Twins
Travel & Vacation: Clamming and Playing at the Beach!
We had an amazing trip up north to see family in the New England area. Our family were blessed to have an opportunity to spend a few days with Jake’s cousin and his family! It was a wonderful weekend full of awesome memories and fun times together. Thanks Matt and Jen for sharing your family with us! We went clamming for the first time ever!!!
Clamming near Boston! During low tide we all went to the beach to go clamming! What a fun gooey adventure – Karlie’s explanation of clamming!
They found one - Daddy and Karlie digging up a clam! Daddy and Karlie found a clam and are digging it out of the mud!
Such a great adventure, searching for clams! We walked around barefoot in the sticky mud looking for clams. When your feet hit something hard (like a rock) you would reach down in the mud and pick up the clam. In less than 30 minutes we had a basket full of fresh clams for our evening meal.
Got another CLAM! YAY!!! Daddy and Karlie got another clam, oh boy! This is FUN!
Karlie covered in mud but so proud of the clam she found all on her own! A child’s dream event…..walking around in sticky mud in search for dinner! Karlie had a blast finding clams and was so excited to get a chance to eat the food she caught! It was a neat experience and gave us an opportunity to explain a little bit more about the ocean, high & low tides, and clams. Brina chose to stay on shore, she wasn’t into the sticky muddy mess!
Basket full of delicious clams! Matt made two amazing clam recipes for dinner that night – one dish was baked clams and the other was fried. His homemade tartar sauce was out of this world!!!
Every kids dream (at least kids like Karlie) mud, digging for clams, low tide, and fun at the beach! Karlie thought it was the best adventure! She just giggled at the muddy mess and had a blast trying her hand a clamming! I didn’t get as many pictures of Brina because she decided clamming wasn’t something she wanted to do (all the sticky mud didn’t appeal to her I guess) and since the rest of the family was out clamming I was able to get a couple pictures of Karlie and Daddy splashing around in the mud.
Most unusual door handle for a gate! There was a race in town so we had to stop a few minutes by a bridge to let the joggers pass. As were were stopped we had a chance to check out the town a little bit. We were next to a nice house with this cool outside gate that lead into their yard, it is an arm holding a hammer, the girls thought it was hilarious. Pretty creative!
Brina having fun in the sand at our "private" beach! Matt found a super cool beach area that we had to ourselves. There was water, sand, and plenty of fun for all the kids! Brina thought it was pretty cool sitting on the “island” (or sand bar in the middle) and playing in the sand.
Floating along together! Super fun! The kiddos had a blast floating on their boogie boards! It was low tide when we arrived and as we swim, grilled out and played the tide slowly kept coming back up. The kids discovered that they could get on the boards and the current would take them away. Sometimes they would race each other and other times they would link together so they could float along as one big team.
Our own private beach area! Perfect spot for the kids to play, have a BBQ, and relax! Our “private” beach, it really was a neat place to play! See our pile of shoes, line of beach chairs, water to splash in and sand to play around on. The sand in the middle was a sand bar with water flowing on either side making it a little island for everyone to enjoy (or at least until the tide rose high enough to cover the entire sand bar)! We had a super fun time exploring and playing with cousins!
Tide is moving in and covering the sandy island, Brina and Karlie are having a blast digging in the sand as the water continues to rise! The girls love a chance to play in the water and sand! As the tide was rising and the current was picking up they decided to spend some time digging on their island to help make the water goes faster!
Neat little town on the island! We could see this cute little town and light house on the island from where we were swimming! The island is so tiny they don’t have running water or electricity (even in the winter)!
Karlie with a full dump truck of sand, life at the beach is so much fun! Digging up the sand to fill up the dump truck! It is amazing how entertaining a toy can be on the beach!
Brina digging in the sand at the beach! Brina built a few good moats and dug some big holes on the beach! One hole was so big that if you weren’t careful it could wipe you out going through it (you don’t expect for the ground to drop several inches on shore).
She cracks me up! Karlie thought it was hilarious when the waves flipped her dump truck full of sand! Karlie tickled silly by the dump truck being tipped over with the waves. Fun times at the beach!
