Family Outings

  • Travel & Vacation: Enjoying Charleston’s Piers

    Boats loading on the edge of the pier.

    The boats are getting loaded up at the end of the pier.

    Little crabs at the waters edge

    They would run down the sand picking up pieces to eat and then would run back up the beach when the wave came in.  It was neat to watch the wave of crabs running back and forth.  We were standing on the edge of the pier these little crabs were scurrying back and forth with the tide coming in.  The girls thought it was hilarious.

    I was moving fast enough so Brina ran back to check on me.

    Love seeing the thoughtfulness and compassion in this sweet girl.  She truly does care about others and wants everyone to have fun together.

    Karlie on the run!

    Karlie noticed that Brina and I were still coming up the pier so she decided to check out what we were up to.  When did my babies grown up?  So excited yet sad to see how much they have changed even over the past year.

    Standing at the edge of the pier looking at the bridge that leads to Daniel's Island.

    The girls thought it was a little scary at the end of the pier, but thought it was super cool looking at the bridge.

    Karlie and Brina running down the pier

    The girls had a race down the pier.  They were running and giggling the whole way.  It’s amazing how educational and entertaining time at the pier can be for the kids!

    The “Travel and Vacation” series is an insight into our trips together as a family and ways we relax.  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.  Explore with a good attitude, look 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: Great Parks in the Charleston, SC Area

    Cool moving bridge at Center Park

    We found a cute little park on Daniel’s Island, SC with a lot of shade and water fountains (thankfully since it was over 107 and humid that day) only a couple miles down the road from where Jake was working.  This was the most entertaining part on the whole jungle gym!  It was a moving bridge!  You could get on it at one location of the jungle gym and either have someone push you across or you could stand at other side and spin a wheel that pulls you across to the other side of the jungle gym.  The girls (and Mommy) where fascinated by this cool moving bridge and it provided quite a bit of entertainment for all of us!

    Karlie sitting on the wall!

    Karlie thought this wall in the park was awesome!  She would climb up, sit for a few minutes watching everyone and talk anyone nearby then get down.  I think she liked being up higher and over looking the park!

    Brina coming through the blue tunnel at Center Park.

    She thought it was hilarious going through the random tunnels and would giggle when she “caught” me watching at her!  So sneaky!

    Brina saying "hi" to her new friend

    These bubble blowers were such a HUGE hit!  It was so cute seeing Brina just checking out it’s face, it really was a bug friend to her!

    So....when I blew through here bubbles come out?!

    I tried to find these again this year but they must have sold out.  When you blow through the tail of the dragon fly the silver wings spin and a lot of bubbles come out of the dragon fly’s mouth.

    Mommy's about to get blasted with dragonfly bubbles

    This was shortly before a wave of bubbles came my way.  Brina thought it was awesome blowing dragonfly bubbles my direction!

    Karlie on the run at Waterfront Park under the Arthur Ravenel Bridge

    The Waterfront Park under the Arthur Ravenel Bridge is one of our favorite parks to hang out at in Charleston.  It always has shade from the bridge and has very clean restrooms and a cold water fountain.

    Brina playing at Waterfront Park in Mt Pleasant / Charleston, SC

    The Waterfront park is a great place to hang out before going into Downtown Charleston.  You can play in the park, walk on the pier, enjoy ice cream from the snack shop or watch free movies in the evenings during the summer months.

    Sitting on the slide at Waterfront Park

    Brina and Karlie taking a few minutes to cool down and talk while sitting on the slide.  They thought it was such a cool place to sit!

    Karlie relaxing on the boat's railing

    Karlie content to relax for a few moments against the boat’s railing.  This little park is in front of the Information Center for Daniel’s Island right next to a pier.  The girls really liked this park even though it did not have a lot of shade, a restroom or water fountain they still requested to go to this park to walk the pier and “pet” their turtle friends.

    Karlie and Brina driving the little white boat

    The girls thought it was very cool having the boat in the park.

    Hanging out with Daddy on the boat.

    Karlie is laughing at Daddy, while Brina and Daddy look at the camera.  The girls thought this park was so much fun that they had to take Daddy by to check it out too!

    Talking about the boat.

