Alley Oops: 2nd Annual Family Vacation

We had such a good time in South Haven, MI, last year that we decided to return this year. We rented a cottage in a different location this time - it was farther from downtown but had a cute patio and porch. I think the increased distance was a pretty even trade with having some outdoor space.

We hit the beach every morning. We walked there our first afternoon, but due to the nightmare that was walking a double stroller (and two kids) down a flight of about 50 stairs, we opted to make the 2 minute drive the rest of the time.

Brooke LOVED the beach.

There were two days with little wind and calm water and two days with waves.

She was much more comfortable/independent the days with the calm water but had a lot of fun jumping into the waves when it was windier.

We were impressed with how independent she was playing in the sand, too. She had fun making "recipes" using sand and water. We also spent most of our last morning looking for seashells along the shore.

She also had fun floating or being spun in the inflatable turtle that I bought for her. She named him "Boot" (No idea where she got that name. Maybe she saw a boot nearby when I asked her to name it? It reminds me of Steve Carrell's line from Anchor Man, "I love...lamp.").

And this guy....

He's normally so chill that I was expecting him to be a total beach baby and play or sleep all morning. That worked two mornings. The other two, I ended up holding him for a majority of the time.

I should have gotten a shot of our makeshift set-up. We weren't classy enough to buy/borrow one of those beach tents or umbrellas, so we used the shade of our $7 camping chairs with a towel hung over it. I did think to bring Brooke's toy tent to use. It says it assembles easily in minutes...if you have any engineering skills whatsoever. Matt and I tried for at least 30 minutes (probably more like an hour) to set it up to no avail. Maybe we wouldn't do as well on "The Amazing Race" as I'd once thought.

He also enjoyed snacking on Sophie.

And his thumb.

We tried to get a few posed shots.

After the beach, we would head home for the kids to nap. The cottage was only two bedrooms, so the kids shared a bedroom at night. We were nervous about this, but they did remarkably well. For naps, we put Brooke in our room since their schedules aren't quite in sync.

We got Brooke this floor puzzle on our second night and she did it at least three times a day. She loved it so much that we were able to take it away as a consequence, and consequences are hard to come by on vacation.

The cottage was pretty tiny, but owned by an interior designer and very well decorated. Not incredibly kid-friendly, though (notice all the vases, porcelain figurines, the WHITE sofa, chairs, etc). Thankfully we don't really have to worry about baby-proofing with Brooke. I have the feeling we're going to be in for a rude awakening when this little guy gets moving.

After naps, we'd head out and either walk along the pier, to the park, or to some of the shops downtown. We cooked out one night and ate out the rest. After the kids went down, Matt and I would enjoy a cocktail or two and usually watched the Olympics.

I think my friend Kelly (Ripa? You may have heard of her.) said it best, "When you go away with the kids, it's more a trip than it is a vacation." Still a good time, but not quite as relaxing and carefree.