an almost four month old sounds a little daunting...and truthfully the packing was a little stressful...but we loaded up everything we needed, and I mean everything...and hit the road early on a Friday for a Saturday arrival...

...he slept like this for over an hour...

...we took over hotel rooms with smiles, bounces and bags of snacks and movies to be re-organized...

...and after a few days of travel, one large traffic jam, two boxes full of snacks and quite a few viewings of Frozen and The Little Mermaid...and the occasional appearance from pirates...we made it...

...and we stayed right near Harbour Town, with a short walk to boats, shops, restaurants and nightly entertainment geared towards the kids...yep, I couldn't have designed a better spot for our family if I tried...

....we checked out the local restaurants...and spread our cheer in between bites of Macaroni...

...we rented a boat, used up gobs of sunscreen, enjoyed new friends staying with our group and even met some Dolphins along with way...

...and we spent lazy mornings on the beach, afternoon nap times for the older ones were for snuggling with our newest addition and beginning our own Happy Hour...

...rides in the jeep and evenings filled with ice cream also became the 'norm' for the week...

...as did the singer under the old tree in the Harbour...

...but really we took a week and put down our phones, except for pictures of course, and we didn't try to see and do everything...we simply tried to be...and it was perfect...and has left us longing for more time without plans....

....and on the ride home, we stopped at the Chattanooga Choo Choo to see a hotel where Daddy had fond memories...and while we aren't sure they have upgraded a thing since Daddy was there 30 years ago...the kids have fond memories...and really after the week we had...it was going to be hard to compare...

...although we did get a nice tour by horse drawn carriage of Chattanooga....

...and when you are 4 and 2...sleeping in a train car with your whole family is exactly how you spell fun...

...because none of them realized the A/C wasn't working at first and the tub was dirty, among other things...nope, they were all smiles...

...and that is how I would sum up our time in Hilton Head, full of warm, sunny memories where the family time and the smiles were plenty, the host and condo was outstanding, the weather perfect, the food nicely mixed between gourmet and scrumptious and the only complaint was that the week ended far too quickly...

...Thank you again, Mr. Shad, for a wonderful week of fun...you have made five more fans of your great spot  in Harbour Town on Hilton Head Island...