Mom & Daughter Date Night at Hearts of Clay
Brina working on her new plate!
Earlier this year I took the girls to Hearts of Clay to make their first pottery creations. We were super excited when we got the call from Hearts of Clay saying that the items were ready to pick up, however, one of the pieces had broken (Brina’s big flower plate). They were very sweet and offered to let her create another plate if she wanted to come in and do it. Although, she was sad about the broken plate that she had worked so hard on she was a good sport and felt a lot better knowing she could create another one. We made it into a Mom-Daughter Date Night and had a great time being creative together. Thankful for Hearts of Clay and their kindness in letting her come make a new plate. We had a wonderful time and look forward to another fun activity at Hearts of Clay in the future.
Brina’s new plate! She made the plate beautiful, but simple this time around. Instead of a flower she chose a square shape. Her colors are very similar to the last one she created.
We also picked up the pieces that were done from the previous visit to Hearts of Clay! They turned out really well! Glad the girls enjoyed this fun adventure!
All the pieces that survived the first fun creative evening at Hearts of Clay. Karlie’s is the rocket plate and the goat! Brina’s is the purple heart, black lab, giraffe, and cat (whose tail fell off).
Karlie was so thrilled “Oreo” the goat came out well.
Karlie loves space so her rocket, stars, and planet plate was a perfect display of something she enjoys! She was pleased with how it turned out!
We are looking forward to seeing how this Brina’s recent plate turned out along with her other little creations she made with the extra clay. We met up with Jake and Karlie after finishing up at Hearts of Clay and the four of us went out to dinner together. It was nice to spend a little one-on-one time with Brina as well as a relaxing rest of the evening with the family.
Order Will Be Restored in this House!
Either the girls forgot the house rules or got a little spoiled with all our traveling and busy summer! With everything going on this summer instead of waiting for them to pick up and turn their clothes right side out for laundry day I would just do it since I needed to repack the suitcase or wanted to get the house pick up. The beginning of the school year got off to a rough start in house department because they must of thought it was okay or normal to just throw their clothes on the bathroom floor before their showers, leave headbands on the sink, and other random items placed in odd spots through the house and their rooms.
After several days of being nice and reminding them to pick up after themselves I decided it was time to do something else to get their attention. On that particular night I had already wading through their piles of clothes on the bathroom floor, picked up pieces of confetti paper off the dining room floor, put away their library books, placed more items than their bar stools would hold to be put away, and more craziness. In my quest to pick of the house I found a piece of notebook paper on the kitchen floor and scribbled out my note. The deal was either you pick up your stuff or breakfast will not be served that morning (and yes it was a school morning). I let Jake read my note first just in case I was being too zealous with my request. My first comment to him was “Order will be restored in this house!” Jake thought it was hilarious!
Guess what!? IT WORKED!!! You should have seen the girls reactions when they came to breakfast and saw the note on the counter instead of their food. Too funny! The next few minutes were a whirlwind of them scurrying around the house to put all their stuff away. They got everything done and in record time too. They both even got to eat breakfast that morning! The biggest benefit though was that it reminded them of their responsibilities and while we to still have an off day once in a great while it has been MUCH better.
When everyone in the family works together to put away their items in the proper places the whole family can enjoy a much more livable house. I don’t mind cleaning, but really don’t want to be a full time personal maid when everyone is perfectly capable of helping out. No more wading through piles of clothes, tripping over shoes, washing my hands with headbands in the sink, or random items spread throughout the house!
Hopefully this will be the last time I have to remind them. It wasn’t a fancy note and it was done a little off the cuff, but hey the message got across and it served it’s purpose! I have debated back and forth whether or not to share this with you than decided that if I am going through this in my house it is probably happening in at least a couple other homes somewhere. Maybe?!
Travel & Vacation: Spiritline Cruises
Our ferryboat transportation from Patriots Point to Fort Sumter
In order to get to Fort Sumter you have to take a boat over to it. We met Spiritline Cruises Ferryboat at Patriots Point and took it over to Fort Sumter. It was relaxing and informational riding the boat over to Fort Sumter. They explained a little bit about the area around us and give us highlights on Fort Sumter as well. The girls brought their monoculars and it was pretty cool some the items they were able to see clearly with them. We even learned about a fort I hadn’t heard about before Castle Pinckney. It sprinkled a little on the way over and poured on the way back, but thankfully the big rains came while we were on the boat not during our actual tour. We did get to see several dolphins on our trip too which was exciting for the girls!
Karlie looking through her monocular at Castle Pinckney
Brina checking out the forts, harbor, and surrounding areas as we cruise on the ferryboat. The Orion 10×42 Waterproof Monoculars we got the girls for Christmas have been amazing (the Swagbucks we had earned came in handy when buying these on Amazon too)! If you travel with your kids this is a great way for them to see a lot of neat things and are they light, waterproof, easy to carry, and simple to use.
Brina loving the ferryboat ride! We even saw dolphins swimming alongside of the boat!
Checking out all the cool sights around the Charleston harbor!
The Castle Pinckney was one of the really neat sights we saw on the way to Fort Sumter. I had never heard of this fort before our trip and it was fascinating to learn a little piece of its history too. It was named after Charles Cotesworth Pinckney who was well known in Charleston area as well as a general in the American Revolution and a South Carolina delegate in the Constitutional Convention. The site where the castle was built was selected for military purposes by President George Washington.
The castle was originally a log fort in the early 1800’s until a hurricane hit and they had to rebuild with stronger fortification. It was considering unique when it was built because the men could fire on the attacking ships from multiple levels with it’s half circle architecture. Although, when the long range cannons were created Castle Pinckney’s usefulness decreased. The Pinckney Castle became the second line of defense once Fort Sumter was completed. You can see Castle Pinckney when going to and from Fort Sumter, however, there are no public tours of this fort at this time. You can learn more about the history of Castle Pinckney and other neat historical landmarks at Explore Southern History.
