We’re headed away on vacation tomorrow and I couldn’t be any more excited! We’re headed to a small island in the Bahamas called Long Island.  We promised our kids about two years ago, that once they all got a bit older, that we’d take them to see clear water- it’s been one of Kenzie’s dreams since she was little.  So, we’re doing it- we’re taking 4 kids (ages 12,10,7 & 5) on vacation! We realized it’s our first vacation alone with all 4 of our kids.  We’ve gone away, but always have traveled with extended family or friends (which is awesome!), so we can’t wait for some time with the 6 of us!

We opted to rent a home (check out the listing here) instead of staying at a resort.  With 4 kids, hotel rooms are tricky, and even the villa options were just meh, so we used HomeAway and found a home that is pretty much picture perfect for us! After our trip I’m going to give a full house tour, so stay tuned!

The one downside to not staying at a resort is that I’m still the chef for our family.  We sat down together and picked some easy meals they all love and, to be honest, cooking in a cute kitchen like this, makes it a bit more bearable!

I’ve got to give some major props to my husband for a minute…  he’s the best.  Once we knew we wanted to take this trip “someday,” he started saving cash in an envelope in his office at work.  Whenever he paid for things in cash, he’d put the change in the envelope.   He’s also kinda stealth, because when I’d give him extra checks to deposit in the bank, he’d usually put 1/2 in the bank and 1/2 in his little envelope… I had no idea.  About 9 months ago, after about a year and a half of his secret savings, he gave me a little piece of paper with an impressive number written on it and told me to start planning our vacation.  I was shocked, excited, and then was like “you kept this much money in your unlocked office at work! Are you nuts!!”  Ha!  All of our friends still tease him about that little wad of cash in his desk. We moved it to the bank (phew) and I’m so thankful for this thoughtful guy!

While we’re gone, we have the best house sitters staying at our house, taking care of Pennlyn and Brynn. My friend Steph is beyond sweet and she always bakes us amazing bread for when we get home!  Best. House. Sitters. Ever!

I’ll warn ya, I’ll be blowing up Instagram with sunny, beach pics, so if you’re not following you might want to be!

 Follow @EastCoastCreative on IG HERE!

And you might hate me next week if you live in a cold area, but like they say, “Don’t Hate… Appreciate!”

See Ya Next Week,

Mon