Our first year ends with one great vacation

It's that time of year when families get ready to go on their long-awaited vacations. We almost never take a vacation. Sure, we take off from work, but we never go any place of note. Last year, however, we decided to go on what my stepson would call a "real" vacation. We planned to drive to Myrtle Beach, S.C., and stay at a family resort right on the beach.

Oh, yeah.

I was excited about this trip. When I say excited, I mean jumping up and down and singing excited. This was our first real family vacation. Imagine, a vacation where we didn't work on the house. There would be no cooking, cleaning, laundry or any other daily chores. The only thing I needed to do was relax.

It couldn't have happened at a better time. I was 30 weeks pregnant and miserably huge. We planned the vacation during the week of the Fourth of July. This is an all-American holiday filled with fireworks, beer and lots of food, but it was also the same week my daughter turned 1. Her birthday is July 3. This meant fireworks on the beach for Sophia's first birthday (and for her Mommy and Daddy for surviving her first year).

Once we finally got to our destination, the first thing we did was head to the beach. I was so excited about showing Sophia the ocean and letting her play in the sand for the very first time. We slathered on the sunscreen, put a swimmy diaper and her brand new, first-ever bikini and headed to the beach.

First thing we learned was that Sophia loves the sand. Actually, she loves to eat it. OK, fine, let's try the ocean. Not a chance. The best she would allow was for us sit with her at the water's edge, and I mean the very edge, where she could indulge in the finest wet sand South Caroline could offer a finiky 1-year-old.

At the end of the day, she was covered head to toe in sand, with a majority of it taking up residency in her diaper. It probably added five pounds to her skinny little frame. No lie.

By the end of the week, though, she was running around the water's edge, still a little put off by the waves, but being as brave as she could while still eating as much sand as her tiny little hands could get in her mouth.

The whole week was so much fun. I think even my then 13-year-old stepson had a good time. But vacations are a lot like childhood, it went by way too quickly.

This summer, we aren't planning any vacation, but I still have wonderful memories of our last one. Looking back, no matter how much sand was consumed, it was a great time.

This was part the Parent Bloggers Network blog blast sponsored by Huggies Little Swimmers. They are giving way “Summer Fun Essentials Package” - a beach bag filled with summertime must-haves such as beach towels, pool toys, a sand castle building kit, and a cooler. Plus, products from the Huggies Little Swimmers line. There's still time to enter. Click here for all the details.