Brina building up her castle moat! It takes some serious concentration to build a castle and moat, however it can entertain for hours!
The girls had so much fun with their cousins and friends at the beach! Fun time at the beach with their cousins and friends. You never know who you might run into while playing at the beach!
We are thankful for the amazing opportunity to spend a few days with extended family! We truly are blessed with a wonderful family. The cousins played together so well and had a blast. It became obvious that Jen and I hit the same sales during Vacation Bible School week because we managed to buy the exact same swimsuits for the girls. All four girls had matching suits and we didn’t realize it until we were pulling them out for the kids to wear!
We started out that morning clamming followed by swimming and playing so we had a chance to explore three different beaches near Boston all the same day! Thanks Matt and Jen for showing us how to gather clams and for a fun day at the beach! What great memories!
“A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Book: “Black Beauty” by Anna Sewell
The girls are super excited to read their new book with Daddy “Black Beauty” by Anna Sewell. The book is part of the “Treasury of Illustrated Classics” book set which we are reading to the girls. They recently started this book and are already hooked. On one of our recent road trips they watched a mini series DVD on “Black Beauty” so they have been very excited to read the book. One chapter at night is not enough for them, they keep begging Daddy to read more! This book is about a spirited horse named “Beauty” who has had a challenging life as a horse. The book teaches about empathy and kindness towards animals.
Travel & Vacation: 40 Plus Hour Road Trip Together
Our family recently went on a forty plus hour road trip together. A lot of fun memories were created on our road trip up to New England including time spent with several extended family members. Here are a few pictures of our journey in the van:
Sleeping beauties in the van! Thankful to have girls who enjoy a long road trip. I had to smile when I looked back and saw them fast asleep with their toys on their laps.
Seriously, who needs a pillow when you have your sisters head to sleep against! This was a popular sight on our 40+ hour road trip. The girls would be quiet so we would look back and see them sleeping soundly with their heads together. A sister comes in handy for a pillow in a pinch!
Look out Boston here we come!!! We had a blast staying with family in the Boston area. Thankful for our time together with extended family!
Going through the "Big Dig" in Boston The girls thought it was neat going through the long tunnel under the city!
The girls enjoying one of their DVDs with head phones. We have a DVD player we can set up in the van which we use for long road trips. Our policy is if the road trip is longer than 5 hours we will put in the DVD player. The girls were VERY excited to go on a long road trip because they got to watch a couple movies.
Beautiful day and amazing scenery. We enjoyed the beautiful landscape on our drive up north. The green trees, puffy white clouds and Vermont Mountains in the distance. One of these years we need to head up to New England during the Fall, I bet it is breathtaking when all the trees are turning.
Little goodies and toys kept the girls entertained throughout the trip. Karlie watching a video while Brina plays with her remote control car. They had a blast playing in the car and exploring when we stopped.
Connecticul Welcomes Us! Yay! Even though we went through a lot of different states on our journey I was only able to capture a few state “Welcome” signs. It was hard to time the pictures and at night none of them turned out well. We made a brief stop in CT after trying three exits to find gas and a working restroom for the kiddos (I didn’t realize how many Mom/Pop gas stations didn’t have working restrooms).
Downtown Hartford We only spent a few hours in Hartford, CT on our trip. The girls said next trip they want to explore it more!
Welcome to Pennsylvania! The traffic in Pennsylvania was less but the roads were much rougher. We saw some beautiful scenery throughout the mountains of Pennsylvania!
So busy painting they completely ignored my request for a picture! These books were a big hit, obviously! The girls are always game for crafts and had been begging to “paint”. I found the solution at Big Lots in their clearance section, paint books that use water pens to paint. Less of a mess for us and more fun for the girls. All we had to do was fill up their pens a couple times along the way.
Beautiful river at sunset We were blessed to see a lot of wonderful scenery on the way.
