Happy Friday, friends!
I hope you have a fun and sunny summery weekend ahead of you 🙂 .
Kensington and I are going to enjoy our last morning/early afternoon here in NYC before heading back to Nantucket. Speaking of which, in case you missed it last week…
…the Slaughters came to visit us! We were SO EXCITED!!! We love our “framily” so much and do not take for granted that this year, they elected to spend their summer vacation with us. It’s certainly not something we expect them to do every year, but we felt incredibly grateful they wanted to do it this year. What’s the hardest part about not being in McKinney? Not seeing these six faces. Outside of our family, this is our bonus family, and we love them dearly.
So…we wanted to make this trip for them extra, extra fun!
In true Shay/Erika form we did a pretty mediocre job at taking photos. Together, the Besties either take a million pics or we don’t look at our phone for 36 hours and take zero. We have no middle ground. You will notice that on some days, I have a lot of photos…and on a few days, I have one. Sigh. We’re just having so much fun sometimes (or managing eight children!) that we completely forget to capture the moment. Speaking of which, I’ve already had several of you ask where the Slaughters stayed on their visit, and the answer was at our house! I was kind of nervous about how we would all fit, but it worked out really well! (I mean, let’s be real, the 12 of us have stayed in only 3 cruise cabins before, so we know how to fit in tight spaces 😉 .) Tab and Erika had the guest room and bathroom, we pulled out the trundle bed, bought a big air mattress and all eight kids piled into the bunk room, and then between the two indoor showers and outdoor shower, we just made it work. Andrew and I rented bikes and scooters for the week and bam, everyone could get around too.
On Saturday morning, we met them at their gate at the airport and were SO HAPPY to see their faces get off the plane! We drove and took a cab back to our house and the fun began 🙂 .
I managed to take a picture on Saturday night. The six big kids hung out in town/got pizza/Nantaco while the four adults and two littles enjoyed dinner on the patio at Brant Point Grill.
We spent the entire next day at the beach and then…
…the four adults had a wonderful dinner at Galley Beach. See? Terrible picture takers. I will say we were all a bit distracted on this night because two tables over facing our table was Bill Belichick which might not be a big deal if you’re an NFL official and work with him often, but it was a big deal to the other three of us who had a hard time not staring the entire time.
One of my favorite things we did this day was that the four adults woke up early and went for an 8 mile bike ride. The men went very fast while the ladies went more slowly and chatted. We biked 8 miles and then had breakfast at Island Kitchen. It was such a nice morning.
The following morning, the girls all slept in while…
…the five men went fishing up at Great Point.
It’s my understanding that four out of five men had a really fabulous morning…and one man was hit with seasickness big time. #poorandrew
All smiles though from the big boys…
…they were back by 9:00 AM so excited and pumped about all of the fish they caught (and released).
After fishing, the gang loaded up and…
…headed back to the beach 🙂 . I love this girl so very much!
Beach days are the best days.
Later that night…
…after a framily dinner at The Sea Grille, we headed into town for ice cream at The Juice Bar. This pic cracks me up. I don’t know what Smith is explaining, but I love the looks on everyone’s faces. Hahahaha!
Love these people.
The next day was July 4th, and we were SO EXCITED to spend it on Nantucket! We always spend July 4th together, but this was extra special because it was everyone’s first time to spend it on Nantucket. We had a packed day of events!
We started our day with a framily brunch at Brant Point Grill outside overlooking the harbor…
See the slow boat in the background? And…how sweet are these girls?!
After brunch, we headed to Main Street where…
…at noon they have the annual firefighter’s war. These pictures do not do it justice, but let’s just say that the fireman have a “war” with their hoses across Main Street and if you’re standing there, you get soaked. It’s so festive and so fun and of course, the kids wanted to get wet.
We only had one brave adult who wanted to get soaked. Do you see him?
My photo taking hit an all-time low here (sorry, Andrew!), but look at those wet and happy faces!
After the water war, the town was filled with food trucks extra patriotic fun, so we looked around a bit and enjoyed.
At 2:00, we headed back to the marina because it was time…
…to board a boat! We used Sweet Yacht Charter back in 2021 and loved them so much that we used them again this year. I said this in 2021, and I’m saying it again…this was my favorite thing we did!! Our captain and first mate took us out for three hours of swimming in the ocean, and WE HAD A BLAST!
All aboard!
The sun was shining, the weather was beautiful…it was the perfect day for boating.
They provided us with snacks, champagne, drinks for the kids…it was fabulous!
It’s hard to take pics when you’re out in the ocean swimming all day, so I only have a few, but it was just so much fun!
After three very fun hours, we dried off and headed back to our house where…
…we are “those people” on July 4th.
I took more videos than photos (so look to IG for those!), but on July 4th night, we decided to grill burgers and have sides for dinner.
We also made cheesy potatoes! (Recipe to come!)
