Private Beach Getaway



When we heard that our house rental in Angra dos Reis had been double booked and given away, we were pretty much at a loss of what to do.  Last minute rentals proved to be a good 3-4 times the cost and that was hard to swallow!  Upon asking a friend and neighbor if she had any recommendations, she VERY generously offered that we stay in their beach house which was located in a very secluded area to finish off our week and celebrate a good old fashioned (ok, and semi-unconventional) Thanksgiving! ;)  I have a hard time accepting such generous offers, but we were in such a bind that we gratefully agreed.  Little did I know that my image of a typical worn down, somewhat unkempt beach house on an overcrowded beach in Brazil would be far off.  VERY far off.  When we arrived, we literally had to pick our jaws up off the floor.  This wasn't just some average beach house, it was the most BEAUTIFUL and relaxing place we've ever been!  And a million other people??  There weren't even 20!  I haven't seen my husband relax so completely in a very looong time!  We felt completely safe and secure too, without a care in the world!  The backyard had a pool and was very well manicured.  And the beach?  Just walk out the back gate and you were there!  Amazing doesn't seem adequate enough, as our only stress was how we could possibly make it up to our friends for providing us with such a luxurious opportunity!

What is it about the outdoors that just makes kids happy?!  Little tiffs that arise indoors are long gone and forgotten once a little sunshine and fresh air hit your skin.. bring on the smiles!

My kids are early risers (6-6:30am is typical no matter the day of the week), so it went something like, breakfast by 7am, in the pool until 9am, then off to the beach we went! :)

Like I said.. nobody but us!

The kids soon realized that there were in fact other occupants at this magical location..

CRABS!  Crab catching became one of the main goals of the trip. :)

The kids and I spotted the little suckers, and the hubster had to chase them down.. silly me for not getting a video!  It was like he was reborn and 8yrs old again! :)

I almost stepped on this guy.. I didn't realize that there were different "breeds" I needed to be on the lookout for!

Anyone want a coconut??

By sundown the kids were so wiped out from the fun days adventures that bedtime was literally cake!  Everyone was down and out by 7:30-8pm without so much as a whimper, which gave my man and me the wonderful opportunity to enjoy the sunsets.

There was one evening however that we let them stay up a smidgen later so I could experiment with some new settings on my camera.. it's not everyday I see a sunset that's worth capturing as much as these!  So one last crab hunt before bed it was! :)

This has become one of my new favorite pictures.  Father and son (Mr H), walking back after a very successful catch. :)  It's moments like these that you can almost feel your heart pushing everything else out of the way so it has more room to love.  I am one LUCKY mama!

I spared Miss B the future humiliation (she's almost 7 after all!), and decided to only captured the other 3 adorable hineys in my little clan!  I couldn't help it.. I may have to blow this up and display it in my house.  Maybe my living room even!  L.O.V.E.

The next day it was a repeat!

But this time, my kids spotted one of the "other breeds" too..

Stare off!

When dad came, the chase was ON!!!  Best thing I've ever seen.  Truly.  I almost peed my pants laughing (let's just blame that on the baby, shall we?).

Mr H found a little freshwater pond and captured boatloads of little tadpoles, and the cutest little frog I've ever seen!

Serious business.  Crabs beware!

Sir L being.. well, Sir L! :)

 

After two of our crabs gave up the ghost, we convinced them to set the remainder of their prisoners free..

It was a hard farewell!

..Miss B made sure to send them off with an abundance of love.

..then she wrote "I have no more crabs" all depressed like in the sand.  Like I said, it was a hard farewell.. ;)

Who doesn't love a good daddy-daughter bum shot?  ..of the daughter I mean?  (Though his aint bad either!) ;)

I'm not sure who's a bigger sucker for who here.. okay, yes I am.  This little girl can't do wrong in this papa's eyes!

..she definitely knows how to work it!

Miss B took Sir L for bravery training to face the waves.

There is strength in numbers apparently! ..or is that just called peer pressure? ;P

Sir L backed off of the peer pressure train once the water got above his knees.

 ..and in perfect timing too!  B & H were toppled head over feet by a wave.  I momentarily contemplated dropping my camera to save them, but dad was quicker (go figure.. most everyone is these days!), and when they submerged laughing we figured we could too!

 Crazy kids! :)

The view from the master bedroom beckoned for us to join it.

Kids are asleep.. sounds good to me! :D

Not a bad trip..  Not bad at all!  The only problem now is I don't think any future trips will ever be able to compare!