Holden 2016 (day 5)

04/03/2016

And as it always does, the day of heading home arrived.

We should have been washing linens and packing.

But we opted to begin our Sabbath Day restoring our souls one last time before heading back to the pace of normal life.

And of course I tried to capture it all.

Do our kids argue?

Yes.

Do they fight?

Of course.

Do they whine, irritate each other and want to go in five different directions all at the same time?

Yes, are there siblings that don't, and I need clones to keep up.

But there is something about our time together, just our "little family" as they call it, unplugged from TV, social media (beyond me popping up a few photos for Mama to see what her grand babies are up to) and video games that creates a "magic bubble" of sibling goodwill.

During these times (and our yearly Mother's/Father's Day camping trips) our kids seem to disagree a little less, find ways to entertain each other, and fall back into that way of giggling that they enjoyed as wee ones.

We love it so much that it makes us wonder if our family could expand to include another...

Finally it was time to head back to the house to get ready to go.  The spicy one tried to convince us that her feet were stuck and we'd just have to leave her there.  But one of our family mottos is that we never leave a man behind...

Until next Spring Break Holden...

Holden 2016 (day 4)

04/02/2016

Day four started much the same as each of the other days.

Sleeping until we felt rested, leisurely breakfast, heading to the beach for a little football,

splashing in the waves, and taking a walk.

Detecting any trends?

One thing we did learn however is that if you are walking toward the pier ~ about two miles in distance down the beach ~ and it becomes obscured in view, you *may* get wet.  One of those experiences we'll laugh about later...

We didn't make it all the way to the pier, but after getting soaked in the chilling mist when we finally figured out why the pier had somewhat disappeared, we decided to head back to the house for warm showers.  Of course then the sun came out.

But by that point we decided to go ahead and stay clean and opted for some geocaching on the island.

We enjoyed checking out some areas of Holden Beach away from the water and enjoyed the near perfect weather.

Some lead us to areas we didn't know existed on the island, while others were cleverly hidden with clues like, "Stop what you're doing and look to the sea."

All the exercise from our soggy pier walk to geocaching caused us to work up quite the appetites, so we headed to our favorite little coastal town of Calabash for some Calabash shrimp and hushpuppies.

And what night at Holden would be complete without a stop at Beaches N Cream?

Coconut cream, banana pudding and mint chip for the win!

Holden 2016 (day 3)

04/01/2016

Not every day at the coast is necessarily all sunshine, and as it had been a while since we've experienced a rainy day at the beach, I suppose we were due.

After a leisurely breakfast and morning, we headed to explore The Museum of Coastal Carolina.

While not as huge as our science museum downtown, it focused expressly on the ecosystems and history of our coastal region and we found it a good way to pass a dreary weather morning.

Who knew owls were an important part of the coastal ecosystem?

Thankfully the weather cleared and while no-one was interested in suiting up to play in the water, everyone was game for a long walk down the beach.

Along the way we found great fun in jumping off the sand cliffs created by the tide.  The boys challenged me to show my best move and I think I surprised them...heck, I even surprised myself with my inner ninja ability.

We actually made it all the way to the northern tip of the island...

..., pretty amazing considering some sets of legs in the family are pretty short.

And then before dinner we squeezed in a bit of fishing.

Because fresh crab (all we caught on this expedition) could serve as a tasty appetizer.

Or we threw him back and just enjoyed the rhythm of casting and reeling in while talking and laughing with family...

good for the heart

I would be withholding information if I failed to lead this post without the disclaimer that there are many, many times I wish I could pluck out my eardrums to keep from hearing their bickering.
That said...
There is not much that brings me more joy than their giggles together. This time brought on by a game they created involving a kickball (about 20 feet off the ground in this picture) and the swing set. 

We've had a few great sibling days in a row around here. It's been good for this Mama's heart!

(yes, I'm aware one is missing...she's next next-door at piano lessons)

Holden 2017 {the beach}

spring break 2017

I suspect eventually we'd get tired of lazy mornings, the futility of protecting forts from the incoming tide and ice cream every night.

But I wouldn't mind trying...

#loveabeachvacay

had an extra shadow for one of my morning runs...my pace may have been off but my heart was full!

the one that got away...

(Oh, and the reason I'm not closer to the water? That's the one packing oversight this trip. Even mamas sometimes forget things. Though a bathing suit on a beach trip? Sheesh...)

every time he naps in my arms on the beach i wonder if it is "the last time" it will happen

sunset walks are THE BEST

Good-bye Holden.  We'll see you spring break of '18!

Overheard {I love my family}

Bedtime snuggle conversation with the peanut...
"Mommy, 'Wo ai wo de jia' means 'I love my family', right? 
"Yes sweetie."
"Okay. Then Wo ai wo de jia because I love you and Daddy and Caleb and Kylie and Darcy and Natalie and even Nicholas even though he doesn't live here yet. It's like we're a puzzle and he is the next piece to connect with us. I can't wait to meet him!"

<3 melt...