Summer Break: Week Five!

The week which always has the most pictures, the most fun, the most memories, the most smiles and the most exhaustion... haha!  I absolutely love our annual beach trips with my family.  Seven years ago (when Zander was just three months old), we started going to the beach with my family sometime during the month of July.  Since that first trip, we have added two more kids (and one more on the way)!  With the added kids, we have had to account for different schedules, different personalities and different interests.  Regardless of the changes in the family dynamic, we always manage to make it a week that is fun and memorable for the whole family..... young and old!  We always seem to plan the meals just right where the kids are full, but we make sure we don't have too many leftovers so we are ready for the next meal!  The Bakewell ladies go grocery shopping the first night, and I'm pleased to say that for the first time, we didn't have to go back to the grocery store the entire week!  We planned to eat in for breakfast, lunch and three dinners.  We had cereal, pancakes, eggs, bacon, sausage and two different breakfast casseroles for breakfast.  For lunch, we alternated between sandwiches and leftovers from previous nights' dinners.  For dinner, we ordered pizza the first night.  Then, we cooked tacos, spaghetti and hot dogs for our other three nights at "home".  We ate out three different evenings...... returning to Dockside and Inlet View while also trying a new restaurant, Clark's Seafood and Chophouse.  I tried crab dip at two of the three locations we went to..... making me think I could start to be a food critic, commenting on my seafood favorites! haha At Clark's Seafood and Chophouse, I opted for the she crab soup instead.  We were able to meet up with family friends, the Shorrs, which made the evening even more special.  During the day, I managed to fit in a run each morning before heading to the beach with the family.  We would get to the beach by 10:00 a.m. each day after a leisurely breakfast.  (The boys were up before 6:00 a.m. each morning so it was definitely an extended period of time taking it easy at the house before heading out the door!)  At the beach, the boys loved going in the waves with daddy!!  Zander would practice "surfing" the waves with his Paw Patrol kick board (thank you Grammy and Grandpa!) while Maddox was content "jumping the waves" with daddy.  The water was rather rough the few days that Zack was with us.  Fortunately, I got the calmer seas after he left.  I was able to brave the ocean (thanks to Grammy's help), ensuring the boys were still able to swim each day.  Both boys loved going under the waves and practicing their swimming skills (with an adult within arm's reach, since I was terrified of them getting swept out to sea! haha)  The boys also played baseball, fed the birds, threw the frisbee, built sandcastles (Emmy's favorite part of the beach), kicked a soccer ball, threw a football, got buried in sand and sprayed water at any adult needing to be cooled off!  Around lunch time, we would head back to the house and the boys would cleanup in the outdoor shower.  We would eat lunch (options mentioned above ;)) and then the kids would nap.  I fit in a nap on a couple days and also relaxed and watched some TV on the couch.... both these things rarely happen at home!  We fit in ice cream a few evenings.  We also took the boys to the pier and arcade one night.  Before Zack had to leave on Wednesday, we played our first round of putt putt as a family.  The weather was cloudy and cool so it was perfect to opt for an activity other than the beach for his last morning.  We met my parents, Linds and Emerson at the park on Zack's way out of town which was equally enjoyable due to the milder temperatures.  On our way back home on Saturday, we went to Kalawi Farms, a favorite of the Kennedys.  We got some yummy ice cream, and I was able to grab one more cute picture of the cousins!  Enjoy way too many pictures of a week that always flies by way too fast!  Of course, I had to include the comparison collages of our annual beach adventures!

Zack met us at the beach since he had to be in Atlanta the day before our trip.  The boys and I were able to ride with my parents to the beach and back this year.  We were loaded down with stuff for sure!  Since we couldn't get into our house until 4:00 p.m., we opted to get down there early and have an extra day at the beach!

Until next year......