Hilton Head is by far one of our favorite beaches and we were thrilled when family friends, (The Adelsons) offered up their beach house to us over labor day weekend. They have a gorgeous 3000 sq.ft. home that sleeps 10 and has 2 cribs, an in ground pool, dock and is located in Sea Pines. Their place could not be anymore perfect for Asher's first trip to the beach! We had a great time just the three of us, although next time we will bring the parents so we can actually enjoy the vacation with extra hands to help!
We arrived around lunch time on Saturday and quickly unpacked and got in our swimsuits so we could head to the beach. We decided to eat at the Beach Bar for lunch and enjoy the view of the ocean while getting Asher acquainted to the "breeze".
Classic facial expression. He wasnt so sure about the breeze initially...
...he quickly warmed up to the sun and the wind...
...heaven on earth, at the beach...
Asher enjoyed lots of tickle time and laughs
After a few dips in the ocean with Daddy we changed him into his dry clothes.
He was warning the sharks not to mess with him..."he bites"!
On our way home we stopped at Publix to get some things/food for the few days we would be at the beach. Publix has an amazing Soy / Dairy Free Selection and as I have mentioned I have been dairy free since Asher was born due to his stomach not being able to tolerate dairy. I stocked up on Sour Cream, Smoked Provolone Cheese and Parmesan Cheese. What a treat!
Once we got home we all showered and got ready to go out for a family dinner. Asher was not cooperating for family photo time...no big surprise here. We really don't have very many decent family photos but, one day we will get one!
He had no problem posing with Mommy!
Asher got to bed way too late the first night. So late, I feel like a bad parent admitting the actual time. Dont judge. Sunday morning we slept in. Philip fixed us a delicious breakfast of eggs, bacon and challah bread sandwichs. We intended to get to the beach at 10 AM but didnt end up making it out of the house till 11:30.
We were those people with a naked baby or diaper baby on the beach on more than one occassion. Once our lovely umbrella decided to do some fun tricks (this happened at least 3-4 times before we packed up the umbrella and invested in something else) we put Asher in the stroller to give him shade until we got our act together. We ended up dropping a ridiculous amount of money on an umbrella and chairs just for the sake of being able to enjoy the beach with a 3 1/2 month old who required shade. Totally worth it!
As noted...totally worth it! Look how much happier he was once he was settled in!
Asher especially enjoyed napping on the beach in his KidCo Pea Pod. This thing was a lifesaver and he loved his own personal tent!
After nap time we took Asher out to enjoy the surf
he enjoyed rubbing his feet into the sand...
Looks like he has Daddy's feet!
The hat kept falling in his eyes and the sun was behind us so we decided to ditch it for some better photos in the water
Later that night we decided to go out for a nice family dinner at the Boathouse II. Philip ate a whole flounder and I had broiled seafood. This dinner was definitely over priced but then again, It's Hilton Head. We got a local to snap this family photo after dinner when the sun was going down. The weather was gorgeous!
Monday morning Asher was up and ready for the outlet's. We hit up Gymboree, Polo, Carter's and BabyGap. We were able to snag a few decent priced items. He has already outgrown all of his winter clothes so we are in desperate need of larger winter clothes. Thankfully a shipment from his cousin Spencer will be arriving in the next month!
This outfit is from his Cousin Matthew and Ashley and it is 18 months! Granted its a little big but seriously... 18 months?!? Oh and he pooped on it about 45 minutes later!
The outlet's took longer than we expected and the weather was very overcast almost on the verge of raining for most of the day. We decided to head out to the beach around 4. Asher enjoyed the beach with daddy.
He had so much funny with daddy he decided to spit up all over him. Asher doesnt spit up often so this photo was a must have...love it!
After the beach we attempted to visit one of Philip's clients in Hilton Head but she wasnt there. It was worth the trip because I was able to capture this photo with some amazing light. This is the first photo where you can see the actual color of Asher's eyes right now. Blue around the edges, green in the midde and light brown on the inside. I am praying they stay like this because I love them...almost as good as blue!
We finally headed home to prepare Asher for bed and to prepare our big beach dinner. While daddy was on the dock reeling in the crab trap Asher and I decided to do a little photo shoot on the dock. He was all snuggled up in his PJ's from Aunt Diane and we couldnt resist his cuteness.
To get this kind of smile out of Asher all you need to do is sing Old MacDonald or the ABC's. For some reason those are his two favorite songs and he sings and laughs along with you!
What a little flirt!
Whats up ladies? Handsome or what?
Always has his mouth open...
Definitely posing at this point...
Model much?
Uhoh I got busted...
I am a giggle monster...
While mommy was busy taking the millions of photos above Daddy was slaving away for our dinner. We set the crab traps out with chicken necks in them two days prior. Each day we would go out to check how many crabs "fell into our trap". By the last night we ended up with 4 large crabs and 1 baby crab (that we let go). Getting the crabs out of the trap was quite a chore and it took Philip about 45 minutes.
Checking out our dinner in the trap
Throwing the trap back to loosen a crab that was wedged between two wires
One angry crab....ready to be steamed!
Two of the crabs before we steamed them
Once Asher went down to bed we had the best dinner of our entire trip cooked by Chef Philip. Philip is an amazing cook. He has always been an amazing cook but since Asher was born he has really stepped up into this role as I am usually nursing Asher while he is preparing dinner.
The dinner menu: Shrimp Cocktail, Steamed Blue Crab, Flank Steak, Baked Potato, Grilled Corn on the Cob and Fresh Steamed Green Beans.
with a side glass of wine, water and baby monitor :)
It was delicious!
After Dinner we cleaned up from dinner. This was our final night at the beach and we had a lot of "stuff" to pack up. The amount of stuff you need for a 3 month old is insane, but totally worth it. After clean up we decided to play Scrabble. Granted I ALWAYS win. Its a known fact, but Philip is a good sport. We played. I of course won even with Philip trying to cheat. I did not notice he cheated until I took the below photo and realized he had switched out some letters when I went to the bathroom to make a word work. He got busted, but we had a blast!
The beach trip was a very memorable trip. Exhausting but totally worth it.
We are already looking forward to our next trip to the beach when Asher will be eating sand!
