I know posting more pictures is kind of ridiculous, but I have twofold reasons. One, I like putting them here online so even if my house burned down I’d have SOME of my photos on the interwebs. Plus technically this blog is my kids’ scrapbook, and I don’t want to leave out their first summer and Mormor and Bumpa’s new lake house. Two, I have done too much stuff in the past month and it finally caught up with me. I have a list of pains longer than my arm and absolutely no energy to deal with anything. I barely have the energy to convert my photos into JPGs anymore, let alone edit them the way I should.

It’s ridiculous that I am complaining about doing TOO MUCH FUN STUFF and that photo editing it cutting into my busy Candy Crush playing schedule, but that’s me. I’m Suzanne. I’m ridiculous. But these are the last of my epic road trip vacation photos, so from now on you just get mini-vacation posts. So much better!

p.s. Also, it is 2013. I know the title said “2012” all morning, but that was probably just your imagination. Clearly I know it’s 2013 by now, considering it’s June. July. I meant July.

My dad’s childhood tackle box – he still uses it.

If you put her in a bathing suit, she wouldn’t go near the water. But in her clothes? Totally soaked.

He did not catch any fish.

My mother is going to hate this picture, but I love it SO MUCH I don’t even care. Could they look any happier?!

Old House Vineyards (not actually PART of the Lake House. Just nearby.)

1. If you are a parent and you take your kids with you on vacation, it’s not really vacation. It’s being a parent in a new and different (and hopefully more scenic) location. You still have extra bodies to dress and feed and clean and beg to go to sleep so you can drink your wine in peace. The only way to TRULY get a vacation is to leave the children somewhere else. Or bring a nanny.

2. Letting your children play in elevators is a poor choice. Even the small private elevator in your beach mansion. Hashtag RICH PEOPLE PROBLEMS. (Luckily Caroline bears no ill effects or claustrophobia from those terrifying 10 minutes.)

3. If you take 1000 vacation photos in a weekend, just switch to JPG instead of RAW so you don’t waste your entire vacation editing photos of drinks and food along with the beautiful shots of your children.

4. Even if your children previously loved sand/water/swimming/the beach/the dark/cheeseburgers/naps/sleeping/eating/dogs/walking/singing/breathing/etc etc etc, they will insist they DO NOT love those things as soon as you get 200 miles from home. Especially if they are 2 and a half.

5. I need a vacation after my vacation. Luckily I can be totally lazy and sloth-like for the next couple of days while I finish editing photos and forcing you to look at them.

p.s. Still an amazing vacation, even if I sound a little ungrateful slash spoiled. Driving home is the worst.

Vacation, then more vacation. My life is really not hard right now.

Sunday:

Someone fits right in on Kiawah Island

MORE HATS. ALWAYS.

Hello, someone please come look at my castle!

Monday:

A brewery, you say? Can I have some beer? I’m totally 21.

Chocolate cake + carrots = balanced meal.

I was the wheelbarrow. I lost, big time.

Tuesday:

*Sob* Goodbye, beach house!

SO HAPPY to meet our friend Sophia.

Obviously they’re getting married some day.

Wednesday:

This is the only time all week we got Caroline into a boat.

Me? I like the boats.

Weirdos.

Thursday:

Operation Wear Out The Children Phase 2: Playground

Success! (Well, sort of. Caroline is force feeding him milk.)

Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’

Friday:

Sort of totally in love with these steps

Checking out the grapes

Never ending balls of energy

Saturday:

I have swum back and forth to that platform with a toddler on my back a thousand times…and I’m not even sick of it yet.

Princess Sadface demands more fruit.

Opie? Is that you?

We have a liiiiitle bit more vacation followed by the horrible drive back to Connecticut, so if you hate me and my vacation photos don’t worry, I’m almost done. Then it’s back to real life for…well, forever. Basically. Or at least until next year’s summer vacation. Although I can’t say I’ll be sorry to be home in front of my own TV where I can lie on the couch eating an entire pint of ice cream while my children scream at each other without bothering any other people.

These are all from Saturday on Kiawah Island, South Carolina

Crab boil. We went through two loaves of bread just dipping it in the broth.

The next three I took with the 200mm lens that lives at the beach house. It weighed a TON but holy gorgeous shots, Batman.

Pim’s cups, courtesy of our English bartender

This is our third year on Kiawah Island and it’s the best one yet. There are more friends, more food, an endless supply of cocktails, a pool at the perfect temperature and a beach that feels like it’s all for us. Apologies for nothing but pictures for the next week.