And we're off, like a herd of turtles!

So this morning we are leaving for Hilton Head Island with my family. Why am I updating my blog, instead of loading up the car? Because once again my daughter has proven that the later she stays up, the earlier she gets up! Her usual bedtime is between 8:45 and 9:00 p.m. Last night it was about 9:20 before we put her to bed, and she layed in there and talked and jabbered until after 10:00! Theoretically, you could expect her to sleep until after 7:00 (she usually gets up at 6:30, like clockwork!). Instead, at 5:15 a.m., she is wide awake!

Which is why I had plenty of time to blog before we load the car and leave at 7:40! We are heading to HHI with my parents, my mothers parents (pappaw and memmie), and my sis and her family. This is our second annual beach trip all together. We've all pitched in and rented a beach house on the ocean, this one is about two houses down from the one we rented last year, and from the pictures I've looked at online, is layed out pretty much the same. It has five bedrooms, and is really big, so even though there are six adults and two little ones going, you don't feel cramped.

Last year we all went in together and rented a U-Haul, one of the small ones. At first I thought that was pretty ridiculous, but once we got finished loading things in, it was full to the top! It's like the Griswald's Beach Vacation! My dad takes two or three bicycles, Dave and Kenneth take their golf clubs, then there's beach chairs, beach toys, beach umbrella's, more toys for the kids...Not to mention the ginormous cooler my memmie takes, packed full of every conceivable lunch meat, cheese, breakfast food, condiment...and of course her fabulous "Hundred Dollar Cake" ~if there's anything better than a cake with chocolate and coffee in it, I haven't found it yet! Then my mom takes a huge box of snacks, drinks, etc. And this is just for breakfast and lunch, since we eat out for dinner each night! Oh, and of course Sherry Renfro's Emergency Cleaning Kit~ just in case the house doesn't meet her standards of cleanliness, she throws in Clorox, toilet bowl cleaner, etc...Anyway I guess we prove the old saying, "Its better to have it and not need it!" This year Dave borrowed a trailer from someone.

I'm really looking forward to our trip, it's nice to spend time with the family, although I wouldn't say its exactly "relaxing", what with a two and three year old to chase around! But there are so many of us, you always have help keeping an eye on the little ones. My memmie and pappaw seem to have the most fun, they love playing with the great-grandbabies.

Of course, this year I'll be 27 weeks pregnant for our beach vacation, so I don't know how much running around I'll be doing in that heat and humidity! This baby has made me uncomfortable a lot earlier than Bella did- hips and back hurting, tired, etc. Oh, lets not forget the all important weight gain! There's always the possiblilty the whale watchers will spot me and attempt a heroic rescue of the beached whale!

Anyway, its almost time to grab some breakfast and load up the car!