Hello friends!!
It’s so great to be back in blog world this week!
We had the very best week of vacay last week as a family of 3! We soaked in every single moment with just Brewer and dreamed about the future as a family of 4! It was just the best week ever!
Today I am going to recap our vacation including July 4th! It was extra special being at the beach for the 4th this year!
*I’m also going to link what I can throughout this post!*
We arrived at Isle of Palms on a Sunday afternoon!
IOP is our favorite Charleston beach and only 3 hours from home!
We immediately changed into swimsuits…
…and hit the beach!
The pups traveled with us to the ole family beach house this year! We use to travel with the pups all the time before we had Brewer. Now, it varies. Sometimes we have family or kind neighbors watch them and sometimes, they still travel with us! We were happy to have them with us this trip!
After our first beach day, we made dinner back at the house and ate on the screened in porch!
Then… we noticed the moon!
Back to the beach we went! The picture doesn’t do it justice. The moon was incredible!! So full and bright!
Monday morning, we woke up and did quiet time on the porch!
Brewer was happy as can be watching the trash truck travel down the road!
We went to the Harris Teeter on IOP to pick up a few things..
And then, we headed down to the beach! We spent every single day on the beach this trip. Brewer is at an age where he truly loves the beach!
The boys found a crab.
We built some sand castles!
We played in the water.
We don’t do a lot of sitting on the beach! Lol, Brewer loves to run up & down the beach. He’s obsessed with the water!
And when cousin Eleanor is in Charleston at the same time as you, that calls for a play date on the beach! These two always have the best time together!
Snack break!
Snacks hit differently when you’re on the beach!
While Brewer napped, I went down to the beach for some Mama time! Harry & I alternated taking turns going to the beach while Brewer napped. Truth be told, I read a few pages in my book and took the best beach nap ever!
That night, we ventured into downtown Charleston for dinner at Coast! And y’all.. we were bumpin, lol. Baby really showed up this trip!
His
Hers
After dinner, we came back to the house and had icecream cones on the porch!
Tuesday morning, we woke up and it was Independence Day!!
Happy July 4th!
We love how festive the town is for the 4th!!
IOP does an annual golf cart parade for the 4th! It was so festive and fun. Music, water guns, prizes, fun attire/ decor, etc! We loved it!
And then we had another fun beach day for the 4th! Brewer loves being pulled in the wagon. This is our second summer using it and we use it in the fall a lot too!
And it’s not the 4th of July without BBQ! We picked bbq up from Hometeam on Sullivans Island- about 10 minutes from IOP!
After dinner, we went back to the beach with icecream cones in hand..
For the IOP firework show!
It was the best July 4th, truly!! And it was my first July 4th spent at IOP!
This photo was taken by our new friends who we met on the beach that night! This super nice girl walked over and offered to take a photo for us and we met her family, chit chatted for a long time, and she told us she would be praying over our family & baby on the way! I looked at Harry and said, “she is an angel on earth!” Then she tells me her name is “Kristen” and I was speechless! It felt like a moment where God put an angel in my path just because..
And y’all… this photo! It was also snapped by our new friend, Kristen!
It was a 4th of July to remember. I told Harry July 4th is my third favorite holiday with Christmas being #1 and Halloween being #2.
It was truly just such a fun day! So thankful to live in the USA!
Wednesday, we had another day of chasing our little beach bum through the sand and water! Never change sweet boy!
That evening, we went to dinner at Mex1 on Sullivans Island with friends who live in Charleston, Chelsea & Scott. It was so fun catching up with them! Brewer’s face sums up our day!
Thursday morning was filled with trucks and climbing before heading out for another beach day!
There is something so special about having quiet time with Jesus on the beach.. plus my boys were right in front of me! I can’t believe I’m living out the days that I’ve always prayed for.
There were moments on this trip where we looked at Brewer and thought, all that’s missing is his brother! Boy oh boy, are they going to have fun together on this beach in the years to come!
Brewer’s age is so much fun! He loves to play, be adventurous, and just have fun!
The boys spotted a helicopter on the beach! Brewer is really into all things that fly or go fast!
We took a beach break to go to the little surf shop down the street to see Bubba the talking parrot! It’s walking distance from the beach house!
Today was Harry’s turn to go to the beach during Brewer’s nap time! I hung out on the porch during that time and read a bit!
This is the BEST beach snack of all time!
Beach naps just hit differently!
That night we had dinner at our favorite seafood place on IOP! It’s also walking distance from the beach house! We go here quite often!
Then, we went for another sunset stroll!
Cutest catch of the day!
Those curls and tan lines!
We love our little beach bum!
A little game of follow the leader! Lol
These boys are my everything!
I woke up Friday to 16 weeks pregnant!
I will treasure these days forever, carrying another sweet boy!
Like father, like son! ❤
During Brewer’s nap time, I spent a lot of time on the beach just praying! I thanked the Lord over & over for this trip. We really did make the best memories with our Brew Brew! Next summer will look different and we’re excited for all that is to come!
It’s not a beach trip without making low country boil! It’s always fun making this dinner back at the house when we’re in town! We grab shrimp from a local place on IOP!
Night night time! Brewer was reading to me!
Let’s talk about his sleep routine… he has always been an amazing sleeper! Always! This year.. I’m talking from January to now, he is no longer the best sleeper when we travel.
He will nap in his pack & play when we travel but he won’t stay in it at night. So…. He sleeps with us when we travel! Which means he’s staying up past bedtime too but it’s vacation + he’s getting in good naps each day, so we just roll with it!
I love all the bedtime snuggles on vacation!
This view ❤
Saturday morning, we went by a cute little French cafe for coffee. I love all of the little gems on IOP!
We had one fun last beach day with friends who were in town, Chelsea & Sanchez!
We had amazing beach weather all week! It was hot down in Charleston but the beach had a nice breeze all week!
Icecream tastes better at the beach!
For our very last dinner this vacay, we went back to… Mex1 on Sullivans Island!
Lol, y’all Harry had talked about his tacos since Wednesday night when we had dinner there with Chelsea & Scott! So we went back! I say this a lot but we are the Cochrans and we love Mexican food!
After dinner, we went for one last sunset beach walk and we saw a rainbow! It truly felt like a God wink! We had the most incredible week as a family of 3 and dreaming of the future! We made SO many sweet memories this week!
Haha, when you tell a toddler to say, cheese!
I’ll love you forever my baby boy!
Best week ever!
IOP vacay, 2023, we will never forget you!
Here’s a little reel to recap our week:
Beach memories, dance parties, ice-cream, July 4th, and SO, SO much more! Treasuring this trip forever!
*I’ll be back on the blog, Tuesday!*
kristencochranblog.com 
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