Photographs: Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach

by biscuitsspace on August 19, 2019

In July, we took our first vacation together as a family of four! We did not want to go too far from home due to traveling with a little one, Alex, so we decided to go to Rehoboth Beach and Dewey Beach over Alex’s first birthday to celebrate our first year together and our metamorphosis as a family of four! Doug, fortunately, found one of the only beach houses to rent that would allow a baby and a furry family member! We were only a few blocks from both beaches! We did not have high expectations as we knew this vacation would be different, more like a trip rather than a vacation. Additionally, we also were not sure how Alex would like the beach and ocean, and we had no idea how long she would last at the beach. Surprisingly, Alex did really well, better than we initially thought — she lasted at the beach for about three to four hours each morning, which we thought was pretty good all considering. Alex was not afraid of the water, and by the end of the week, she was walking and swimming in the ocean! We bought her a puddle jumper, which she did not like at all, so we held her tight in the water and we did not go too far out into the ocean with her.

So, after our first day at Rehoboth, we figured out a pattern to our days, which seemed to work, which went something like this: we woke up when Alex got us up, which was early; we all had breakfast; got our swimsuits and sunscreen on and packed up and headed to Rehoboth Beach where we stayed three to four hours; we had lunch; we got Alex bathed and down for a long nap; we got ourselves cleaned up and took a nap; then, when Alex got up from her nap, we all got ready and headed out to dinner at one of our two favorite places — Dewey Beer Co. or the Iron Hill Brewery; then we got Victory and we all went to Dewey Beach for a long walk (Alex was mostly on my back in her Ergo), and sometimes we stopped for rolled ice cream, which Victory loved; then we came home and got Alex to bed; and, we rested for a little bit after getting Alex to bed; however, most nights, were were so tired we were back in bed with Victory, too!

We were not permitted to take Victory to Rehoboth Beach, but she could still go to Dewey Beach, thankfully, in the early mornings and evenings! So it worked out perfectly! Victory has been to Dewey Beach several times before, and we think she remembered this beach! Victory was absolutely in seventh heaven on the beach! She loved it! It was interesting because anyone who has met Victory knows she is not an alpha dog. She is much more docile and regal. However, on the beach, if another dog approached Alex, Victory stood in front of Alex immediately. So, I think it is safe to say that Victory has adopted her sister, Alex, into her pack! It was really neat to witness! Alex and Victory did sit by each other on the beach (without either one running away), which was sweet, and a short video of our beloved cherubs is shown below along with a few other short videos! Alex loved roaming freely around our beach house rental and she was into the lower cabinets pulling out everything throughout the house! In fact, Alex fell in love with two mixing bowls, which she carried all over the house! So, considering everything, it went really well! We were also very fortunate for good weather — we had no rain the entire trip!

Some images from our trip are below! We are really grateful for our time away together with our girls! We have many wonderful memories of our first vacation as a family of four! Doug is currently looking for places to go next year! We want to try some place a bit father away, for next year, but we may end up at the beach again! (Alex is taking her first trip on an airplane soon, so we will see how she does to consider trips, in the future, that are farther away, where Alex and I can fly and Doug can drive with Victory and then meet together at our destination, as Alex cannot yet handle long drives in the car, and Victory is too big in size to fly in the airplane cabin — and we would never put Victory in the belly of a plane with the cargo for a flight!)