The Beyl Blog: Our Very First Family Vacation

Last week we went on our very first vacation as a family to Charleston, SC. It was such a great trip and we had so much fun being able to spend 7 straight days with Ava. She really came out of her shell and had a great time as well. She laughed, smiled, squealed and giggled more than I have ever seen her do. It was such a joy to be able to be with her for the entire week. She is definitely a daddy's girl, no one can make her smile like Gabe can...it's the sweetest thing to see the both of them together.

While in Charleston, we went to the beach almost every day. We couldn't have asked for better weather! Ava loved the sand between her toes and liked the water splashing on her (even though the water was cold!) She enjoyed taking long naps in the tent during the day. The beach waves in the background must have been very relaxing because she took a 3 hour nap one day while at the beach! We stayed with Ashley and David at their new home for most of the week. They have such a beautiful place and we had so much fun spending time with them last week(Thanks for your hospitality, Ash and David!) One night, we bought some fish from a local fish market right outside of Folly Beach and grilled out. It was delicious!

One Wednesday, we took a tour of downtown Charleston. We ate lunch at a restaurant right off the water and saw some dolphins swimming off in the distance. We also went to the Charleston Aquarium which was one of the highlights of our trip. Ava loved looking at the aquariums and seeing all the fish, she was very entertained at all the sights!

Later in the week, we met up with Mark and Brenda (Gabe's aunt and uncle) and their kids. We stayed with them for a couple of days on Isle of Palms Beach. In my opinion, this is the best beach in Charleston. We had a great time hanging out with the Stewarts and building sandcastles on the beach!

We couldn't have asked for a better trip with Ava. She did very well on the ride down there and back. We drove through the night so that she would sleep the entire time and that is exactly what she did! We can't wait to go back to Charleston, hopefully we will be able to visit again next year! Below are some of the better pictures from our trip.