Isle of Palms ~ Charleston family vacation part 2

Adam and I took Paige to the Charleston Aquarium. It was a small, very nice aquarium. Paige really enjoyed herself. 

My girl and I. She can drive me crazy, but I love her so! 

We went to every exhibit that the aquarium had. Paige doesn't want to miss out on anything. 

She was so proud of herself for sticking her hand in the water and touching the star fish. That was a first for her. She is usually too scared. 

Trying out the hurricane machine...

A quick picture by the water before we melted in the sun. ;) 

That night we went to a ghost walk with Terry, Penny, and Autumn. It was really neat to hear stories and learn some history of Charleston. Ella wanted to do this and really enjoyed it. 

Although the ghost walk was neat, I enjoyed people watching and seeing the buildings and restaurants we walked past the most. Charleston is a beautiful town with a ton of history. 

I loved this hotel. It is so beautiful on the outside. Someday it would be neat to go back and stay in a hotel in the heart of Charleston. 

We were able to go into an old cemetery. We heard many stories about ghosts. I'm not sure I believe them, but it was fun to hear. 

The following day Adam and I were able to go out by ourselves for a bit. We went to the City Market, Rainbow Row and The Battery. This was everything I wanted to do a few days before but my lovely children could not handle. 

I'm not even lying when I say it was HOT and HUMID. I have never experienced heat like that before. I was still determined to make the best of it and see what I came to see. 

MELTING in this picture! Thankful that Adam is a trooper and goes along with whatever even though I know he was miserable. 

These are houses close to Battery. They were beautiful! 

We couldn't take anymore after this picture so we headed back after this. I was so happy to check everything off my list. 

Paige looks like she's ready to take on the world in this picture, and she probably is! 

My mom in her element making spaghetti sauce for that evening. I didn't cook all week, and it was wonderful! It's great traveling with people who enjoy cooking. 

Before we knew it, it was our last day. Wahhh!!! I seriously wanted to cry. That's when you know its a was a great trip. 

We had a beach day for our last day, and it was a beautiful day. We played in the water, looked for shells, and had a great day. 

Paige ended up finding the biggest shell that week. That was the kind of shell I had been looking for but couldn't find one. She looked down in the water and pulled it out. I was shocked when she picked it up. We have never found a shell that big in all the years of going to the beach. 

It was so fun to have both my parents at the beach with us. I'm always thankful for time spent with them. 

After an entire week together, we still liked each other enough to get a picture together. :)  We seriously had the best week. It was so fun to always have someone to talk to. We went our separate ways a lot that week, but it was fun to get back and hear what each other did. Our lives our busy at home so it was nice to slow down and hang out that week. I'm thankful for that time together each trip we take with all of us.  

We took a few more pictures on the roof top deck. The sky was so pretty that night. 

The OG's! 

Thanks Mammy and Peep for another great trip! You know it's great when you get home and are still talking about it and sad that it's over a week later. It was great, and I'll never forget it. Where to next?! 

Isle of Palms ~ Charleston Family Vacation

This past June we took a great vacation to Isle of Palms/Charleston area with the whole family.  This trip was planned way back in August so it took almost a year for it to get here. Time flies though and before we knew it, it was time to go. 

We left bright and early Saturday morning. We were the last to leave (everyone else left the day before). It was a LONG day, but only because we were so excited to get there. Poor Paige was carsick the first couple of hours but came out of it around Nashville. 

The excitement was real!!

We finally arrived around 6:30pm and were so excited to be there. After a quick dinner and tour of the house,  we hit the beach. There is nothing better than your first glance of the ocean. 

 

Take me back right now!! 

The beach in South Carolina is great. There is a lot of flat area to walk, ride bikes, and play. There are also a ton of shells to find. It's a lot different from Florida. 

Paige was wound up!!

The following day we hung around the house and went to the beach. It was overcast but still a great beach day. 

Paige declared this, "the best day ever!" 

I don't think she could think of anything better than being at the beach with Mammy and Peep.

After lunch, we headed back to the beach. We rented a golf cart which made getting back and forth to the beach much easier. It's all fun and games until you have to walk back from the beach when you are hot and tired. 

This kid loves the beach!

Paige was amped up since she was around everyone and did not stop talking the entire day. It was exhausting!! 

We had many dinners around this table. This house was perfect for a big family. Terry cooked the first two nights. He made bbq pork the first night and stir fry the second. My mom made grilled burgers and spaghetti. It was nice having meals there instead of going out. 

This is the face you make when you finally wear yourself out from talking all day long. She definitely crashed and burned that night. :) 

On Monday, we had grand plans to go downtown and go to the city market. I also wanted to walk to Rainbow Row and The Battery. I definitely set my expectations way too high that day. It was hot, and Paige and Ella were both tired. Things did not go as planned. Paige was crying. Ella was complaining. We had to leave and regroup. 

Although there was a lot of crying and complaining going on, we did see a few things downtown. I love the buildings and the palm trees. It's such a pretty downtown! 

Rainbow Row... I was the only one impressed. 

We grabbed lunch at Chick fil a and stayed at the house the rest of the day which was fine. 

This pool on the deck was used a lot. It was nice to be able to look out the back door and see what was going on in the pool. 

Paige had a great time spending time with "Minnie". Paige and Penny had a lot of conversations that week. :) 

Terry cooked for us again. He made stir fry, and it was really good. I thoroughly enjoyed watching everyone else cook that week. 

Adam and I took Ella to the Patriot Point Naval and Maritime Museum. She loves looking at all the WWII memorabilia. It's not my cup of tea, but it was pretty neat. I went just to spend time with her. 

Ella loved looking at all the WWII memorabilia. 

The museum had a lot of great views!

Ella enjoyed herself, and it was an overall great visit. We topped it off with lunch at Chick fil a. 

Once we returned I got ready and met everyone at the beach. My parents had the task of taking everything and a six year old to the beach...

Mammy and Peep... the reason we were all able to go on this trip. 

Paige is my little beach goer. 

This is what trips with me look like. I'm always documenting and taking pictures. 

We celebrated Autumn's 12th birthday while we were there. I remember the day she was born and can't believe she is twelve. Because of her we got to enjoy this delicious cake and a great meal made by my brother. 

The beach in the evening is so pretty. We went quite a few times to find shells and walk. 

I took Paige one night to boogie board. She loves to boogie board! 

Pure joy!