Adios verano!

Goodbye Summer '10! I will miss you! :(

Today is the official last day of my summer break. Well, technically, I am being furloughed today (thanks for that.) Our neighborhood pool has been under construction all summer, but thankfully, it opened up this week. The kids and I spent a couple of hours completely alone there today. It was so peaceful and relaxing!

Tomorrow, the Willy Wonka weekend gets into full swing with Kinsey's show Saturday night and Sunday matinee. Monday, the kids are headed up to NC for a fun trip with the Nanny, Papadad and cousin Thomas to the Great Wolf Lodge, while I go to pre-planning. Can you say JEALOUS!!!

NEVER a dull moment!

This child keeps me laughing!!! I asked him to go up to his room and play quietly for 30 minutes, here's what I found when I went to check on him...

(in Kinsey's dance shoes!)

Max vs. The Gummy Bears

So, we've had a pretty fun week here in the OC, a little busy, a little lazy. After our lemonade stand, Jack and the kids went to Stone Mountain with the Girl Scouts for the laser show while I went to the election party of Tammy Gilland. What a great party and although I am sad to report that she will not be our next commissioner, she put up an AMAZING fight, almost ousting the 10 YEAR INCUMBENT who is born and raised right here in W'ville. We are so proud of her!

Wednesday, the kids and I made another quick little overnight field trip to Keowee to visit Nanny and Papadad. We got in some more skiing (both kids did AWESOME) and tubing and we visited the new pool and waterpark near them. We all had fun beating this brutal heat sliding down the slides and splashing in the fountains.

Fun weekend--date night for Jack and I, spa day for me, great dinner and ice cream out with the running gang, church, and pool and pizza afternoon with the Griners. We missed getting to celebrate Granddaddy's birthday this weekend (due to a family death) but look forward to making it up soon!

This week, Kinsey is gearing up for her debut in Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. She will be starring as a lollipop next weekend--we can't wait. She's also been doing some amazing work with her art lessons. Hopefully I can scan some of her work and post pictures.

Max has, as usual, been living life to the fullest and loving every minute of it. The setbacks of the week--#1: he tripped and fell on a cup of gummy bears (and lost!) This picture is 5 days after said encounter and #2: to add insult to injury, he got his first wasp sting tonight. Good news was no serious reaction. Boo boos 2, Max 0. Sorry, little man!

Fellow Floaters

Today was primary election day in our community and one of my best running buds is running for a post on the commission. She has had an incredibly busy summer campaigning and we have had fun at her BBQ and forums as well. Today, after we went to the polls to "float" (according to Max,) the kids decided to do a little campaigning themselves and set up a "Goodies for Gilland" lemonade stand. They even received a few dollars in donations as well. GO GILLAND--GOOD LUCK!

Tour de Tennessee

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Jack had a few days vacation burning a hole in his pocket (ha!) so we decided to take a little mini "playcation" with the kids. We hit the road for Rocky Top.

We spent the first two days of our tour in Pigeon Forge. Highlights from part one of the trip were Splash Country water park followed by a dinner comedy/music show and fun at the museum until midnight and a GREAT day at Dollywood the next day. Beautiful weather, short lines and some fun rides and we will definitely make another trip to visit Ms. Parton!

Part two was just as magical, but in a different kind of way. We booked a package called "Children's Fantasy" at the famous Chattanooga Choo Choo hotel. We even got to sleep in an old Victorian-decorated rail car. It was gorgeous! Our first day in Chattanooga, we had a yummy breakfast and played on the real Choo Choo, then drove a few miles to the city zoo. There we saw a cougar close up, pet some goats and rode the carousel. Back at the station, we had lunch on the Silver Diner dining car and the took the electric bus a few blocks to the Children's Discovery Museum. There, the kids played dress-up, created music and art and even learned a little Grossology about human anatomy! Dinner Saturday was an awesome singing show where the talented wait staff multi-tasked between taking our orders, grooving on stage and serranading the dinner guests. After Kinsey was sung to by our waiter, she quickly told me she would crawl under the table if he came with the microphone again--cute! Our last day was spent at the Tennessee Aquarium and Imax. The afternoon turned out to be so beautiful, we stuck around and played by the river a while before loading up and heading home. It was a beautiful, fun-filled weekend that we all enjoyed and certainly wore us all out! :)

See Ya Sully!

Our last day on Sullivan's :(

No Minnow Here

Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale, a tale of a fateful trip, That started from this tropic port, aboard this tiny ship. The mate was a mighty sailin' man, the Skipper brave and sure. Five passengers set sail that day for a three hour tour. A three hour tour.

Shots from our cruise on Papadad's boat. No photos of the skipper! :(

Me and some of the crew

Mrs. Howell and Ginger

The movie star!

Goober Gilligan

Stay off the poop deck!

Kinsey spotted lots of dolphins

The Ravenel Bridge from below

Max and the Yorktown

Kinsey and the Yorktown

Beach, Eat, Sleep, Pool, Eat, Sleep

That had pretty much been our schedule the past week and boy, could I get used to this! It's hard to believe the start of school is just a few short weeks away--ugh! Yesterday, after I met my friend Natalie for an AWESOME run over the Ravenel Bridge, the kids and I went to the beach again and met up again with my old church basketball teammates (same one we met up with on the first day.) One of the highlights while we visited with Caroline and her crew was the discovery of several starfish and a couple of sand dollars. What cool wildlife on Sullivan's. For dinner, Kinsey chose Mustard Seed and afterward we went out for some putt-putt and video games. This morning it was a quick walk on the beach followed by some more pool fun. We are looking forward to more twin fun after the SLEEP portion of the afternoon! Zzzzz!

Splash Island

The Charleston area has the best parks and recreation department. Within 10 or 15 miles of us, there are countless great playgrounds and three waterslide parks. Today was "Two for Tuesday" so we decided to try out the closest of the three parks, Splash Island. What a fun, cheap way to beat this brutal heat. A couple of hours of slides, rapid river and dancing water and a frozen lemonade later we headed back to the house for some snooze time!

Dressin' Up

One of the most fun things we do when all the cousins get together is dress up in all their matching outfits (thanks Nanny!!!) for some fun pictures.

Reunion

More high school fun at the beach today. Count them, there are 7 kids (plus little Baby Davis)--they kept us busy!

Old Friends, New Friends

Facebook is awesome! For the last two years, I have enjoyed reconnnecting with old friends as well as making new ones and learning more about them all. Today, I was able to reconnect with two old friends--one whom I haven't seen in more than 15 years!!! This morning, the kids and I went to Sullivan's and met up with an old high school friend and her two precious boys. Then, after lunch and naps, another high school friend (one I HAVE kept in touch with) came over to my parents' neighborhood pool for a playdate. Here is a picture of Kinsey and Max with her two cutie pie twins, Pete and Sebrey.

Pool Play

Hanging out with the fam at Nanny and Papadad's pool

Helllooooo Chucktown!

The kids and I came to the coast for a visit with Nanny and Papadad for the 4th and decided to come a few days early. We were greeted today on our first morning with rain, so we hopped in the car and headed downtown to the SC aquarium. The three of us had a great time enjoying the fish as well as the penquins, complete with a 4D "Happy Feet" adventure.

My favorite, the Ravenel Bridge

Kinsey in a shark cage

Max loved the shark exhibit

The Touch Tank