Throwback Thursday

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.

Hello!

Well, I think this past year I’ve felt a little more sentimental than usual. I guess with the closing of the middle school chapter for my kids and knowing (fearing?) the next four years of high school are going to fly by, I’d like to capture a few more memories on the blog.

Like my “Summer Sunday” posts, I had hoped to start a Throwback Thursday post earlier in the summer, but never got to it. Now is the time 🙂

Hadley just got back from camp this week, so I thought it would be fun to have some of her camp experiences in one spot.

The first year Hadley went to camp was the summer of 2019 after her 3rd grade year. It was for six days and six nights. She went to a camp about an hour and a half from Lexington. Many of her friends had been to the same camp, but the previous years, for their age, it was just three days.

I remember being so nervous for her as she prepared for camp. I did take comfort knowing she was excited, and she would have friends there too….I had just wished that we had “tested the waters” for three days before jumping in to a week! When you registered, girls could write down one roommate, so again, I knew she’d most likely have a good friend in her cabin.

We all went to drop her off, and I left a “care package” for her to receive mid-week.

I did give the camp address to family, so she received lots of mail that week. The camp would post photos on Facebook every night, and those first couple of nights I would stay up late to see her smiling face. I just wanted to know she was having a good time.

I had told her that when I picked her up, I’d probably be there early because Hayden had a baseball tournament that weekend. We could pick up starting at 9:00, and I was there by 9:15. Once the counselor went to get her, she came out smiling, and the first thing I noticed (besides her smiling face) was all the bug bites she had. haha!

She immediately asked that I sign her up for the next year, and also told me she hadn’t brushed her teeth since Tuesday since she’d lost her toothbrush! haha

Once I got her packed up and in the car, she told me all about her week at camp before falling asleep for most of the ride home. I was so happy that she’d had such a great time.

We’d signed her up to go the summer of 2020, but that session ended up getting canceled. She was really bummed.

She proceeded to go to the same camp in 2021 and 2022. Both times, she had a blast, and I was definitely less nervous about sending her. I’m so grateful she’s had those experiences.

Hayden never seemed interested in going to sleep away camp, and since he’s a home body like me, I never pushed it on him. His first camp experience was running camp last year…and he loved it.

I feel like we’ve gotten pretty good at packing Hadley for camp. Last year, I wrote this post sharing what Hadley usually took to camp.

The camp she went to last year and this year provided a packing list, but she put everything in a suitcase since that is easier to load into the belly of the coach bus, and put other odds and ends in her backpack.

Last year, was Hadley’s first year going to Young Life camp in Missouri. There is a YL branch at her school, and she’s been involved in it all three years of middle school. She’s made amazing connections and has been provided great opportunities to grow in her faith with wonderful leaders.

This camp experience is different compared to what she did the previous three years as she packs a little differently, I don’t have to drive her to camp, and I don’t get to see the facilities (in person).

She boards a bus at a local church at 5am, and rides a coach bus the nine hours to camp. As they arrive at camp, the leaders take their phones for the five days they are there.

The leaders do send the parents emails with photos, and sometimes there are videos. Of course, I still want to see her smiling face, but I know she’s having a good time and worry less about her now that she’s older.

The camp is on a lake, so they have the best time boating, tubing, swimming, playing games, attending small group, cabin time, and club (for daily lesson/scripture) as well as journaling, playing volleyball and pickle ball, meeting other kids and more.

They don’t leave the camp until 1:00 PM (central time) on Sunday, so they don’t get back to the local church in Lexington until 1 or 2 am. I know she’s tired from camp, but I’m tired from the late pick up! haha

Last year, she was gone over the 4th of July, but they had a blast.

This year, camp was mid-June, and of course Hadley was excited to go. The packing list and logistics were the same. Travis dropped her off early last Wednesday morning, and after about eight hours, she texted us that she was handing over her phone and she’d see us in a few days.

Like in years past, I appreciated getting a few pics from the YL leaders.

For “theme” night for their group…they were Nerds. We didn’t have to provide anything for this costumer so this was a cute surprise picture to see. (Hadley is bottom row, second from left)

They had time on the lake…

…and enjoying the amazing setting.

Once she got her phone back on Sunday afternoon, I was excited to see this text from her:

I picked her up at 2am on Monday, and I was excited to see her of course. She filled me in on all of the activities and fun she had with her friends. I think this year felt a little different for her. This is a big group of girls, and a few of them are going to a different school for high school. They’ll all still see each other, but it will be different.

Hadley said on the final night, there were tears and they stayed up extra late hanging out.

I’m glad she’s had such wonderful camp experiences through the years. Each year has provided lots of memories, but going to camp has allowed her to spread her wings a bit, be independent, and navigate life a little out of her comfort zone.

We miss her when she’s gone, but I know she will look back on these camp experiences with fond memories.

Category: Throwback Thursday

Throwback Thursday: First Beach Vacay

Throwback Thursday: Camp