Cape Cod Vacation {what we did}

Warning: Photo Overload

Congratulations if you made it past the explosion of pictures and are actually willing/interested in hearing about what we did while on vacation. As I said before, our vacation was absolutely wonderful. Owen was a dream baby, and Dylan did great for a 3 year old. Spending time with my family did what it always does- makes me want to move back to Indiana. But that's another story for another day. Let me get back to what we did during the week. 

There was the perfect mix of relaxation and structure to this vacation. Every morning there was a family breakfast at a relative's villa that we had the option of attending, and it was a great way to visit and get a great start to the day. After that, we would get ready for the beach or the pool. The beach was only a 2 minute walk, and it was a nice, private beach. You had to be a guest at the resort to have access. A major perk of this beach was the staff- you'd get to the end of the walkway and there would be a smiling European young man asking you how many beach chairs you wanted and whether you'd like an umbrella too. Then they'd follow you to wherever you wanted to park yourself and they'd set it all up for you. Seriously, I felt like I was in Downton Abbey: Beach Edition for a little bit. Being waited on like that was a little awkward, but mostly really nice.  The kids had a ton of sand toys to play with, so they were always entertained and excited to be on the beach. 

The kids liked to splash around in the water a little bit and look for crabs. The water was so shallow that there was little fear of danger- it was less than a foot deep for a long way out. There was a little drama, though, with Dylan allegedly getting pinched by a crab. He was content and playing in the ocean one minute, and then was absolutely hysterical the next, saying that a crab pinched him. No one saw it happen, but he did have a little scratch on his thumb. Poor kid cried and cried, and spent the rest of the week talking about the time that he was pinched by a crab. 

There were family activities throughout the week- welcome and farewell dinners, karaoke, campfires at the beach, a softball game on the lawn, a treasure hunt, and opportunities to explore the Cape. Goodness, I loved everything about Cape Cod (other than the humidity, of course). The houses were all adorable, and the surroundings were absolutely gorgeous. I still can't get over how many hydrangeas I saw throughout the week. 

 I had people telling me the whole week things to the effect of, "Good for you for doing this with a newborn!" Really though, all of the vacation activities were so much fun that I didn't want to miss them! Would it have been easier to stay holed up in our villa for the week? Possibly, but there were always people willing to help with Owen and Dylan, and I feel like I was able to take part in as much fun as the rest of the family. 

The worst part of vacation is when it ends, and I would have to say that the second-worst part is the post-vacation laundry explosion:

This vacation really was a perfect week, and I'd love to do it all over again. There will be another family reunion in 2015, and it's looking like we're all going on a cruise. Wahoo! No info on where we'll go, but I know that if the week is even a fraction as wonderful as this one was, the next reunion will be one for the books.