Beach Trip!

Em's school is closed for two days of teacher training each year in August, and just like last year, we decided to use the long weekend for a short vacation.  I took Wednesday off too and gave Em the option--needless to say, she decided to skip school and stay home to "help" me pack and get our stuff ready for the trip.  Mick came home around 10:00 that morning and we got on the road before lunch.

It's about a 4-hour trip to Hilton Head Island, and once we got there and checked in, we decided to head down to the beach for a little bit.  Em was so excited to get in the water and sand!

We didn't take chairs or anything with us, so we just played a little and let Em burn off some of the energy she had stored up in the car ride.

We came back from the beach and ate dinner at the poolside restaurant.

It was so hot outside that the pool and splash pad felt good, even as it started to get dark.

The next morning, we had reservations for the pirate cruise that we did last year--we got to Harbor Town a little early, so we ate breakfast and let Em play in the playground a little bit.

We got to the pier in time for her to get her pirate gear, tattoo and face paint.

Her meanest pirate face!

This is the ship--The Black Dagger!

Again, it was super hot, so even when the boat was moving, Em needed to take plenty of water breaks in the shade.

But she wasn't going to miss firing the water cannons at Stinky Pete, who stole the key to our treasure chest!

She had a great time, despite the weather.

This guy has a pretty decent job when it's 90+ degrees outside.

The captain of the ship pulled the treasure chest out of the water and into the boat.

The kids were all excited when the chest was opened!

They each had a turn to go up and get some treasure to take home.

We ate lunch at Skull Creek Boathouse (loved it!) and came back to the hotel for Em to take a nap--the heat really takes it out of her, and we knew we'd be out later than usual at night, so we worked a nap in every day.

Later that afternoon, we took our chairs and Em's toys down to the beach and played a little longer.

She loved jumping in the ankle-deep waves.

We walked and splashed,

 and of course built some sand castles.

 Then Em decided she wanted to get in and let us bury her!

When we were done at the beach, we headed back to the pool and splash pad for a while.  Honestly, it was so hot outside the whole time, we felt like we needed to stay in or near the water.

Friday morning, I had a dolphin tour booked for us--there are lots of them around the area, but this was a privately owned place and offered a two-hour cruise with a guarantee of seeing dolphins.

Another very hot morning, but there was lots of shade on the boat, and it felt great when we were moving.

Em was excited to see the birds along the way, but was anxious to see dolphins!

There was only one other couple on the boat with us, so we had plenty of room.  We also brought a small cooler on board with drinks and snacks.

 Em even got to drive the boat!

 Then we all took a turn.

 It wasn't long before we started seeing dolphins--and I mean LOTS of them!

The captain told us that dolphins like the sound of children's voices more than adults, so he got Em to start calling the dolphins.  I'm sure it was a coincidence, but soon after, this one swam right up to the boat!

The captain told us his name was Mickey--their dorsal fins are unique like a fingerprint, and this is one he's seen many times before.  Em was beside herself with excitement at how close he came to us!

She couldn't get over how friendly he was.

We went to a place called Vanishing Island, which you can only see when the tides are just right.  He pulled the boat up so we could get off and walk the beach looking for seashells.  We hadn't been able to really find shells on the main beach, so this was great.  In no time, we had found several whole sand dollars!

We only stayed on the island for about 15 minutes before heading back to the boat.

On the way back in, we passed the Harbor Town lighthouse, and the captain took this family picture for us.

We had a delicious seafood lunch at Hudson's on the water.

That night, we went back to Harbor Town for the Gregg Russell live show (where Em had sung on stage last year).  She makes friends wherever we go--it's hilarious.

She had fun, but didn't get picked to sing this year.

 After the show, he did offer to take pictures with the kids.

Saturday morning, we didn't have anything planned, so we went to the beach early and took everything so we could really set up shop.  Em had a great time building sand castles and drawing in the sand.

After a few hours, we headed back to the pool to set up for a while.  We had lunch by the pool in the shade.

And Em practiced silly faces.

It was very relaxing :).

The splash pad was great, because it gave Mick and me a little break while Em still played right beside us.

Saturday night, we headed back to the Salty Dog Cafe--Em luckily spotted Jake right before he was heading inside to cool off.

We ate dinner at the Wreck of the Salty Dog, and Em got pretty excited about all of the animal statues.

She had a salty dog painted on her arm,

and of course finished off the night with chocolate ice cream.

And found another friend to dance with before the night was over.

Sunday morning, we got up and packed everything to head home.  We let Em have a few minutes to play at the hotel playground before getting in the car.  It was a great trip, and made us wish we'd spent more time at the beach this summer!