I have settled into quite a nice routine here in Hilton Head. I arose around 7:00 with a quiet family room couch all to myself. i sat admiring the decorations and presents that awaited Hunter for his 12th birthday. It reminded me of two years ago when we were at this same resort celebrating Hunter’s 10th Birthday. For the first time on the trip, Emily was the second one in the villa to awaken. She wanted to get an early start on making the brownies for Hunter’s birthday dessert for later this evening.
With all of the commotion, Hunter and Sawyer awoke and stumbled out of their room. Hunter was pleasantly surprised at all the hubbub surrounding him on his 12th birthday morning. Along with it being his birthday, we also agreed it could be his “yes day”, where we would say yes to everything (within reason). We did have a chuckle that Emily apparently wanted him to stay frozen in time, as she made him age 11 on the LEGO birthday cake (above).
Breakfast Delivery – Tide Me Over Quick Service
Hunter’s first request of the day was the Chicken and Waffles breakfast from the Tide Me Over quick service restaurant. I opted to wait inside the Community Hall, out of the chill, while they prepared our food. I returned with everyone’s breakfast and prepared the table. Emily strategically heated up her grits from our Skull Creek Dockside dinner the previous night. We enjoyed our warm breakfast which Hunter topped off with Emily’s fresh baked brownies.
After breakfast Hunter requested to open a few of his presents to get his day started. He was such a gracious gift opener, excited at everything he received. Following the gift opening it was time to head out for some resort fun. Hunter schooled us in a couple of games of corn hole. Continuing onto the lobby we met Joe (Manager) who, seeing his birthday pin, wished him a happy birthday. We then stopped in the lobby for a couple of photos on the DVC photo machine. Then we headed back to round up Grandma and PopPa for a visit to see King Neptune.
King Neptune Shelter Cove – Our Traditional Photo
The one non-negotiable for Emily on Hunter’s “yes day” was that we get a photo with King Neptune. We have been coming to Hilton Head for over 10 years and have captured a photo with Hunter and King Neptune each year. It is fun to watch him grow up next to the mighty statue. King Neptune is located in the middle of Shelter Cove, a shopping area across the marina. Although there was construction work around the statue, we managed to snap a few photos of the boys and the King. I shared our first photo of Hunter and King Neptune from our 2008 road trip above.
We captured a family photo before returning to the resort for another “yes day” request. A couple days prior, Emily, in her quest to keep up with the laundry, accidentally sent Hunter’s brand new aviator sunglasses through the wash. When we finally located them, they had been sorted into a few different pieces that weren’t going back together. Hunter requested to head over to the Disney merchandise location to see if there was a good replacement pair. Unfortunately, we didn’t have any luck finding ones that were cool enough for his newfound style.
Lunch at Signals Restaurant – Disney’s Beach House
For lunch, Hunter requested to eat at Signals restaurant at Disney’s Beach House. Emily’s parents had not eaten there yet this trip so we were excited to keep this tradition alive as well. Sawyer requested the previous day to take the complimentary shuttle from the resort to the Beach House. This required a walk back to the check-in area of the resort where the shuttle arrived a few minutes after we did. Our driver Stan provided commentary and fun facts on our 1.5 mile drive out to the Beach House. He escorted us up the stairs to the entrance of the pool area to welcome us in. There were a few guests enjoying the sunshine of the warmest day of the week thus far.
We ordered our lunch and located a couple of tables outside, overlooking the beach. Since we had reservations for seafood for Hunter’s birthday dinner, we limited our lunch portions. Emily and Kee got chicken tenders, Hunter and Sawyer got the kids’ power pack lunch, I got a hot dog, and Colonel got a salad. The Beach House has such a relaxing vibe and is a great place to enjoy lunch. After lunch we played ping pong and pool while we waited for the shuttle to pick us up. The boys were crazy whacking the ping pong ball to all sorts of destinations around the pool area.
Mike, a recreation cast member, picked us up in the shuttle for our return ride to the resort. Back in the room Hunter opened a few more presents, which gave us a little bit of time off of our feet. After a few gifts were opened it was time for Hunter’s activity request, a round of mini-golf at Pirates Island Adventure Golf.
Pirate Island Adventure Golf – Another Birthday Tradition
The Pirate Island Adventure Golf course is only a 5 minute car ride from the resort. This is the same location where we went on his birthday in 2017 (Hunter is a creature of habit). We entered the check in area and were greeted by Patrick working behind the desk. It didn’t take us long to remember that he checked us in exactly two years ago to the date. He offered Hunter a free round of golf because it was his birthday. He offered Colonel a free round because he was a former police office. And he gave me $3 off because my name was Patrick. It was like deja vu all over again as we recalled this exact same conversation from our prior visit. We played on the challenger course and had a lot a fun and laughs. Colonel ended up getting low score for our group.
After our rousing round of golf we returned to the resort where Hunter opened a few more of his presents. We were greeted by a kind birthday card and pins from Joe, the manager we met earlier. Ever the thoughtful boy, Hunter immediately turned the Baymax pin over to his Baymax-loving younger brother. Without much of a break, it was time to get ready for family photos and dinner. We went down to the boardwalk behind the resort with the tripod after getting dressed. With a little patience we finally captured a few photos where everyone in the group was actually smiling.
Black Marlin Restaurant – Hunter’s Crab Leg Birthday Dinner
The weather continued to cool down as we headed to the car for a quick drive to our dinner location. We selected the Black Marlin Restaurant, near the bridge underpass that we boated under a couple days prior. This was our first visit to the Black Marlin Restaurant and we were hungry for seafood. We selected this restaurant specifically because Hunter requested Snow Crab Legs which this location served. The Black Marlin did not disappoint in the snow crab category as Hunter was in buttery heaven! Emily got the Grouper Daufuskie which she didn’t love. Kee and I ordered the Pecan Brown Butter Cod which we both enjoyed. Colonel went with the Fried Oysters which is one of his go to meals. We also ordered hush puppies and raw oysters for the table to share. Sawyer got his usual pasta with red sauce and ate seven bites.
We ate past full and stumbled to the car to make the short drive back to the resort. Hard to believe but Hunter still had a few more presents to open when we returned. We followed up presents with delicious brownie and ice cream sundaes. Then, we sang to our new twelve year old as he blew out the candles on another amazing year. We also surprised him with a “Harry Potter flash mob” by all suddenly appearing in some Harry Potter glasses Emily brought along. He has gotten into the Harry Potter books recently, so his party decor was all themed to that.
Instead of board games, Hunter opted to build his LEGO Harry Potter set before going to bed around 10. The rest of us were perfectly fine with that and retired shortly after 9:30, closing out on a very active day of birthday fun!
Another exciting and event filled birthday for Hunter is in the books. We hope you enjoyed all of the special events of the day. From breakfast in the room, to a rousing game of pirate adventure golf, to a crab dinner for a king! We love you so much and can’t wait to celebrate more special days with you.
Wonderful blog brings back beautiful memories of Hunter’s birthday celebration at Hilton Head. Can’t wait for the next celebration with our family together.