Charleston

We began our day in Charleston at the Charleston Aquarium

 It is just the right size for the littles...

 and they all had fun seeing just what kind of wildlife surrounds us in the south!  EEK.

 The tidal pool was a huge hit with Maddox and Maryn....

 Maddox loved having the opportunity to pick up the starfish and sea goodies....

 Maryn was a little more skeptical but she did eventually close her eyes and touch the starfish!

 This little one was so excited the entire time in the aquarium....she yelled, "Bish! Bish!" at everything that remotely looked like a fish!

 Maddox wanted to take a lot of pictures to share with her class after Spring Break....

 and she was really the only one who wanted anything to do with actually looking at the camera....

 she cracks me up with her poses....she is the child in our family that has the most expression and says the most random, deep-though provoking things!

 I captured all of our crew with Daddy....

 and then the mermaid show began so we took off to see what that was all about....

 the girls danced and clapped and played high-five with the mermaid....such a cool thing to see for these three little girls yet it made their mama a bit nervous for that mermaid - under water for 20 minutes with only a tube to take breaths out of?!?!?  

 The views from the aquarium are filled with mermaids too!

 The aquarium trip was definitely a "older three, younger three" kind of deal....they all enjoyed it in different ways!

 And then we were off to the Market.....

 sweet treats and pralines for everyone!

 Waterfront Park

 This park is such a breath of fresh air....people are studying, groups are dancing, laughter and squeals are abundant as children run through the fountains....

 the sound of the flowing water, the cool breeze off of the river....

 the history that is off in the distance and just around every corner as well....it is breathtaking!

 This little bundle of joy savored every moment of her time at Waterfront Park.

 It would not be a complete trip to the park without a picture of mom and dad in front of the pineapple fountain where it all began so many years ago!

 Our live-wire and her partner in crime....

 I went to take a pic of something else and then decided our shadows were kind of cool....

 the girls acquired sweet water grass roses from a man on the dock.....they used them as their "power" and had a great afternoon of imaginary play as we walked around the city.

This little one was a pure joy to watch in Charleston.  She never complained of the walking, she played and played when given the opportunity, she was all smiles and jumping into new adventures without a bit of hesitation (except where touching live things underwater came into play!) and she was just fun to be with!  The height of her day came at dinner as she devoured lemons.  She was being so silly with these sour little additions to her meal.  

Our day was not a day of all fun.  To keep things real, there were moments of complaining, moments of frustration, moments of "can we do this?," and moments where I wanted to just run off with my older kiddos and leave the others behind with their dad....bigs to littles and trying to do family fun that all will enjoy can be a challenge at times for our group of eight.  But this little lemon photo is the one that I will cherish during this season in our lives....it is all things sweet, a few things sour, yet very endearing.  

Seabrook 2017 Take Two

These two middles have spent quite a bit of time together this week and I am so thankful for the friendship that is being built and nurtured as they grow together!

 Pryce has grown over the years but I love that he is still young at heart....give him a net and he is on the hunt for minnows or crabs or whatever else may hop into his net!

 The sand was a bit soft and the children all took turns running and jumping as hard as they could to see how far they could sink into the sand....

 Football and more football....and off the beach, it was golf and more golf:) 

 Maddox has been taking gymnastics this year and she has a little that wants to learn a bit from her!

 Chapman is full speed ahead and she definitely has the attitude that says, "What you can do, I can do too!"  Look out world, this little one is going to do BIG things!

 The girls were so excited to go to the beach for a walk on our first day at Seabrook!  Dressed, hair fixed and all posed up!

 A girl and her thumb....I love to see her with a thumb in her mouth.

 Chapman decided to get all dolled up for the pool....I possibly forgot to pack her bathing suit on this particular night at the pool!

 Sweet Maryn....she is a little weary of what may or may not be in the sand.  Carefully, carefully goes this little one!

 The beauty that surrounds us is breathtaking.

 A bike ride to the other side of the island brought about some tired legs that needed to rest at the crabbing dock tower for a moment!

 This sight each morning for our daily bike ride made me wish our life was always this simple.  

 These two.  

They have laughed many laughs this week together.  

Daily there are disagreements, tattling is like a competition, bitterness over sweetness is prevalent....and then there is the laughter, the silliness, the games, the singing....its the latter of this segment that I prefer!

 Chapman

Sometimes one thumb just isn't enough for this little cherub.  

 "Mom, take this picture and send it to Mrs. Robertson because she misses me!"

My sweet Maddox has had such a wonderful year in First Grade with Mrs. Robertson.  Simply put, she just loves her and I am positive the feeling is mutual.  They are kindred spirits and I am so very thankful for love that Mrs. Roberston pours into Maddox each and every day at school.  

Seabrook 2017

Seabrook Island

It's our family's special place, our place to getaway and just "be"

 It's our place where we can sit and relax....

 the boys can spend as much time as they wish watching TV, eat whatever and whenever they want, play pool, play ping pong, throw the football, watch more TV including a lot of sports....

 it's the place where our imaginations can run wild and the girls find "treasures"....

 it's our place where we all play together and invent games on the beach....

 it's our place where we can be loud and run free and just live minute by minute as if we don't have a care in the world....

 it's also my place to take that spontaneous pic of all SIX and they actually, sort of, agree with smiles on their faces and a bit of willingness in their souls - so very thankful!

 Thankfully, Seabrook is a place not too far from home that allows me to pack the children and take off for a few days....and then Ryan comes in mid-week to save us right about the time we are all about to lose our minds without him :)  Ryan is our glue so we miss him greatly when he isn't with us!

 Our week was spent biking around the island....on this particular morning, everyone rallied ahead while Maddox and I trailed behind.  Such great time with her....she sang to me and talked to me and laughed with me....I told her she was my "radio".....

 North Beach 

 While the boys tossed the football, the girls ventured out into the water just enough to get wet and freeze during our bike ride home....

 Spring Break proves to be a fabulous time to be at the beach if you just want to relax and be merry....wrap in a towel and you are set for the day!

 The girls played "bury me" in the sand....MK had a bit of a time getting out!

 A spontaneous nap here and there at the beach is a win-win for all!

 This girl....she is in full-toddler-two-year-old-destroyer mode.....she is precious in every possible way but whoo she is a busy one....here she is pictured on the table....we were trying to play a peaceful game of cards!  When not on the table, she could be found getting the silverware and setting the table, pulling apart every twisty tie she could find in the kitchen drawers, throwing everything in her sight into the trash, getting into the snacks that were within reach....she makes us all laugh so much and then in the same breath we all cringe to hear her cry - her cry is usually out of not getting her way and it just isn't fun to hear!

 For a moment, painting was a great idea....both of the littles enjoyed this little activity!

 The children and I made our routine "gator check" bike rides....so fun to ride the island and see what we can find....on this morning, we found two baby gators and we didn't stick around too long to see where the mama was!  

 Walking through the trails is always an adventure...I will say, I was a bit skeptical as you just don't ever know what is camouflaged in the brush around you waiting to jump out....eek, I was breathing a bit easier once we were back on our bikes :)

 Scooter time....always fun to ride a scooter and play tricks....and with our girls we are constantly reminded that what one can do, another is always going to try to do too!