Our girls resting in the van! Despite the many hours on the road the girls were such troopers. They did not complain at all even though they spent a lot of hours in the van. It was neat to see them have fun, entertain themselves, and get excited about exploring the different areas we stopped. Thankful for their sweet adventuresome spirit. They even slept a good 5 to 7 hours as we were driving through the night! Needless to say they were rested when we got home (Mommy and Daddy were exhausted). For tips on flying with the kids check out Tips on Flying with Kids.
“A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Book: “Journey to the Center of the Earth” by Jules Verne
Daddy just finished reading “Journey To The Center Of The Earth” by Jules Verne to our girls. It is part of the “Treasury of Illustrated Classics” book series we have been picking up for the girls. The story is about Professor Hardwigg and his nephew Harry who discover an ancient parchment and explore the world together. Professor and Harry encounter many adventures during their travels including a volcano and ocean sea life. The book encourages the child’s imagination. Karlie especially thought the book was amazing. She is into rockets, planets, space and traveling so the title of the book intrigued her from the beginning. Both girls enjoyed the book and always love it when Daddy reads “chapter” books to them. If you are looking for an adventure book to read to your kids check this one out.
Pampers Gifts to Grow – 5 Free Points
Receive another 5 free points from Pampers with the a new Gifts to Grow code!This code is different from the previous codes I have given.
Use Code: BABYISDUEANYDAY
The code didn’t have an expiration date but they usually expire in a few days so be sure to add it to your account soon!
You can save up the rewards to purchase gifts!
For more information about the Pampers Gift to Grow Program and how you can start earning Pampers “Gifts to Grow” Rewards for your family go to Pampers Gifts to Grow!
Family Outings: Picnic at Legacy Park
Karlie and Brina finishing their picnic lunch! Every once in awhile we have the opportunity to meet Daddy for a quick picnic over his lunch hour.
Karlie about ready to blow her bubbles on Mommy! The girls like to blow bubbles when we go to the park and luckily for them I usually have some in the van. Bubbles have come in handy quite often in our adventures.
Now it's Brina's turn to blow bubbles my direction! Somehow I get plenty of fun bubbles blown in my direction!
Karlie having fun on the play ground. It’s the little things in life that can entertain for hours!
Brina flying away on a jet plane, always plenty of entertainment on the play ground. The girls enjoy exploring and playing at the variety of parks in our area. Thankful for some time to spend with Jake and allow the girls some play time as well.
Twice as Fun: A Visit From The Tooth Fairy
Brina had a visit from the tooth fairy! Brina recently lost her first baby tooth which was another exciting day for the whole family. It marked a new stage in her life which means my baby is growing up! Although our girls know the “tooth fairy” really doesn’t exist it is fun to celebrate a new milestone in the lives of our kids.
Brina has been waiting for her first tooth to come out since Karlie’s came out several months ago. That is one hard part about having two at the same age, they are excited for each other but are ready for their turn too. Each of us is made uniquely so we let Brina know she will have a chance to celebrate too when her big teeth come through. I told her teeth will come in when it is perfect for her. Those who know me realize that I have been dreading this stage of Motherhood because I just don’t like wiggly teeth. I have to say it is amazing how much you can actually handle once you are going through it with your child.
Here are more pictures from Brina’s First Tooth Fairy Celebration:
Tooth Fairy visited Brina after she lost her first baby tooth and gave her $1! We put $1 Dollar in a butterfly Ziploc bag for Brina losing her first tooth! She was super excited to see cash under her pillow the next morning. Brina had forgotten about the tooth fairy and was trying to figure out why she had a present under her pillow, it didn’t take long. She was ready for us to read her the new book that morning!
A Special Note from the Tooth Fairy The front side of her present had a note from the Tooth Fairy that said – “Congratulations Brina on getting your 1st big girl tooth! Love, Tooth Fairy” She thought it was super cute with the heart and note!
A Note from the Tooth Fairy to Brina!
On the back side of her gift there was another note from the Tooth Fairy – “Brina, Congratulations on losing your 1st baby tooth! You are growing up to be a beautiful girl! Love, The Tooth Fairy” Brina was super excited to get her special notes and gifts for losing her first tooth. We did not get to keep Brina’s first tooth because we are not sure where it went, we think it either got thrown away with her apple, swallowed, down the sink when she was brushing her teeth or in the bath tub. We have a time span of when it was lost but not sure exactly where it disappeared.
