Toes in the Sand

We spent the last few days at the Isle of Palms in South Carolina for our family vacation. We didn't want to go far since Levi has not been enjoying the car much lately. Isle of Palms is just outside of Charleston, so it a little more than 4 hours away. Levi did great in the car, and a huge thanks goes out to our friends P.J. and Mindy for letting us borrow their DVD player. It was a lifesaver for us so thanks guys!! Levi absolutely LOVED the beach. He loved playing in the sand and stomping his feet in the water. We had such a great time watching him play. When we got there Sunday we headed to the beach as soon as we got there to let Levi play in the water. He was so excited. Monday we spent the whole day at the beach. The weather was absolutely spectacular - not too hot or cold, and the water was perfect. That evening we went into Charleston for dinner at Hyman's, and then walked around the shops downtown. Tuesday we biked to the end of the island to investigate the tide pools. We found tons of starfish, sea cucumbers, a jellyfish or sea urchin thing. It was lots of fun, we then headed back out to the beach, but the weather was much cooler, so we mainly waded in the water and played in the sand. We even buried Levi in the sand and made him a 'merman'. He loved digging in the sand with his toys and finding shells on the beach. He also loved chasing all the seagulls. That night we took a few pictures on the beach before heading to dinner and then went to the pier for a little while. Wednesday after we checked out we had lunch at our favorite place - Chick-fil-A - and then went back to the pier for the afternoon. The pier is really nice. They have a war memorial, a big lawn for picnics and playing, a playground for the kiddos, and of course the pier itself that overlooks the shipping channel. We watched some ships come in and out of the harbor. We also saw a dolphin and a few stingrays off the pier. It was a really enjoyable afternoon. We had such a wonderful and relaxing time, and I'm pretty sure Levi is already looking forward to our next beach trip. Until next year...