    An inside shot of the boat.  The girls and Daddy were having a fun decision about boats by the time I got their.  Jake had to be melting that day, it was well over 100 degrees and he was in pants and a long sleeved shirt.  Thankfully he was okay going to the “turtle park” to have a picnic with his girls over lunch despite the heat.

    One of the turtles

    They named each turtle and every time we go back they catch on their friends.

    My two little monkeys on top of the jungle gym!

    Karlie and Brina on the top for the jungle gym at a park across from one of the Daniel Island schools.  I was thankful for the higher railings at the top since they one was a good distance up.  They thought it was so funny how little Mommy looked from WAY up high!  It was over 108 degrees that day and no one else was brave enough to play on the jungle gym (or maybe they were smart enough to stay inside).  This park had really nice restaurants but the water fountain was broken.

    Brina bringing their flip-flops over

    This is the Mt. Pleasant Palmetto Islands County Park.  It has a wide area with the rubber padding.  The girls loved playing at this park.  You could also rent paddle boats, go to a Water Park or go on a hike.

    Caught Karlie sneaking down the long slide.

    The girls loved being “big” enough to climb up to the top of the tallest jungle gym and go down the long slide.  It took them several tries to work up enough courage to get up the climbing wall or pole but it was well worth it!

    Spinning in the yellow tire swing.

    The girls liked spinning and spinning in the yellow tire swing.  It made me sick just spinning and watching them after a few minutes.  They thought it was hilarious to jump off and run across the playground after spinning for several minutes!

    Karlie riding on another one of the spinning items at the park.

    She could spin herself but her preference was to have me stand beside her and spin until she said that was good.

    They literally wore out their flip-flops on this Charleston trip.  Since we were staying in a different location we were able to visit several parks and they girls played hard.  We tried to meet Daddy over lunch most days to take him on a picnic to one of the cool parks the girls have discovered, if we didn’t get a chance to go with him over lunch they would insist he check out the parks after dinner in the evening.  The girls were very good despite the heat during our visit to Charleston that week!  Although they would crash by the time we got back to the hotel at night, they were ready to head back out at the break of dawn!  What amazing memories we made during our park explorations in Charleston!  We are already looking forward to our next trip together!

  • Living Social: Foothills Gymnastics and Cheer Center

    Living Social currently has a great Local Deal!

    Gift Certificate for 4 Classes at

    Foothills Gymnastics and Cheer Center for $32

     or a 90-Minute Kids’ Birthday Party ($60)

    Details of the Gift Card:

    How to get your Gift Card:

    1. Sign up or login into your Living Social account
    2. Available in Select Cities (if not showing up in your current location Go to Greenville, SC)
    3. Purchase the Foothills Gymnastic and Cheer Center $32 (4 classes) or $60 (90 minute party) gift voucher
    4. The virtual gift card voucher will expire on 4/6/2012

  • SkyTop Orchard: $1.00 off a Bushel of Apples Coupon

    If you are looking for a great fall family activity you might want to try Apple Picking!

    SkyTop Orchard is now open for apple picking and is offering a coupon for $1.00 a bushel of Apples.

    You can pick your own apples or buy apples they have picked in their store

    What is at SkyTop Orchard:

    • Pick Your Own Apples, Peaches, Pears, and Grapes (check to see what is currently in season)
    • “Made While You Watch” Apple Cake Doughnuts
    • Hayrides
    • Pick Pumpkins, Gourds, and Fall Decorations
    • Picnic Areas
    • Barnyard Goats, Sheep, Chickens, Turkeys, Peacocks, Ducks and Geese
    • Free Apple Cider
    • Nature Trail through a Bamboo Forest
    • Orchard Pond
    • Bees working in their Beehive
    • Apple Goods, Hot Apple Cider, Caramel Apples, Fudge Apples and More
    • Honey, Jams, and Gifts
    • Kids Playground
    • Wooden cut-outs for pictures
    • And More!

    Where is SkyTop Orchard:

  • Vacation & Travel: Exploring History in San Juan, Puerto Rico (Part 2, Pictures)

    One of the congress buildings in San Juan.

    During our tour of San Juan, Puerto Rico we stopped by this beautiful congress buildings.

