Although we knew things would be different this year, we still hoped to enjoy most, if not all, of those things, even if it was for shorter periods of time. We were hoping that since Gavin loves the water, he would enjoy the ocean, beach and still love being in the pool. We were also hoping that he would enjoy being on the back of a bike.
Sunday morning, after a good nap, we got ready to head over and try out bikes to see if Gavin would like riding on the back of one with us. We got there and they still had a few with child seats on the back so we got some help to get the strap adjusted and get Gavin a helmet. Unfortunately, Gavin was not at all thrilled with being strapped in anything, especially given that we were also torturing him by strapping something on his head. We took a quick spin around the parking lot anyway but he still wasn't thrilled. We have to have the strangest kid in the world! The list of strange things just keeps growing! Oh well, we decided we would get bikes and just try again later to see if he would adjust to it and start to enjoy the ride.
We headed home and had some lunch so that we could finally get ready and head to the beach! Yet another thing Gavin hates... getting changed into a swim diaper, swimming suit and having sunblock put on. What a surprise! After he was sufficiently coated in sunblock (everyone thinks I am crazy for how thorough I am, but the last thing I want is for him to end up with sunburn because I missed a spot or was rushed to get him ready to go out), we packed up our beach bag with towels, snacks, water, toys and UPF pop up tent and took the short path to the beach.
It was so nice to finally be walking in the sand!!! We got his tent set up and a towel and toys put down and we were sweating. It was really hot (as usual and definitely a good thing for being at the beach) so we decided to get in the water to cool off. Gavin loved it! Wahoo! Not a total surprise given how much he likes water in general. He loved jumping into the waves and the water splashing up at him. We stood with him and also sat him down at the edge of the water washing up and he loved that too. He was laughing and squealing he loved it so much.
After we cooled off, we sat by Gavin's tent, under the umbrellas. Gavin quickly got to work investigating the sand. He liked it better than grass. He also didn't seem to mind the taste since he kept trying to eat more and was grabbing for anything that had sand on it to eat that, instead of the sand free toys. Yup, crazy kid!
We spent a while at the beach, but it was quickly passing the point when Gavin needed another nap, so we headed up to the pool to swim for a few minutes before I took Gavin in to nap.
After a long nap (being at the beach eating sand and swimming are hard work), Gavin played with Scott, Tyler and Jake so Lori and I could work on getting dinner made. It is amazing how fast a day at the beach goes but this year they went by even more quickly! Before we knew it, I was getting Gavin fed so he could get his bath and go to bed!
Monday morning we decided to go for a bike ride. We figured Gavin would warm up to it... we were wrong. Although we were able to get him situated much more quickly, he was not all that thrilled with the whole process. We were able to bike down to Mike and Terri's house but had to head home pretty quickly because Gavin was liking it less by the minute. Maybe next time!
After Gavin's morning nap, we decided to run a quick errand to try to find Gavin a UPF hat. We had looked in the last few months and not found anything we really liked and since he refused to keep a hat on, we decided to just not get one. After one day on the beach and in the pool, we decided we needed to force a hat on him because it would be easier than having to constantly keep coating his head and hair in sunblock. We checked several stores close by and most did not have anything that would work and no one had anything that was UPF. We ended up settling on a hat that we really liked, even though it was not a UPF hat. Something is better than nothing. We knew he would protest it but we kept distracting him with other things to try to keep him from ripping it off his head. Surprisingly, it actually worked!
For a little while... but as usual, Gavin won and the hat lost...
Gavin loved having Tyler and Jake around! He loved all the attention they gave him all week. He would follow them around and they did a great job helping Scott and I with keeping Gavin out of trouble.
While I started dinner, Gavin hung out with Scott and Tyler. He was investigating their pool toys. He really liked the water "guns" that Tyler and Jake had. He thought it was funny when the water was coming out, but he also enjoyed chewing on them... just like everything else!
After spending most of the afternoon in the pool, another day was almost over and it was time for dinner, bath and bed. Sad... two days down already!
Tuesday Gavin and I got up to start the beef for the pulled beef we were having for dinner and to make the cole slaw. Then we hung out with Tyler and Jake waiting for Scott to make it out of bed. After Gavin's morning nap we decided to have lunch before deciding what to do next. We had some watermelon left over from Monday night and had some of that with lunch. Gavin has had watermelon, but wasn't a huge fan. He didn't reject it, but he also wasn't asking for more either. I handed him a smaller piece to see if he wanted it and he had a much better reaction to it this time. He demolished the piece I gave him and was even gnawing on the end before I could get it away from him and hang him a new piece. He went through three pieces all by himself. I was very impressed. He is clearly a watermelon fan now!
We decided to try another bike ride after lunch to see if we could convince him it really was a lot of fun. Despite the fact that he basically didn't fight us when we got him in and put his helmet on, we didn't make it very far before Gavin was done. I ended up turning around and heading back with him to just hang out in the pool while Scott took a ride over to the General Store.
We headed down to the beach for a little bit later in the afternoon when Matthew came back with the Fergusons from their visit. They were going down to the beach to ride in Paul's inflatable Kayak. Paul and Scott helped to get Matthew and Tyler out beyond the waves so they could ride and paddle around. They did a really good job and had a good time. Gavin and I hung out and jumped into the waves and sat so the waves could wash over us. It was a lot of fun!
Gavin was really excited when Tyler, Jake, Matthew and Erin came back and were in the pool too. They all played with Scott while I finished up the last few things for dinner. Mike took some great pictures and shared this one with us.
He was so happy and really loving the game that Scott and Tyler had created using the holes and the pressure from the water jets in the hot tub. Before we knew it, Tuesday was gone... where is the week going!
Wednesday, was much of the same. After Gavin's morning nap and a quick lunch, we got ready and headed down to the beach for a bit.
Gavin was thrilled to be down there again. He absolutely loved the ocean and the sand! We ended up back at the pool for a bit and then we had to take showers and Gavin had an early bath because we were heading to Fuddruckers for dinner. We look forward to having burgers there every year! It was just as good as ever and Gavin seemed to enjoy his grilled cheese.
After we picked up some cookies (they have really yummy cookies), we followed the Fergusons over to Harbor Town. We planned to walk around and check out the sites since I had never been there and it had been a long time since everyone else had been. Unfortunately, the parking situation was terrible. The parking lots that are close are small and had just filled up. They have added a trolly system that has lots of parking when you enter the plantation Harbor Town is in, but Scott and I decided we were done. Between Gavin having had enough of being in the car and was tired (quickly approaching bed time) and the prospect of a 3 mile trolly ride both ways, it just wasn't worth it given that it was likely we wouldn't be there long anyway. So we headed home.
On our way home, we decided ice cream might be nice and looked for a Dairy Queen, Cold Stone or something like those. We looked up to see where there was one on the island. We were shocked that there are no Dairy Queens but there was a Cold Stone and we were going to be driving right past the plaza it was in. Too bad as we drove past, it has since been closed. Sad! We settled for stopping at the General Store and getting soft serve ice cream cones. They were a nice treat! After getting home, we got Gavin ready for bed, but he was clearly not really ready. He was absolutely wired! I have never seen him have so much energy, especially at that time of night! We let him run around to burn off the seemingly endless energy for a bit. We even took some video because he was being so silly! By the time he had burned off the energy, we were all exhausted and Scott and I went to bed a lot earlier that night as well!
To be continued...
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