Monday, October 21, 2013

Charleston = Fun (Beaches)


Out of all that Charleston has to offer, nothing is more fun for our boys than the beach.  I'm so thankful for talented friends who gladly capture their happiness by photographing them!










It's okay to laugh.  We laugh, too.  He's pleasantly plump.  And we're proud of it!



Luke snatched a friend's beach hat and ran out into the tidal pool.  Thankfully, she was amused!




Here are two of Luke's favorite people ever.  This sweet family has become so dear to us!









Very accurate picture of a day at the beach:  Luke soaking up every moment he has in the water; Caleb being entertained by Luke; and me watching Caleb and laughing with slight anxiety at Luke's water obsession. 







I can't say enough about this little boy.  I love him.




*Special thanks to Sarah Cline for providing most of these pictures!*


Charleston = Fun (Parks)




One of my favorite things to do with our boys is take them to parks.  Luke absolutely loves everything about the park, and it's fun to see him make new friends so easily.  And an added perk is that many parks here sit next to the water, so parents get to enjoy the harbor views while the kids play.



























Daddy recently walked from work to a nearby park where we picnicked for dinner.  This lasted for about 5 minutes, as the mosquitoes soon discovered us!






Serious motivation to take the boys to the park!


We live by many historic plantations, and one is only blocks from our house.  If we don't go to the park, we usually stroll down to this plantation.  Behind them is the oldest home west of the Ashley River.  


A Few Firsts




The boys have experienced many "firsts" since we've been here, and I've been able to capture a few of them on camera.


First- and perhaps only- time to see once injured sea turtles released back into the ocean!




This was Luke's first time to blow out a birthday candle!  Our community group celebrated his 2nd birthday by singing to him over cupcakes!


First time to carve a pumpkin!  Luke was very intrigued until he remembered how many sticks there were for him to play with in our front yard!



As expected.




Once a 2-year-old loses interest, it's pretty impressive how quickly a facial surgeon can effortlessly carve a pumpkin.  He did an exceptional job.


Finished product!




First time to ride in the grocery cart together.

Don't be fooled: Luke is not showing any sort of affection here.




At least they could entertain the other shoppers and employees.





First time to take a bath together!  And what's sweeter, it was the first time for Caleb to take a bath without crying!

In addition to these firsts, Caleb recently crawled for the first time with the motivation of reaching Aunt Kathleen's banana bread! We were thankful that she was able to witness that.  We're hoping to hear some first words from that little guy soon!



Visits!



The past few months have been eventful to say the least, and much of that is due to the visits we have had with dear family and friends:



We were able to spend Labor Day weekend in Asheville with three families who are very dear to us: the Eldridges, Brelands, and Damicos.  Here is Luke with his BFF, though they acted more like siblings on this visit!




We loved having Mimi and Aunt "Wiz" come visit us!  Luke still asks for Mimi to bring him some more peaches.



And on a separate occasion, we got another visit from Aunt "Wiz" and Aunt "Kackween!"  If these boys don't have fun aunts, I don't know who does!  The boys' faces prove it!








Speaking of fun aunts, Sha Sha paid us a timely visit when Daddy was out of town.  What a blessing it was to have her with us for a few days!


And this past weekend Mama T came!  We took a risk bringing a 2-year-old with us on a carriage ride through Charleston, but it was worth it.







We thought Luke would love riding behind the horse, but we didn't realize until we stepped up into the carriage that he had never experienced heights!!  Lesson learned!


Key to surviving a carriage ride in Charleston with two kids two and under: lots of food and lots of snuggles with Mama T!



We are so grateful for visits from such sweet family and friends!