    Ceiling inside the political building, amazing art work.

    They had beautiful marble and artwork inside the senate building.  It was really neat to see the art and read about the history of San Juan.

    In their Senate building looking down into foyer at their Articles of Constitution

    The circular item in the middle of the foyer is San Juan’s “Articles of Constitution”.  You can actually read the documents and sign the signatures.

    Exploring Fort San Cristobal

    We had a blast exploring the Fort.  The Fort had many amazing views of the city and a lot of neat history regarding the city of San Juan.

    Following Dad through one for the long tunnels in the Fort.

    The fort had a maze of tunnels you could walk through.  If you look to the right you can see a glow of a light.  When the fort was built they used candles in those sections to help light the tunnels for the soldiers to see, (thankfully they use traditional lighting these days).  I wouldn’t want to be in one of the tunnels when all the lights went out!

    A large courtyard inside the fort.

    Inside the fort they had a couple large courtyard areas.  You could stand in the middle of the courtyard and see people touring the fort in about every direction.  I could only imagine what it looked like if the fort was buzzing with soldiers during it’s active days.

    An upper section where they placed cannons to defend the fort.

    The fort was built approximately 150 feet up from sea level.  On the upper sections of the fort the walls were huge!  Most of the places we above your head but when you looked out where the cannons were located you could see a great distance and get more of perspective of how high you truly were.

    Looking out of one of the cannon notches to the city of San Juan.

    It was amazing looking out the various cannon portals and seeing the city as well as ocean around the fort.  In some ways it is hard to believe at one time that there were cannons sitting in these notches.

    Gazing out at the beach and city around the fort.

    We are looking out of a “window” in the fort at the city and beach below.  If you look in the upper left hand corner of the picture you will see a piece of the fort sticking up with two horizontal slits in it, that is similar to the “window” we are taking the picture through.

    In the background of the picture you can see another piece of the fort.

     The fort is very long with houses and businesses along the outer walls of the fort.  There is area between the larger pieces of the fort are longer and narrower which follow the coast line of San Juan.

    As we were walking through the fort we found a friend on the grassy area.

    A large iguana (at least I think that is what it was) was stretched out on the grass right next to us.

    We had a lot of fun in a few hours exploring San Juan, Puerto Rico.  My personal favorite was touring the fort and learning snip-its of history about it.  I am thankful for the opportunity to not only spend time exploring other parts of the world on our trip but also spending extra time with 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.  Explore with a good attitude, look 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!

  • Vacation & Travel: Exploring History in San Juan, Puerto Rico

    Picture taken from inside Fort San Cristobal

    A few months ago my husband and I along with several extended family members had the opportunity to take a vacation and we flew into San Juan, Puerto Rico.  (I know, I am a few months behind and trying to catch up on all the fun activities, trips, and events that have been going on this year.  Bare with me I hope to get there eventually).  The day we flew into San Juan we weren’t able to explore but we were able to see the city on the way back threw.  After several days of fun cruising on the Royal Caribbean’s, Serenade of the Seas we had the a few hours to explore San Juan, Puerto Rico.

    We were able to see both the Old and New San Juan.   During our time in San Juan we were able to see and explore several historic landmarks such as the San Jose Church, the Governor’s Mansion, the Cristo Chapel, El Convento Hotel, visit the Condado section of New San Juan and we took a quick tour of Fort San Cristobal.

    Jake and I thoroughly enjoyed walking through Fort San Cristobal.  It would have been awesome to take a guided tour through the fort to learn about all the history behind it but since time was limited we soaked in all the information we could as we toured the Fort with our group. Fort San Cristobal is a large fortress on the island of San Juan that was built by the Spanish starting in the mid 1600’s but not complete until late 1700’s.  The purpose of the fort was to protect San Juan from attacks.  Fort San Cristobal was approximately 27 acres and stretched along the edge of the city.  This fort was one of the biggest built in America by the Spanish.  The fort was built to not only protect the city from attack on sea but from attack by land as well.  I was impressed with the number of tunnels within the fort.  One of the oldest pieces of the fort is the “Garita del Diablo” (the Devil’s Sentry Box) because sentinels would disappear from this post over the sea.  The first shots of the Spanish – American War between Puerto Rico and a US Navy ship were fired by the cannons on top of Fort San Cristobal in 1898.

