A Vacation Day With Lizzy: Summer Memories

We’re lucky enough to spend time in Rhode Island over the summer with family, where I also visited family as a child! Some of my favorite memories are on the same dock and the same porch that my kids now hold near + dear. Here’s a peek at a typical easy day of vacation.

7am - I love a schedule, but this means I also cherish those few mornings where we don’t have to wake up rushing. The whole house wakes up one by one and comes down in their pajamas, curling up on a couch or on the porch until breakfast. We love making dutch babies because they’re easy for a crowd, or cheesy scrambled eggs and lots of fruit.

9am - our mornings almost always start on our tiny beach and our dock. We get our suits on, load up on sunscreen, snacks, swim diapers, and fishing nets (contained in my carryall and XL of course). Most of the kids are at such a fun age for jumping off a high dock into chilly water over and over again.

2pm - After a sun and lunch break, we’re often right back down to the water. We mix up dock jumping and swimming with crabbing and taking my stepfather’s Whaler out for ice cream in town. Our Trail Short is a great option for when you’re not sure if you’ll end up in the water! They dry so quickly they work either way.

5pm - evenings are pretty casual and usually involve grilling and popsicles, but we like to have a nice outfit or two for special occasions like birthdays and the Fourth of July!

7pm - The kids are always begging to go back to the dock for one last jump before the evening is over. It’s hard to say no! We grab towels (and sometimes suits) and head down. It is then equally hard to get them to head home for bed.

All hours - I have to note that the quarter mile walk we do over and over again between the house and the dock is part of so many core memories for me as a kid. This road wasn’t even paved when we used to walk it! Now these guys are forming the exact same memories, in suits, barefoot, just like me. It's wild.

Bedtime -  Many World Cup games were woven into our evenings this year. It is always a little easier to fall asleep after many hours of saltwater + sun, a quick rinse in the outdoor shower, and cozy PJs. Also my grandmother always used to say the salt air makes you tired. Josh makes fun of me for repeating it all the time, but I think it’s true! Does anyone else always have the end of Goodnight Goodnight Construction Site in their heads as they put their kids to bed?

 

 

Thanks for coming along! Some of the most memorable moments are those quieter ones where you can actually say in your head, "Wow, I'm so lucky!' I often have the space to think that when the days aren't planned and the activities are seemingly mundane. May your summer be full of family or chosen family, quiet moments with yourself or many, and activities as analog as wading in the water for crabs.