Edisto Beach 2017

I look forward to our trip to Edisto Island all year long, and not just because I love spending time at the beach with my family, but also because Edisto is one of my favorite places. Even in the peak summer weeks, the island is quiet and charming. In place of hotels, chain restaurants, and busy shopping centers, the little island is sustained mostly by small, family-run businesses and its natural beauty.

Our drive to Edisto was not fun, as is the norm when traveling with our kids. It probably wouldn't have been as bad if we had left earlier and avoided the horrendous stop-and-go traffic that we dealt with the majority of the way. I'm not even sure why we left so late, especially considering I had the whole family packed and loaded the night before. But for some reason we didn't get on the road until about 11am. After adding in a stop for lunch, a stop for gas, and a stop for me to move to the backseat to attempt to calm (a very done with the car) Lydia, a four and a half hour trip took seven. 

When we finally arrived, we were so happy to put our toes in the sand and breathe in that salty ocean air! Of course our first priority was checking out the beach!

Most days we headed out to the beach late morning, went in around noon for lunch and naps, and then came back out late afternoon or early evening for a little more beach time before putting the kids to bed.

Scott said I had to include this picture of me wearing his Freedumb shirt. It was cold one morning and obviously I was desperate. We were cracking up at Lydia's attempt to copy my thumbs-down!

Jacob absolutely loved playing on the beach this year! He stayed so busy digging holes, looking for treasures (aka: seashells), jumping off sand ledges, splashing in the surf, and going out in the "deep end" of the ocean with Daddy. He also loved to run up and down the shore pretending to be a train, specifically the stem engine from Polar Express.

Lydia was not so enthusiastic about her time on the beach.

She usually spent the first hour crying and then tolerated the second hour. She did eventually have some interest in collecting rocks (aka: seashells) and did put her feet in the edge of the water a few times.

During low tide, she liked running after Jacob while he pretended to be a train, and really liked if Scott and I held her hands and ran with her. Other saving graces were the pelicans, "ducks" (aka: seagulls), and puppies on the beach, all which offered welcomed distractions.

Despite all the crying and whining, we did manage to capture a few smiles!

Lydia and Wade had fun collecting sticks one evening.

We really loved our house this year! With six adults, three little kids, and two dogs, we decided having a little more space would make the week more enjoyable, and it definitely did. I have other pictures from our time in the house, but Scott left our camera cord, so there's no way to transfer them. (I told Scott he had to relinquish his "most dependable" senior superlative.) I also didn't take any pictures of our delicious dinners. We cooked in each night - mainly because going to a restaurant with three little kids is its own kind of punishment, but also because we all love to cook and we all love fresh seafood from the market. 

The upper deck was definitely the hidden gem of our house. When looking at pictures online before our trip, I brushed off the top deck thinking it would be too hot since it wasn't covered, but it ended up being my favorite spot. Lydia and I spent most of our early mornings there watching the waves and pelicans.

After getting the kids to bed, I often snuck away to watch the sunset from the top deck and then again later to look at the stars before heading to bed myself. It was so peaceful and relaxing.

One afternoon during nap time I was able to slip away for a little time by myself. As you can see, Scott didn't mind staying back on kid duty.

First I headed to George and Pink's, a farm stand a bit off the beaten path. I love driving down the little dirt road lined with gorgeous oaks draped in Spanish Moss to get there.

After leaving Pinks, I stopped to wander around Edisto's Presbyterian Church and cemetery, which I've been wanting to do for the past couple of years. This historic church, built around 1685, is one of the oldest in the country.

The graveyard dates back to 1787.

After leaving the church, I stopped at my favorite place on Edisto - King's Market. Along with fresh produce, eggs, and flowers, King's has homemade breads, desserts, soups, casseroles, quiches, and pies. Yum!!! Even though I was only gone about an hour and a half, it was really nice to just be alone and doing what I wanted - that doesn't really happen these days! 

I'm always a little sad when our beach week is over, but we're so grateful for the time together with my family and each other. Until next year, Edisto!