    It was wonderful learning about all the history in San Juan while we were touring the city.  One of the neat parts about going on a cruise is we had a chance to visit a variety of different islands and learn about their history.  We were simply amazed and grateful for the time to soak in all the history in these islands.  San Juan was very fascinating, and like many of the other islands we visited, it would have been nice to stay a few days to learn more of the history and experience the culture.

    The island of Puerto Rico is approximately 100 miles long and 35 miles wide with almost 4 million people.  It is nicknamed the “Island of Enchantment,” and has a modern multicultural society which has been influenced by the Spanish, African, Native American Tainos and United States.

    Facts about the city of San Juan, Puerto Rico:

      • Land Area:  47.5 square miles
      • Water Area:  75.4 square miles
      • Population:  420,326
      • Density:  2,110 per square kilometer
      • Housing Units:  182,101
      • Per Capita Income:  $12,437

    Another interesting fact of Puerto Rico – “While Puerto Rico is the oldest city under U.S. jurisdiction, most people consider St. Augustine, Florida the oldest city in the continental.”   Informational facts received from To Puerto Rico

    I will be posting more pictures in a few days explaining and showing more about our adventures in San Juan.  It was a wonderful trip through the city filled with neat history.  The piece that made it more enjoyable is that we spent with with extended family.  What a blessing it is to have a chance to explore areas with 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.  Explore with a good attitude, look 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!

  • Magazine: “Family Fun” Magazine

    We have been receiving the “Family Fun” Magazine for awhile now and love it!  The girls have enjoyed picking out a variety of crafts and fun activities from the magazines.  Each issue contains information and “how-to” demonstrations on crafts, recipes, activities, parties, family friendly articles and much more.   If you are looking for a great family magazine packed full of ideas for the kids check this one out.

  • Summer Activities – A Hammock Full of Memories

    Swinging and relaxing for a few minutes in the Hammock!

    A few months ago for Mother’s Day Jake gave me a hammock!  It wasn’t until this Summer that I realized how much the gift meant to me.  As a family we have spent some wonderful time together talking, laughing, reading, and just relaxing together in the hammock.  Jake hung the hammock in the shady part of our yard near the jungle gym, swimming pool, and where I can see the majority of the yard, house and driveway.

    Karlie hanging out with us on the hammock!

    Once Karlie was done swimming she ran inside the house to change so she could have some relaxing time on the hammock with Mom and Dad.  I cannot count the number of times she has fallen asleep on the hammock as we enjoy time together.

    Brina loving the extra time talking and relaxing with Mom, Dad and Karlie.

    The girls love getting a chance to swing on the hammock with Mom and Dad.  They have a blast talking about anything and everything.  It is a great location to have some heart to heart as well as reminisce about all the fun memories we have together as a family.

    Skipper, our faithful guard dog while the family enjoys time on the hammock.

    After Skipper has made a complete loop around the entire property she will settle down at a spot right next to the hammock.  She occasionally will look at us but for the most part she is checking out all the activity in the woods and creek area.  Although she has never been on the hammock she seems to enjoy it when the entire family is outside nearby.

    A moment of rest.

    Every once in awhile when we are on the hammock the girls will fall asleep.  It is such a great place to spend a few moments together.  Life has a way of getting so busy that we need some time to stop, focus on each family member, enjoy being outside and relax.

    A peaceful view of nature!

    This is the view looking up from the hammock.  You can enjoy the beautiful trees, baby blue sky, and white puffy clouds floating by.  Just looking up and watching the leaves rustle in the breeze and the clouds drifting by makes the time relaxing even better.

    I have gone out many times over the last few months to relax, read, think, pray, do my devotions, write, brain storm, or hang out with Jake and / or the girls.  I am thankful for a thoughtful husband who gave me a gift that not only helps me relax but to slow down and enjoy a few precious moments with him and the girls.  Our hammock is so much more then just a hammock it is full of relaxing moments sharing memories together as a family.  Sometimes it is the simple things in life that make the most treasured memories for our children.  I am already looking forward to watching the leaves change colors as we move closer to the Fall season.