This summer, we were lucky enough to get to have two amazing weeks at the beach: first, with my hub's "side" of the family, and last week, with my "side."
They were two weeks I'll always remember, and it will be hard to ever top them! So much laughter and memory-making that filled every inch of my heart.
I wrote previously about our first beach trip of the summer. Now, for the second:
The search began many a month ago for the perfect house that would house all 21 one of us--14 adults and 7 children--and after lots of looking, we found it! We traveled to North Myrtle Beach and stayed in an 8-bedroom, 7-bathroom house right on the water. It offered plenty of space for our crazy crew and even had an elevator that REALLY helped with transporting the millions of bags and suitcases and highchairs and toys and beach bins into our happy (temporary) home.
As soon as we arrived, we all quickly unpacked and immediately headed out to the beach. Just like our first beach trip of the summer to Edisto, we were blessed with absolutely gorgeous weather all week, and we took full advantage--staying on the beach from sun up to sun down some days!
And now, my top 10 favorite memories from our 2015 BLOMPS Beach Trip, in no particular order (side note: figured out what BLOMPS stands for yet? I get asked all the time... :)) :
Fishing: My kiddos are so blessed to have so many amazing aunts and uncles. And Uncle Ronald is no exception. He is so great with all the kids and loves spending time with them. This year, he brought a couple fishing rods and fished in the mornings, and often at night, too! Banks was his biggest fan and spent HOURS fishing alongside him, reeling in fish (and baby sharks!) left and right. It was just the sweetest thing. <3
Sunrise walk. One morning, my two earliest risers, my sons, greeted me just as the sun was coming up. So, I hopped out of bed and we spent the wee hours on the beach, just the three of us, watching the sun come up as the boys jumped and splashed and ran and laughed down the beach. It was a morning I will never forget.
Babygate. The year of 2014 brought four new additions to the BLOMPS family, with each cousin being born three months apart! It was so fun to see all four babies together again, playing on the beach and checking each other out. I have no doubt many more memories will be made amongst these four, as well as with their new (boy!) cousin, who is set to arrive in just a couple of weeks, making the tally and even four boys and four girls!
BFF bonding. It is no secret that my sisters are my very best friends. We are also so lucky to have spouses who also consider each other BFFs as well as cousins who do, too. It was such a special week getting to hang out with some many people we love so much, with the closest of friends of all ages.
Lu Crew. Of course, one of my favorite parts of any vacation is getting to soak up time with my little family o' five, which we managed to sneak in, too, amongst all the crazy shenanigans of the week.
Putt Putt. One morning, the whole 21-person family divided up for some non-beach activities, with some folks heading to lunch, others heading to the pier, and yet others heading out for a little Putt Putt. We were the latter group and had a ball (no pun intended)! :)
Beach surprises. Our last night, we surprised the three oldest cousins with glow sticks and sparklers, letting them stay up until after the sun went down. It was so fun! Then, us grown-ups stayed on the beach for one last night of night fishing and chatting. Loved it!
Bam and Digs and their biggest fans. I've said before that I feel so blessed to have four amazing parents, my hub's and my own, who just so happen to be the most amazing grandparents to our littles. While managing a week at the beach is no easy feat with so many littles in tow, it sure is easier, and so much more fun, when you have such amazing grandparents by your side. We sure do love our Bammy and Digby and Nana and Pop!
Girls walk. As per usual, the guys spent one morning playing 18 holes on the golf course; so, another morning, we girls took a nice, leisurely stroll down the beach to the pier. It was an awesome way to start the day!
Dinner out on the town. We sibs headed down to "Broadway at the Beach" for dinner and drinks one evening while Bammy and Digby hung back with the littles and enjoyed a really fun (and tasty!) meal while laughing all the way through.
And with that, our summer beach trips come to a close. Until next year, BLOMPS!
Fishing: My kiddos are so blessed to have so many amazing aunts and uncles. And Uncle Ronald is no exception. He is so great with all the kids and loves spending time with them. This year, he brought a couple fishing rods and fished in the mornings, and often at night, too! Banks was his biggest fan and spent HOURS fishing alongside him, reeling in fish (and baby sharks!) left and right. It was just the sweetest thing. <3
Sunrise walk. One morning, my two earliest risers, my sons, greeted me just as the sun was coming up. So, I hopped out of bed and we spent the wee hours on the beach, just the three of us, watching the sun come up as the boys jumped and splashed and ran and laughed down the beach. It was a morning I will never forget.
Babygate. The year of 2014 brought four new additions to the BLOMPS family, with each cousin being born three months apart! It was so fun to see all four babies together again, playing on the beach and checking each other out. I have no doubt many more memories will be made amongst these four, as well as with their new (boy!) cousin, who is set to arrive in just a couple of weeks, making the tally and even four boys and four girls!
BFF bonding. It is no secret that my sisters are my very best friends. We are also so lucky to have spouses who also consider each other BFFs as well as cousins who do, too. It was such a special week getting to hang out with some many people we love so much, with the closest of friends of all ages.
Beach surprises. Our last night, we surprised the three oldest cousins with glow sticks and sparklers, letting them stay up until after the sun went down. It was so fun! Then, us grown-ups stayed on the beach for one last night of night fishing and chatting. Loved it!
Bam and Digs and their biggest fans. I've said before that I feel so blessed to have four amazing parents, my hub's and my own, who just so happen to be the most amazing grandparents to our littles. While managing a week at the beach is no easy feat with so many littles in tow, it sure is easier, and so much more fun, when you have such amazing grandparents by your side. We sure do love our Bammy and Digby and Nana and Pop!
Dinner out on the town. We sibs headed down to "Broadway at the Beach" for dinner and drinks one evening while Bammy and Digby hung back with the littles and enjoyed a really fun (and tasty!) meal while laughing all the way through.
