Outtakes

Tortola and St. John, 2016

Did I mention the sobbing, screen time, and sleepless nights?

I feel I should add a disclaimer that we had our highs and our lows this trip (lest anyone think we were just wafting around collecting sea shells. Or 'sea shelfs' as Ozzy calls them.) And we brought our nanny, who made it all that much more doable, but it was still hard at times, especially when trying to hop on and off of ferries, clear immigration, and wrangle all the bags and babies in the humid heat.

The kids had zero interest in appearing in a full family photo, as you can tell. So much to look at, so little time.

But I hope somewhere in their little brains the memory or running wild at the beach, finding hermit crabs, and listening to the crashing waves stays with them, and when they look back at these pictures they'll have a laugh. And I'm glad we're still brave enough for a big adventure every now and then.

Tortola

Tortola, 2016

So this fall we basically struck the jackpot when Will's college roommate came for a visit and casually mentioned that she'd be game for a house swap some time.

She lives year round in Cane Garden Bay, Tortola, about a minute from a postcard perfect beach strung with simple beach bars (just a few minutes from a rum distillery, no less).

And so she and her family headed to Williamsburg while we got the run of their tropical beach house on a hill, and the boys were in paradise. I don't think we wore shoes for a week.

The local vibe is very casual, with lots of kids running around in the surf. We did head to the very civilized Sugar Mill Hotel for a few lunches and dinner one evening, but mainly it was simple fare eaten at beach bars or made at home.

I think Bo grew about four inches thanks to all the fresh air and sunshine, and Ozzy felt like he was running the joint. Axel even tried his hand at stand up paddleboarding.

Of course, there were a few moments when I questioned my sanity for decamping to a remote island with three tiny kids. But I'm so glad we did and that everyone, even the littlest of us, got their feet in the sand. We can only hope our friends got a kick out of New York too (and invite us back.)