DIARY No. 118 (NANTUCKET EDITION)

Here’s what we were up to on Nantucket! I had the hardest time narrowing this down, so I’m sharing some of my random but favorite snaps.

The best view in my opinion! There’s just nothing better than arriving to the house after a long journey and knowing you have a whole vacation ahead of you. It gets me every time!

One reason why I love coming back to Nantucket every summer is that we don’t have a pressing need to do it all or see it all. We have our favorite spots and, especially with little kids, it’s nice to just settle into a routine that works for us. Our days were divided into a big chunk before afternoon naps, the afternoon nap, and then a smaller chunk of time between nap and dinnertime. We love starting out our days with Teddy doing a big walk at Tupancy Links! It turned out to be a great walk for Jack to get out morning energy as well.

We had a rainy day early in our trip. Originally, Mike and I thought we might just hunker down as a family at home. But after a quick adventure out to get breakfast sandwiches, we ended up staying out and exploring a pretty quiet downtown.

Is there anything cuter than a little boy in a yellow rain slicker?

We went strawberry picking quite a few times before it closed for the season. It was a blast and such a fun activity with a toddler. Jack was pretty sad when the field closed for the season, but I’m glad we went as frequently as we did. My favorite part was how fragrant the fields were. Maybe a weird way to describe it, but it was almost like a scratch and sniff strawberry sticker!

Cisco Brewery is a great place to bring kids for an outdoor, easy lunch. Tons of space for kids when you go early and there are a lot of food truck options to choose from. We typically get a little bit of everything at some point.

Our friends stayed with us for a little bit! (Little V’s brother, SIL, and nephew for OG readers!) It was the best time. The boys had so much fun last summer together because our trips overlapped so we tried to coordinate this summer knowing they were little buds. Wish we lived closer because they are little BFFs (and it makes vacation so much more fun when you have a friend to play with).

Lost track of how many scoops of ice cream were consumed. This night we went to Millie’s for dinner and then took pictures on the beach, got ice cream, and then the boys all played on the beach while the sun set. Honestly it was a picture perfect night even with everyone staying up past their bedtimes.

Mike’s brother was able to join us for a bit too, which was extra special. The boys love him! This was his first time on Nantucket and he is now a convert.

So many nap time hours spent stitching on the porch. (Here’s the final product btw!)

One morning, my friend and I took Rory (and left the toddlers and husbands at home) to do some shopping. I assumed it would be hard to break away to do this so it felt like a stolen morning 😉 I normally don’t end up buying much, but found a few things I “had” to have. I also discovered a new favorite store called “For Now”– you have to check it out if you visit. And I was able to scoop up one of the exclusive J. Crew x Erica Wilson canvases!

I know there’s a lot of memes out there about how trips with kids aren’t real vacations and I do get how it can feel that way. But I think between going on a low-key trip (not trying to traverse through Europe for example) and staying in a house, it genuinely felt like a vacation. We had hard moments you’d expect with a toddler and a young infant, but it was so relaxing and enjoyable! Maybe my favorite Nantucket trip to date!

Jack was my little buddy on the Fourth of July!

Brothers!

We did the Bluff Walk a few times too. It’s one of my favorite forms of “exercise” and another great activity with kids!

This year is making up for last year’s sad hydrangeas. WOW they were popping everywhere. Extra vibrant. Everyone was abuzz saying it was a “banner year” for hydrangeas and I’d have to agree.

We took the boys on a “Critter Cruise.” I think Jack was on the younger end of things, but he had the best time and even caught his first fish. (Watch the sweetest moment ever– I’m so glad I was filming it!)

And we brought the boys to the Wauwinet for a little appetizer on the lawn.