Oh, the beach house. Why can’t real life be like the beach house?

If you haven’t been reading for years, the beach house belongs to the uncle of one of my friends. He allows us to borrow it once a year for a long weekend. It has 6 bedrooms, each with their own private bath, a huge kitchen, 3 wine fridges, a fully stocked (with alcohol) butler’s pantry, every TV channel ever, a deck and private pool, and beach access to an always deserted private beach. Everything about the beach house is nicer than my own house, including the dishes and beds and beach toys. There is a planter full of herbs that grows on the deck, so if you need fresh basil for dinner it’s right there. The towels and sheets are color coded to the bedrooms, so the cleaning service can put them all back in the right place when we leave. I imagine the beach house is what life is like for celebrities every day.

This year we went from three kids at the beach house to SIX kids at the beach house, ranging in age from 2 months (Linc!) to five years (Evan!). The number of adults actually fell. The weather wasn’t very good and I only made it down to the actual beach once and I drove alone for two days each way to get there AND my car broke down 10 miles from Kiawah…but it was still an amazing vacation.

The beach house is lucky. It turned out my car just had a dead battery, the baby slept through the night, and my often-missing husband even made it to the house for a very brief visit. It was so great to see my friends and talk about life and jobs and changes and babies. We’re already planning for next year’s trip (and saving up for a nanny, since we’ll have 6 actual kids, rather than 3 and 3 babies). I can’t wait.

Having kids at the same time as your friends works out well.

The pool was pretty cold. They did not care.

We try to buy a gift for the owners every year. This year we bought a huge crab pot, so next year I can fit all the lowcountry boil in it.

So much foooood.

There’s an old fashioned pharmacy/soda fountain in the shopping center on Kiawah

The beach was a little bleak without the sun, but it wasn’t too cold for the kids.

He really wants to learn how to surf

He was really good at boogie boarding though!

Linc likes the beach for about 5 minutes.

The “O” has a sad face in it, because Princess Sadface had a meltdown about…something. We still aren’t sure what.

Then she cheered up.

Couch naps, not just for babies!

Caramel apple pie. Recipe coming soon.

Caroline LOVED that there were lots of people who let her help in the kitchen.

Eating cake in her jammies. It was both early for cake and late for jammies. Vacation!!

He’s not actually that grumpy, he just makes that face.

Helping with important work. Or maybe playing games.

Reading to Baby Jesus.

The appropriate way to eat chocolate ice cream.

Linc is almost exactly the same size as his 4 month and 6 month old baby friends. FAT BABY, OLD MAN FACE.

Last morning at the pool

Goodbye beach house! See you next year!

Tags: beach, beach house, Caroline, E, evan, food, friends, fun, kiawah, kiawah island, lincoln, ocean, photography, pictures, pool, south carolina, summer, things I love, travel, vacation