Wish we were here

It's now been about 3 weeks since our trip to St. Martin with the Schmidt side of the family. And even though the weather in Concord hasn't been freezing, it has been quite gloomy and rainy. A stark contrast to the sunny, warm weather we enjoyed on Thanksgiving. So as much as I love our home (the new house and the whole community) it's not hard to dream about and wish we here again:

Kaelyn swimming in the pool at the villa only steps from the beach

View in the other direction from the pool deck

Or here:

Our view at lunch on Pinel Island

See, you wish you were there too, don't you?


Longing to be back there may also have something to do with how different this trip felt to the last. Remember that trip? I was being somewhat kind in that blog post about how crazy and difficult my youngest made that trip for me. It was not relaxing in the least. I'm sure Care-Care and Jay can now identify with that feeling. Although, even though Connor was always on the move and being curious he did seem to at least sleep better than Bren did at that age. And let other people hold him.

The kids are becoming quite the seasoned travelers. The technology available today may have an little something to do with it.

On the flight from Charlotte to SXM we had a pretty nice plane which included personal touchscreen tv's in every seat. Brennan liked watching the gps map to see how much farther we had to go. Kaelyn "accidentally" turned on Frozen. Oh well, it kept her happy for 2 hours of the flight.

The kids are really at a great age to take to the beach. We still need to be pretty vigilant watching them in the water but they are gaining confidence and independence each time they go in. And they truly enjoy it. Even being crashed by the waves. Bren still doesn't like getting water in his face and has to come out and get it wiped off but there were a few times at Karakter where he powered through it and stayed in the water.

See, sleeping baby and sleeping Mama. Lucky Mama.

I think that baby's sleeping again.

They also loved making creations in the sand. And the absolutely adore playing with their cousin.

Even though Bren still needs an afternoon nap we were able to get in some slightly longer days at the beach than we have in the past. One day he napped on the beach with Nana. Other days he would fall asleep on the car ride home from the beach. He's very partial to back scratches from Nana, which are almost guaranteed to put him to sleep. Even if he's sitting up at lunch.

Nana having a snuggle and reading to her babies after lunch on Pinel.

This was after our long day on Pinel. He woke up in time for the boat ride home. He usually wakes up a little cranky but I think the boat ride perked him up.

Hanging out with their cousin like a couple of cool kids

Being a superstar and waiting for your photographer is a rough job

No matter what beach we take them to they just love running, getting their feet wet and exploring. Bring 'em in their fancy clothes and they're still sure to get plenty wet.

My attempt at a frame-worthy photo. I think we'll have to go with one from the photographer instead.

Can't you just feel the joy?

She may have been getting tired of being asked to smile nicely, but she never stops being cute.

I tried to find opportunities for learning. We examined shells and other things we found on the beach. We also talked about how the ocean looked like different colors in different spots.

We had a few windy days while we there. I remember the first time we took Kaelyn to Karakter (I think it was her second year there), which is usually a pretty windy beach, and she was terrified of the wind. We had to use shirts to block her from the wind the entire time we were there and she wouldn't get in the water. The wind didn't seem to bother either of them much this time. The even enjoyed the rough waves. Except maybe when Kaelyn went to wash her shoes off by herself and got knocked down with no adult nearby.  Ooops!

And you thought their hair was crazy just sitting at home.

Enjoying a fruity drink

We even got a taste of Christmas while we were there. Doesn't feel quite the same without snow around though.

There's our little superstar again.

Brennan got quite a kick out of his first kayak ride on our second trip to Pinel.  I hope he remembers the experience and excitement.

Getting back to the main island at the end of the day proved a little more difficult. It took multiple attempts to get everyone in the kayak ready to go.

Kaelyn's turn!

You didn't think I'd let this one go, did you Matt? Luckily everyone came up laughing and the next attempt was more successful.

Saying good-bye at the end of the trip is always bittersweet. The kids (and adults) did enjoy watching the big planes land from Sunset Beach Bar.

A few more pretty pictures to remember the trip.

A soft, soothing sunset viewed from the pool deck at the villa.

As the sun sets, the moon rises.

A couple days after we got back I turned Caribbean Life on HGTV while I was folding laundry.  Kaelyn asked if every place was St. Martin. She also said she wished we could live in St. Martin always. She especially liked the houses with balconies (one of her wishes for our buy house that did not come true) "because it feels like you're in the sky but you're really in a house." And I think Brennan is still convinced that Connor and Care-Care and Jay actually do live in St. Martin. You know, South Carolina, St. Martin, they're so similar I can see how he'd be confused. Or maybe just wishful thinking.

Good-bye St. Martin! We hope to see you again soon!