And of course, we had THE VERY BEST BAKED BEANS too 🙂 .
After dinner, we threw on our sweatshirts and headed out…
…subtly dressed for July 4th to see the fireworks at Jetties Beach.
Love that kid!
Stop it! How cute are these littlest littles?!
We found a spot on the beach and waited for firework fun.
Agh! So sweet!
It was AN EPIC JULY 4TH with our besties!
The next day…
…we headed back to the beach 🙂 .
One last full beach day before the Slaughters had to go back home.
And Mades found a dollar floating around in the ocean which we all thought was hysterical and incredibly lucky. Ha!
That’s the last pic I have.
We love you, Slaughter family! Thank you for making Nantucket your family’s summer vacation this year. We’ll see you really, really soon!
Now, we have a winner for…
…my annual ANNIVERSARY SALE GIVEAWAY!
Congratulations to JEN LOGAN! You are the winner!!
I emailed you this morning, Jen. Please email me back ASAP to claim your prize!
Have a wonderful weekend, friends! I’ll see you on TOMORROW with our bonus SUMMER SATURDAY post! xx
Shelly says
Hi! Can you please link your black sunglasses? Thank you!
Mix and Match Mama says
They’re from Louis Vuitton!
Elspeth says
What a super fun time! So glad you got to show them around!
http://www.elspethsdaybyday.com
Scarlett Spangler says
The picture of headless Andrew with the kids has me laughing out loud. You have me 100% convinced to make a trip to Nantucket one day! Enjoy the rest of your summer 🙂
Alysa says
Looks like such a nice visit!! I’m curious, are Ashby and Bowen still as close as they were when they were little?
Mix and Match Mama says
I mean yes and no. They were still the two that paired off together and did “all the things” together. I think they’d still say they were besties but they both now also have boy/girl besties too and often hang out with the bigs as well.
Jeanie H says
Such fun! I’m enjoying seeing your life on Nantucket. I bet it’s going to be hard to leave.
The walkability looks fantastic.
Susie says
Nantucket looks amazing!
What brand of shorts is Smith wearing during fishing?
Mix and Match Mama says
Under Armor
Lauren Priddle says
I love the summer post from Nantucket! It’s like getting to watch a scene from a Hallmark movie everyday 😊
Beth Knecht says
So much fun! So glad you guys could reconnect and celebrate the 4th!
Holly says
What a fun time for all of you! Does Kensington braid her hair herself? I love it!
Mix and Match Mama says
She braids her hair and mine 🙂 .
Holly says
That’s so fun!!
Sheaffer says
Awwww! What a great trip and what great memories! Love all of the festive 4th pics!!!
Mary says
Do you still have the DFW letters outside your house? I’m curious if they are battery operated or solar?
Mix and Match Mama says
We do and they plug in!
Katie says
Looks so fun! I have a silly question…how are the bugs on Nantucket? All the outdoor time especially at night made me wonder if you all had to load up on bug spray like we do in TX on the 4th! I’m a magnet for mosquitos so that’s where my head went! Haha!
Mix and Match Mama says
I really don’t think there are any AT ALL! I mean, I’m sure there are but compared to Texas, it feels like there aren’t any. I was surprised when we were in Turks how many mosquitoes there are too.
Kristin Lyngaas says
What a total God blessing to have a family that fits yours perfectly. 🙏❤️🇺🇸
Patty says
“The six big kids hung out in town…” Ugh, how is this possible? They’re all growing up so fast! This just might be one of my favorite posts ever, Shay. What a blessing to have the Slaughters spend the 4th with all of you. That friendship is to be cherished, for sure. Great recap and photos….thanks for letting me live vicariously through all of you. Have a great weekend!
Mix and Match Mama says
THEY’RE ALL SO BIG! Time needs to slow down!!!
Jen Logan says
OMG!! That’s me! I won!! Thank you so much Shay! I emailed you back this am!! Thank you Thank you Thank you!! My mom will love this treat!💗💗Jen
Mix and Match Mama says
You did, you did!! CONGRATULATIONS!!
Raegan says
Love that you were able to share your love of Nantucket with your besties! What special memories! Looks like so much fun!
Erika Slaughter says
We had SO MUCH FUN!!! I’m ready to visit again already! And I LOL’d at that pic of us all looking at Smith. Based on my facial expression, I wasn’t buying whatever story he was trying to sell. hahahaha! Now it’s time for you to GET HOME! XO
liz says
This time looked so special, wow – thanks for sharing it with us! Reading a Five Star Weekend now and love love seeing it all in real life on here and on instagram. As I read it I think of you and what you’ve shared about your time there and I enjoy having your perspective so much I also think you and Hollis have a few things in common 😊 – thank you thank you!
Sarah Shaneyfelt says
The private charter looks like the best time!!! What a great idea for a few hours!!
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