Throwback Thursday: First Beach Vacay

Hello and happy Thursday!

I hope you’ve had a great week. I finally feel like I’m getting my feet back under me after being gone. The kids have had a few things this week, but I also got to go to the pool and start chipping away at some of my “to do” lists for the summer.

A few weeks ago, I shared a Throwback Thursday post about the first time Hadley went to camp, and today I’m sharing another post about the first time we took the kids to the beach.

Sharing my trip recaps has had me thinking about the first vacation we took as a family of four. Wow! Traveling with kids has definitely gotten easier!

In July of 2010, Travis and I went to Folly Beach, SC to celebrate our five year wedding anniversary. We left on a Thursday and came back on Monday, and the drive was only about eight hours to the Charleston area.

The following summer, we decided the eight hour drive seemed doable…even with the kids being 18 months old. We went on vacation with friends who also have twins (two years older than my two).

Anyway, we found a house in Folly Beach, and we arrived late afternoon/early evening. Our house was on the second row, so we just had to cross the street at the beach access point. As soon as we got everything unpacked, we decided to check out the beach.

Hadley has always been more outgoing and assertive whereas Hayden has always been more quiet and hesitant.

Well, upon seeing the beach and the ocean, Hadley was the hesitant one, and Hayden was all in. I will always remember her pointing at the water and just seeming so uncertain. Hayden, on the other hand, went from running to the water’s edge to playing in the sand. He got so wet that we had to take his shirt off so he could play and not get as messy.

Obviously, with each passing day, Hadley became less timid, and Hayden had the time of his life. It was so nice not having to walk too far with all of our beach gear.

Target was my “go to” for their swimsuits for years and years. Hadley still loves Target for her swimsuits. I would always put one or two swimsuits in their Easter baskets.

Hayden loved the water gun at the beach! Hadley…”diva mode” activated!

They loved sitting in these little chairs for snack time while looking out at the water.

We went out to dinner most nights. We’d also head to the beach after dinner to catch the sunset.

I still have this pic framed….it’s one of my faves!

I always loved dressing the kids up in cute little summer outfits.

Many of our afternoons looked like this:

(and this is one of my favorite photos of all time of Trav and Hadley)

It was nice being so close to the house as sometimes my friend and I would stay at the beach and the dads would take the kids back for nap time. Other days, we’d switch off.

We had our house Saturday to Saturday, and on the Friday that was our last day, it was very overcast, and it was going to be rainy. The other family stayed, but we decided to go on home a day early. We were tired, and the kids were fussy.

My kids have always been great sleepers, but always the first couple of days anywhere were rough. Once they got in a routine and settled it, it was always ok.

Even now, Hayden is still kind of a sleep talker/fitful sleeper the first couple of nights not at home.

On the second night of our recent vacation, at 3 am he hopped out of bed and was talking to us in the hotel room. haha!! He never remembers doing these things.

Anyway, the kids were tired, and I was just ready to be home. That next Monday, I remember taking Hadley to the doctor and he said that when the kids are little, it’s a “trip” and not a “vacation.” This was a lightbulb moment for me…haha

Hadley had an ear infection which might explain why she was out of sorts even at the end of that trip.

My friend took this pic of the kids and me as we said goodbye to them and Travis packed up the car.

It was a really great vacay even though it was a lot of work to be away from home. We had a lot of fun with our friends, so that was a bonus too. That trip to Folly Beach was the start of a few summers visiting the Charleston area.

In 2013, we stayed at Wild Dunes on Isle of Palms which provided two more pics that make me smile when they pop up in my memories:

We went back to SC in 2014 and 2018 and we most recently went back in 2021.

It’s crazy to think that traveling has gotten quite a bit easier. The kids can entertain themselves on a long car ride, they can pack their own suitcases, and they can even have a little more independence and freedom when we travel. It’s true—the days are long, but the years are short!

South Carolina is a great place that’s pretty convenient for us to visit.