Vacation? Define vacation.

Well, I guess it was vacation in the sense that neither Scott nor I had to be at work. And Kiawah Island, SC was most definitely its typically beautiful self.

But really, how much rest and relaxation can anyone expect to get when your two and six year old kids take advantage of the only allowable time they can spend an entire night's sleep in the same bed with mom and dad?

And night frights? Will has got 'em. Twice during the week he "woke up" around 3am screaming "no mommy, go away mommy!" at the top of his lungs, kicking and hitting me. What a way to wake up.

Really makes you feel like a good parent to hear that coming from your child in the middle of the night. Both times it took him about 10 full minutes to calm down, go potty and fall back into a real sleep.

The other nights he would simply wake up at 5am demanding food. So he and I would pad out to the kitchen, grab a breakfast bar and some juice and 20 minutes later he would be ready to go back to bed for a bit longer - thank goodness! Of course he was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed no later than 6:30am most days.

Thankfully, Eliza Grace was so worn out that she was out like a light each night with not a word - hallelujah! She attended 2 mornings of Kamp Kiawah and, even though there were only a couple of kids and she was the oldest, she still had a lot of fun.

We got in a few nice bike rides and some delicious afternoon naps. The ocean was really nice and we spent a lot of time floating on the waves and playing on the beach building dribble castles. Both Eliza Grace and Will have no real fear when in the ocean, which I am both happy and nervous about.

One highlight was fishing at one of the lakes on the island. At first I was just concerned about Will falling off the small pier because of the threat of drowning...until the alligator showed up! It swam right up to and under the low pier that we were fishing from and swam around a bit. I, quite understandably, did not let go of Will's shirt after that and managed to talk him into going back to the car with me for a snack...lest he become one!

We also survived our annual South of the Border stop that Eliza Grace so desperately loves. Dang, that place is nasty. I cannot for the life of me figure out how that place stays open for business. Oh, well...the kids enjoyed it.

It was a nice get away but both Scott and I commented more than once that we are too old to still have kids this young. We eagerly await vacation a few years from now where we will sit with a cold drink and a good book under an umbrella whilst the kiddies entertain themselves!

Will enjoying a rest by the pool

This fella was munching on someone's lawn as we peddled by on our bikes

One of the many egrets wandering the island. Mom, is that a "snowy" egret? :)

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