Getting around....over the years....

This year marks the fifth September in a row that we've vacationed in Hilton Head, SC. Our first trip here was to celebrate Sophie's 1st birthday at the beach with our families. We liked it so much that we've made it our annual sojourn. Each year I notice that we get around a little differently as Sophie gets older. So I looked back through photos of each year and made note here of the progression. My girl is getting so big.....

YEAR ONE

My parents bought Sophie this little car for her first birthday. It was perfect for the beach. We took turns pushing Sophie back and forth from our condo to the beach and, of course, she loved it!

I also attempted to take Sophie on short bike rides riding in the back child's seat. It worked out okay except the helmet was constantly sliding down and covering her face. She would never even cry and I wouldn't notice until I turned around and saw it.

YEAR TWO

This was the first year we rented the cart that attached to the back of the bike. It worked out so well because we were also able to stash all of our beach gear in the storage spot in the back. Sophie would be as happy as a clam riding to the beach with a little snack and the wind in her face.

There were also a lot of side trips in the car. This was often Sophie on the ride back home....

YEAR THREE

In year three we did a lot of long bike rides. We loved it. Dad usually took Sophie in the seat on the back of his bike. Sophie often ended up like this.....zzzzz.....

YEAR FOUR

During our fourth year at Hilton Head, I noticed that Sophie rode on Daddy's shoulders a lot. Ooohh, Alain's poor back!

As we ventured out a lot this year as well, Sophie spent a lot of time in the car. As long as she had snacks and some good tunes, she was happy.

This was also the first year that we rented a small bike with training wheels for her. She loved it, of course. But we couldn't go far and she had to be heavily supervised.

YEAR FIVE

This year Sophie rides her bike proudly and independently. She LOVES it. So much so that she doesn't want to go anywhere in the car. Who can blame her? She rides it to the beach/pool every day but we also do little bike rides here and there.

She's come a long way, baby.