Sunday, September 30, 2012

Summer Holiday

Long after everyone has put away their summer toys, we are just heading off to the beach for our summer vacay.... on the first day of fall.  That's right! We're shade lovers and I don't like to sweat, so late September is the perfect time to hang out on the beach without being completely cooked by the hot southern sun. The weather was absolutely perfect.

Of course Mason went last year, but he only ventured down to the beach twice. If I remember correctly, he cried both times. This year he loved the sand and surf! 




Last year Kate didn't care much about the beach, but this year we couldn't keep her out of the water.


Pop did some fishing and got plenty of help.


Mason could knock sandcastles down faster than you could build them up.


Sometimes the kids even play together!


Of course Foster was along for the fun!


Every Princess takes her wand to the beach, right? For stirring buckets of sand, of course.


Mason got his first surfing lesson.


There wasn't a lot of surf to be had, but Don did catch a few waves.


And what trip to Charleston would be complete without a trip to the aquarium?


The lemur exhibit was fantastic!! We all got pretty up close and personal with this guy.
 

The kiddos skippered a boat...



And pretended to be sharks...


Pics of both kids looking at the camera were few and far between. Here's the best I managed. Yes, Mason is chewing on a shark. Yes, Kate bought two dolphins at the aquarium. She even mentioned that the gift shop was the best part of the trip.


It was a great week! We shopped, swam, surfed, ate, ate, ate, laughed, cried (tired kids, not us), and most importantly, relaxed. It was a well needed break from real life, which, we are back to first thing tomorrow.  And I did get at least a couple of pictures of the kids looking at the camera.


 


Tuesday, September 11, 2012

Bye, Bye Baby Mullet!


Well, it was finally time for Mason to trade his baby mullet for a big boy haircut. So, we headed down to Snip Its for a little snip snip! I'm not really very hair nostalgic. I'd rather him look like a big boy because he is!

Kate loves Snip Its. It is very, very kid friendly (read lots of wild colors, toys, videos, and things kids love). I am, however, not ready to let them cut Kate's hair. A little boy's cut is one thing. I've found someone I like for Kate, and why fix something that isn't broken? Right?

So she got to enjoy it without getting her hair cut.


Mason wasn't so sure about it at first.


But then they pulled out the animal cookies.


He even let them use the clippers on him!


Good thing Sis was there to keep him distracted.


Finished product - looks great!


Thursday, September 06, 2012

Back to School!


It's that time of year again! Kate was VERY excited to be going to her "new school" this year.  Actually, she is going to her old school, but a new classroom. She seemed a bit disappointed when we pulled up to the church, but at least the class was new and she was VERY excited.

Guess who picked this dress? Yes, it was a little warm for the weather, but she was so excited to be a princess.



And Mason? He's not missing out on the fun.  He goes to school 2 days a week now too!


I like to blame my out-of-focus/blurry photos on the fact that these two won't sit still. Or maybe the lens is dirty. It couldn't be that I'm not a great photographer, right? I mean, I seemed to take good pictures a year or so ago. They're still cute. Even if they aren't in focus.


Walking to class. CUTE!


Wednesday, September 05, 2012

Mobile Monday

You know how we love the zoo. We spent our Labor Day holiday there!

We really went so Flo the Flamingo could see her kin.



Mason enjoyed himself.  For the first time he could really see the animals.

The giraffe was a favorite.



And the Gorilla out for an early morning stroll.


There were new kittens.


And snakes.



Lions.


And Komodo Dragons. Fun!!









Saturday, September 01, 2012

What We've Been Up To

 Wearing rainboots.


Pinkalicious.


Scrubbing the patio.  (I did not suggest this. Made me think of North Korea.)


Swinging Tiger Princess.


Trying to knock out our teeth. (Luckily, she still has them all. I still believe that at least one will change color)


Water fights. (Never bring a bucket to a bazooka battle)


Dodging caterpillars - like this one Don got stung by today while trimming the bushes.