It was a lot of fun celebrating the loss of Brina’s first baby tooth. Brina knows that there is no such thing as “The Tooth Fairy” even though we call it the Tooth Fairy. She was thrilled to get something special either way even if Mom and Dad are the Tooth Fairy. As parents we feel like it is okay to celebrate the monumental moments with your kids, however, we chose let them know if something that we celebrate such as the “Tooth Fairy” is really imaginary. We don’t want our kids growing up thinking we lied to them about something that isn’t even real. Every family has to make a decision about what is best for their family.
Please share with us your ideas on what you do to celebrate your children losing their teeth and what the “Tooth Fairy” brings for special goodies!
Twice as Fun is a series on raising Twins and all the joy that comes with it. We have been richly blessed to have twin daughters in our lives and want to share with you our thoughts, challenges, wisdom and love for raising multiples. Our girls have different interests and hobbies but they both know how to add excitement to our lives and make us chuckle.
Travel & Vacation: Isle of Palms Beach, South Carolina
On our recent trip to Charleston, South Carolina we had the opportunity to spend a long day at the Isle of Palms Beach. The beach was busier than Tybee Beach in Georgia but it was beautiful. It was a great day swimming and relaxing together.
Two chickies at the beach! Karlie and Brina ready to swim at Isle of Palms Beach near Charleston, SC.
Karlie and Daddy digging. Karlie and Daddy made a sand castle while Brina and Mommy picked up sea shells.
Brina's favorite sea shells, she said they look like colorful butterflies. We found a lot of these little clam shells on the beach. Even though they are fragile Brina still insisted on picking up as many as possible!
Brina found a shell! There were a lot of people on the beach that day but Brina still spotted a bunch of shells!
Daddy and the girls swimming....well really just everyone standing on Daddy. Brina thought it was hilarious that she could stand on Daddy’s knee and Karlie is trying to put her glasses back on, silly girls!
Here it comes! I think Daddy was the only one aware of the big wave about to get them!
Karlie and Mommy swimming Karlie wore her sunglasses the entire time we were in the ocean.
Pruned feet from swimming in the ocean too long! The girls thought it was hilarious seeing their hands and feet pruned after swimming in the ocean. We had been in for at least an hour maybe two so its going to happen eventually.
Cool shades Karlie cat. Karlie chilling for a few minutes after eating her snack.
Brina spent the entire time eating her snack watching the little puppy next to our tent. Entertained by the little dog next to us.
Brina catching seashells. Brina thought it was great sitting at the edge of the water waiting for wave and catching seashells.
Karlie on the run. Karlie had fun looking for treasures in the water, she is running to the shell bucket. The best find that day was 2 quarters.
After several hours in the sun at the beach we went back to the hotel and swam for another three hours. I am not sure how the girls did it but they slept well that night. It was a lot of fun to spend a day at the beach and pool with the family.
“A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Fun in Charleston
On our family road trip to Charleston we got to discover neat places. Thanks to a friend, who gave us some information in advance, we had a blast exploring new kid playgrounds during our time away. It was a fun filled inexpensive mini vacation together.
Karlie climbing. The girls and I spent one morning at the Mt. Pleasant Palmetto Islands County Park. They loved it!
Brina on the tire swing. Brina loves spinning on this swing!
Karlie enjoying her time at the playground. It took a lot of work to climb up the jungle gym and go down this slide, Karlie is quite pleased with her accomplishment!
Brina loves this slide. Brina happy to finally go down the slide, several kids fell trying to get up the jungle gym to go down this slide.
Giggling as they look down on Mommy! Brina and Karlie loved being up high and thought it was hilarious how “tiny” Mommy was on the ground.
Brina determined to get find the diving stick. The girls swam for hours in the hotel pool. They had fun splashing, playing, relaxing and meeting new friends.
