vacation recovery

I need a vacation from my vacation. It's an over used phrase, but sometimes true. We've been going through the normal events that occur after vacation, but it seems my crew is still recovering from their illnesses. I think I alluded to it in the last post. William caught the croup on Thursday night -- technically on Friday morning at 1 AM he came into our bedroom gasping for breath. It was a very scary night. By Saturday Grace had begun to catch a little of the same. Now they have both progressed to stomach irritation from all the fluids created by the virus. Perhaps TMI, but now you know why I haven't been posting for a few days. (UPDATE: Jordan got sick with some kind of stomach flu last night. I have three at home in varying stages of sickness.)

Here's a recap of our getaway. Hilton Head Island was beautiful and very laid back. We had no real agenda other than to relax and have fun...perhaps the best kind of vacation. It's one we all needed.

SATURDAY: We got out of town later than planned due to the Pre-K fiasco. I had stayed up all night packing and Dave had been camping out in the back of the explorer to nab William's spot. We headed out of town in the early afternoon, fought some mysterious traffic on our way south of Atlanta, and then finally felt like we were getting somewhere when we saw our first glimpses of spanish moss. Hilton Head Island is between Savannah and Charleston on the coastline so it falls into the "Lowcountry" region. We were thrilled with our condo upon arrival. We had a 2 bedroom/2 bath -- and that made the whole week so much better. Having a space for everyone to hang out comfortably was paradise. We backed up to some wetlands (think alligators, turtles, and raccoons -- luckily we were on the 4th floor) and had three pools at our disposal on the property. The beach was exactly two blocks away. Needless to say, we slept well that night after unpacking the car.

SUNDAY: We headed to church together and it was a great way to start the week. We made a wrong turn getting to the church and saw an alligator and three turtles sunning right next to where we turned around. William is still talking about Zaccheus and the Sycamore Tree. We spent an afternoon in the heated pool and then headed out for a great meal at The Crazy Crab. Grace fell asleep in Dave's arms during dinner.

MONDAY: We spent the day at the beach. People were rolling out of our development on bicycles with their beach towel and book. The beach was literally seconds away using that method...unfortunately we had too much parphanalia to do that. Because of that we drove and set up at the beach for the whole day using a cabana, packed lunch, and every sand toy ever invented. It just amazes me how busy the kids stay at the beach with little need. Jordan did her thing inspecting starfish, catching a jellyfish in a bucket (!), and collecting shells. William jumped every wave he could and made friends up and down the beach -- including a cute set of six year old twin girls who lived five minutes away from us in Roswell, GA. I expected Grace to be a crazy toddler at the beach, but she was so content and happy digging in the sand and strolling with me.

TUESDAY: Coastal Discovery Museum; Lunch at a Greek Restaurant; Putt-Putt golf; Dinner at Harbor Town in Sea Pines; Ice Cream to end the day

WEDNESDAY: Dolphin Cruise along the waterways. We did see dolphins, but because they are not baiting them towards the boats now we didn't have one come up to the edge of the boat. The practice is much better for the environment and dolphin population though. The kids enjoyed watching the boat crew cast a net for shrimp as we trolled along the water's edge. It was fun to see the huge vacation homes and beautiful residences along the waterway. Apparently Ron Howard has a home somewhere in Sea Pines. Dave took Jordan and William to another pool in our complex for an afternoon swim while I got dressed. We traded babysitting with some friends who were at the condo. Dave and I took advantage of our night by eating at a delicious restaurant called Red Fish and then heading to The Jazz Corner for dessert and coffee. It was an awesome and special night out together.

THURSDAY: We spent all day at the beach again. The weather was wonderful for our entire stay and we took full advantage of it. That night was our night to babysit for our friend and her mother so they could enjoy a peaceful meal out. We cooked steaks and hot dogs and enjoyed getting to know our 3 year old visitor. It was actually a very fun night.

FRIDAY: We spent the whole day recovering from William's croup scare, getting medication, and beginning to pack. That night we decided to take a chance and go to The Salty Dog Cafe with the kids. We bought a ton of cool t-shirts, talked to the beautiful exotic birds, and enjoyed the whole casual environment eating seafood. She Crab Soup is simply the best delicacy ever invented, by the way. It was a great way to end the vacation.

SATURDAY: Our checkout was at 10 am so we had to boogie to get it all out of the room, but we made it. Don't ask Dave how close we came...he might have to re-live it. ;-) We hit the rain on the way back into Atlanta, but apparently we didn't get the worst of the storm. We were cracking up at the stream of people leaving Hilton Head (like us) and the new stream of people heading in for their vacation week. Truly a resort town. I made Dave stop at the Jeff Foxworthy Outlet store on the way back into Atlanta for some laughs. We ended up buying the kid's Easter outfits at Strasburg Children and The Children's Place.

Here are some photos for you to enjoy: