South Haven: Beautiful Beach Days

We went to the beach many more times during our trip, and each time the kids got more and more comfortable there.  By the second visit, we were able to get them into the water, a real bonus since it got pretty hot some days.

We built sandcastles.  They make amazing sandcastle forms these days!

We ate things both healthy ...

... and not-so-healthy.  The kids got to try Hawaiian shaved ice for the first time during this trip; I'm pretty sure they agreed with us that it is much more hype than actual enjoyment.

Mollie and I even flew a kite together!  (Thank you, Grandma/GG for the awesome pocket kite!  It was amazingly easy to get into the air and fly.)

By the end of the week, we had a couple rains here and there and the water got cooler and more tumultuous so we didn't frequent the beach as much.  We knew we'd never be able to keep the kids out of the water if we went, so we decided to just find other things to do.

I'm so thankful for this trip, in part, because it started our kids on a love for the beach.  The sun, the surf, the fine sand ... who could really ask for more on a sunny Michigan summer's day?

South Haven: First Beach Visit

The beach was only a five minute walk from our rental house, making it an ideal spot to spend the morning or afternoon.  Mollie started off very fearful of the sand and would only sit on the blanket.

Baylor showed her how to really get into the sand.

Finally, with Grandpa E's prodding, Mollie ventured out.

Sandcastles were built.

And Mollie got comfortable enough to shovel sand into her suit by the handful.

It was a good first outing, and though the kids wouldn't go anywhere near the water we all had a lot of fun.

South Haven: Moving In and a Chilly Eve

In mid-July we drove down to South Haven for a lovely little week-long vacation with my parents and sister.  I have a ton of pictures from it, so I'm going to try very hard to keep the commentary to a minimum and just let the pictures do the talking.

After freaking out with excitement at their new surroundings, the kids settled down for a little reading time with Oma and Grandpa E.  

After dinner we went to the ice cream shack at the beach for a little dairy treat.  It was the coldest night we had on our trip, but that certainly didn't stop us.

Though the birds nearly stopped Mollie ... she was terrified of them at first and insisted they were "eagles" not "sea gulls".  (In her defense, their names sound a lot alike.)

The next morning, after a not-so-hot night's sleep (thanks again, Monsters Inc.) the kids were up and ready to go.

Captiva 2012: It's Curtins (and Cartwrights) For You!

After a quick breakfast at the hotel, we packed up our things and made our way over to Sanibel Island to see our beloved Mainers, the Cartwright/Curtin family!  We said our hellos, enjoyed some long-awaited hugs, and suited and slathered up to take a walk on the beach.  It was a gorgeous day!

Baylor got to see the ocean for the first time in a while and he was definitely intrigued.  (Yes, I know it is the Gulf of Mexico, but isn't it still part of the Atlantic Ocean?  Whatever ...)

This was also the beginning of one long conversation Baylor would have with anyone who would listen/was in a confined area with him.  It's amazing how much my little man can gab!  He ALWAYS has something to say!

After getting a look at the lighthouse we turned back.

Mollie went off to walk with some other family members and I got to chat with Baylor.

And then he got tired.  (Oh, and it's right about here that I got a lovely sunburn on my back.  Thirty years-old and you'd think I'd have enough sense to ask for help when applying sunscreen!)

Of course, he perked up a bit when we passed by the pool and was revived enough to enjoy a quick dip before lunch.

It was so nice to see Laura, albeit for a very short time, and we're now greatly anticipating seeing her over the Christmas holidays.  It was also nice to see Aunt Cynthia, Uncle Andy, and Delaney as well, though we got to enjoy their company a few more times during our Florida stay.

After our visit, we split up.  Mom and Christine headed off to do the grocery shopping, and the rest of us made our way to the condo to check in and settle in as much as possible.

Mollie, for her part, got all sorts of dolled up in Florida gear.

Let's give smiling a try, shall we?

There ya go!

The first day is always a bit much - the unpacking, the figuring out where everyone (namely Baylor) is going to sleep, the upset of schedules - but we made it through quite smoothly.  I know I'm biased, but the kids were absolute champs and I can't imagine having any other little travel companions!

Captiva 2011: Day Five

Day five on Captiva was a busy one, so it gets its own post!

We started the day early with a trip to the beach!  It was warm and slightly breezy, just perfect for enjoying the sand and surf.

It was Mollie's first time at the beach and her first time in the ocean.  She seemed to like it well enough.

Baylor, on the other hand, wanted nothing to do with the sand or water.  It was probably due in part to his cold and the lack of sleep he was getting from Mollie waking up at night, his cold, and the early sunrise streaming in the windows.  But he's also a little gun-shy when it comes to new things, so we just go with the flow and try to gently encourage him to expand his horizons.

He was a fan of the white ibises we saw down there, though, and really enjoyed watching them run and eat along the beach.

We finally reached the beach play ground, and Baylor was able to loosen up a little bit.  While he initially didn't want to go down the slide we had come to see, he was all about the little blue tunnel.

Mollie, fearless as she is, was ready to try the slide right away.  Unfortunately, she needed a lot of help going down it because her bare legs kept sticking to the plastic.  She still had a bunch of fun, though.

She has been enamored of plastic kiddie booster seats lately, and the bottom of the slide must have felt like one to her because she spent a considerable amount of time just kicking her legs around down there.

The sand was a bit disconcerting, though, and she tried very hard to shake it off her hands as best she could.

Baylor, after much coaxing, finally went down the slide.

But his demeanor at the bottom soon told us that he wasn't feeling his best.

Mollie, ever concerned about her brother, checked up on him ... and sort of tried to boot him from her new favorite spot.

He's quite a bit bigger than her, though, so she left and was content to just walk around the sand.

My dad, Bryson, and I had a fishing date later in the day, so we headed back to the condo to have some lunch beforehand.  On our way back, we stopped by the harbor area and were able to spot a manatee sleeping away the midday in the water.

After a quick bite, the guys and I headed out on the open seas for some fishing fun!  A bunch of birds wished us well as we made our way into the gulf.

On land the weather was a little hot and muggy that day, but out on the water it was perfect ... just a slight breeze to cool everything off.

The guys readied themselves for our fishing adventure while I snapped some pictures.

I'll be honest - I'm not a huge fan of the details of fishing.  Since childhood I have had a special place in my heart for fish (I even wanted to be an ichthyologist for the longest time), and the thought of shoving a hook through the head of a fish just seems a little cruel to me.  Luckily, our captain did all the baiting for us, so it was left to me to just get past that part of it.  I only caught two fish, so the trip wasn't overly "productive" for me, but I did enjoy just being out on the water with no small people clinging to me.

My dad, on the other hand, caught 22 fish!  He caught a couple sea trout keepers, and at one point he couldn't toss in a cast without bringing back a fish.  It was wild.

Bryson did well too, catching about 16 fish, including a couple keepers.

Our captain Tommy seemed a little puzzled that I was more content taking pictures of fish and birds than I was fishing, but that's just how I roll.  This cormorant ended up eating one of the too-small-to-keep fish my dad caught; apparently the fish are so traumatized after being caught that after being tossed back they just sit on the bottom of the ocean, making them easy prey for these diving birds.

Meanwhile, back at the condo, the kids were having a grand ol' time with Mom and Christine.  Mollie got to enjoy a little booster-seat-on-the-floor time.

And Baylor got to play Orba and solitaire on the iPad.

They even paused their play a bit to get a picture taken with Oma for Grandpa E's office.

While it was quite a busy day, we all had a lot of fun.

Hopefully I'll be able to post the rest of the vacation here soon!

Have a wonderful day!