Karlie loved splashing around in the pool. We spent almost five hours in the pool that afternoon. The nice part about where the pool was located is that part of it was in the shade throughout the day so you didn’t have to be out in the intense heat all day swimming.
Daddy, Karlie and Brina ready for dinner at Red's We ate at a local seafood restaurant one night. The girls favorite part was that the kids meals were served on a frisbee so they were able to take it home with them, they thought it was so funny.
Crossing the Arthur Ravenel Bridge just after sun down to go into downtown Charleston. We gave the girls the option after dinner to go back to the hotel and swim or go to downtown Charleston and drive around. Much to our surprise they wanted to go explore downtown Charleston. They always enjoyed going over this bridge!
The girls wanted to know all the history behind the cannons. Daddy patiently answered many questions on the history behind Charleston and the surrounding area during our walk through the park and downtown.
The most bizarre thing we saw in Charleston. As we were walking through the part we saw a visible path of white feathers about 3 to 5 feet across from one tree to the next tree (about 30 to 40 feet away). The feathers had obviously been placed there for a reason, we believe there is some historical resemblance but not sure. Can anyone who has more knowledge on the history of Charleston give us an explanation? It was odd seeing a path of feathers between two huge trees and several cars as they were driving by honked as they passed that part of the park.
See the white line between the two trees? It is a wide path of white feathers. I am still a little perplexed by this one…..
Our family thoroughly enjoy Charleston the food, adventures, and time together was refreshing. I am thrilled the girls had fun exploring the town. I have a little bit more about our Charleston adventures coming up soon so stay tuned!
“A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
Travel & Vacation: Road Trip to Charleston
We recently went on a road family road trip to Charleston, it technically was a work and family fun trip combined. I am thankful for a wonderful time together exploring Charleston. A lot of great memories were made that week!
Brina and Karlie in Charleston! This is the pier near the Waterfront Park, you can get a good view of the Arthur Ravenel Bridge from the pier.
Brina enjoying the slide! The girls loved the Waterfront Park, thanks Janet for telling us about this great park! The park is directly under the large Arthur Ravenel Bridge. It is great having the park under the bridge because the majority of it is shaded even during the hottest parts of the day.
Karlie fun at the Waterfront Park. Karlie climbing on the jungle gym at Waterfront Park. If you look above her head you can see the cement from the bridge above us. You can hear all the traffic going along the bridge as you are playing on the playground. It’s a great park and if you go they charge $0.50 per hour to park (they take cash, coins, credit / debit). I was never able to get the credit / debit to work so I would suggest making sure you have cash or coins prior to going to the park.
Brina spinning at the park. The girls do better at spinning then I do. They thought this was so much fun standing and twisting around!
Karlie doing her workbook at the hotel. Karlie and Brina thought it was great doing a few pages of their workbooks in the hotel. They did really well! Karlie made her own desk out of an end table and used the cooler for her chair, she was so proud of her “creative” desk.
Brina on the Waterfront slide. Back at Waterfront park for more fun. The girls loved the park so much they wanted to show Daddy so we got pizza, ate a picnic at the park and let the girls play so more.
Karlie on the slide. Karlie having a blast on the slide at the park.
Brina spinning. The girls thought these were awesome. No matter how you sat in these stools you would spin. I was surprised at how long they could spin, Mommy didn’t last nearly as long!
Karlie still dazed from a big spin. These seats were hilarious. Karlie lost a shoe on this spin!
Daddy and Brina on the double swing. They had double swings under awnings along the pier. It was beautiful and cool sitting together enjoying a swing!
Mommy and Karlie swinging on the other side! We had a blast in Charleston. The first day we spent exploring a little bit and enjoying some time playing at their beautiful park. Thankful for a great time with the family creating memories!
“A Vacation To Remember” series is a reflection on our recent trip and ways we relaxed. Life is short and we were thrilled to have the opportunity to build memories with family and explore of of the most amazing places during our time away. Go with a good attitude and looking for fun and it will be an awesome trip jammed packed with positive memories. It is refreshing having some time away from the regular routine. Make it a once in a lifetime opportunity to meet new people and learn. You just might see or try something new that takes your breath away!