Karlie having a blast touring the Charleston area!
Our final stop was P.F. Chang’s in Mount Pleasant. I have eaten at the one in Greenville several times for work or with friends, but since Jake and the girls hadn’t eaten at P. F. Chang’s we decided to try it. The girls especially liked their giant horse outside the restaurant!
Karlie relaxing and sipping her drink while waiting for her dinner to arrive!
We were seated immediately, but due to a mix up with our order it took almost 2 hours to get our food and once we got it part of the order was wrong (even the 3 tables around us, with the same server, who were seated after us got their orders before we did). The girls were good sports despite the long wait and we passed the time talking and playing games. The food was good, but I am not sure the rest of the family is overly excited about going back due to the service we received at this particular restaurant. Thankfully, we still had a good time and there are a lot of other restaurant choices in the Charleston area.
Happy First Day of 4th Grade!
It’s hard to believe it is that time of year again! School started this week. Somehow my babies are growing up quickly and now are in 4th grade. Praying that they have an amazing year, packed full of fun, and learning. Thankful for these two sweethearts and looking forward to another big year.
Ready for the first day of 4th Grade!
Greenville: Splashing Around at Otter Creek Waterpark
Brina and Karlie going down the blue slide together on a double tube!
Our end of Summer Break activity was going to the Otter Creek Waterpark! None of us had ever been to this Greenville Waterpark so we decided it should be the one we try out to celebrate the end of summer. It was actually one of the closer ones to us since we were coming from Easley. The girls had a BLAST swimming around. We arrived shortly after they opened and didn’t leave until late in the afternoon. We splashed around in the water and went down the slides many times! It was a lot of fun hanging out at the waterpark with the girls!
Brina having a grand time at the waterpark!
Hanging out with the girls at the Otter Creek Waterpark! Great way to wrap up summer vacation!
Brina doing flips under water!
Going down the huge orange slide together. They went down all the slides many times!
Karlie’s coming!
Carrying up the double tube. It was quite the teamwork to get the big tube up the stairs without bumping into too many people!
Splashing around!
Brina all smiles!
Karlie loving the water slides!
Come on Mom, stand right over here…… Hmmm….this looks like a trick?! BRINA!
Yikes! There’s something coming at me under the water!
Brina enjoying our fun day at Otter Creek!
Karlie doing flips under water!
Brina arriving at the bottom of the green slide!
Karlie at the top of the white slide! She LOVED it! I did all the slides many times, but the white slide once was enough for me. WOW, it was so fast and my heart was in my throat as I flew down it. Not to mention with that much speed once you hit the water you had received a nice swimsuit wedgy, ha! Karlie on the other hand did the white slide many times!
Karlie flying down the slide again! It doesn’t look as steep in this picture, but trust me it was plenty steep! I thought I was going to fly right off of it I was going so fast! Fun times with the kids!
Travel & Vacation: Kids Paddleboarding on Lake Milford
Yes, five kids can fit onto one paddleboard – Sierra, Brandon, Karlie, Nathan, and Brina
On our last full day at Lake Milford Nate used his money to rent a paddleboard for several hours. It provided a lot of fun entertainment for everyone! The kids had a grand time as well as the adults trying their balancing skills on the paddleboard. Thanks Nathan for sharing with everyone. What a fun day!
Nate and Brandon on the paddleboard!
Brina and Brandon going for a ride on the paddleboard
Getting instructions from Uncle Jeremy
Nate and Sierra on a roll
Sierra and Nathan cruising across the lake
Karlie steering and Brina on for the ride
Brina’s turn to paddle while Karlie rides (or splashes in the water)
Nathan and Karlie on the paddleboard
Karlie in control of the paddleboard now as Nathan hangs on
Brina trying it out on her own…don’t go too far!
Karlie testing her paddleboard skills
Sierra going for a ride with Brandon on the paddleboard
Sierra demonstrating her balancing talents!
Brandon is a little concerned that Sierra’s balancing acts may result in getting him tipped over
Brandon, Brina, and Sierra all standing on the paddleboard. This is a lot harder than it looks because you have more movement and it is much easier to tip over.
Goofy kids!
Trying to catch their balance without flipping the paddleboard.
HOLD ON…..
Brandon thought it was hilarious that all the girls fell off the paddleboard.
Karlie, Brandon, Sierra, and Brina trying to get back on!
Gliding across Lake Milford
Brandon driving the paddleboard now
They are having a grand time!
Beautiful day for paddleboarding across the lake with cousins!
Brina smoothly sailing around on the paddleboard
Karlie taking Brina and Brandon around the lake.
Travel & Vacation: Smithsonian Institution – National Museum of Natural History
Standing at the banister looking down on the elephant and floors below.
The girls were thrilled to go to the Smithsonian Institution National Museum of Natural History. Brina especially loves anything associated to animals. Since we did the Smithsonian Institution of National Air and Space Museum yesterday we thought this will be a great next adventure. Thankful for some fun times together!
Touring the National Museum of Natural History
OOOOOOOUCH Karlie! This one has a lot of teeth!
Brina and Jake checking out the armadillo shell!
Doing their names with stamp calligraphy
Having fun exploring with my Brina Bee
Brina reading the sign and soaking it all in
Learning more about animals
Wow! Some cool looking animals!
One big giraffe
Checking out the fun displays
They had a huge elephant in the middle foyer of the building.
Touching a piece of rock from Mars…..fascinating!
Karlie thought this rock was so cool
Whoa….look at those rocks!
The Hope Diamond is a 45.52-carat dark blue diamond. It has traveled from India to France to Britain and now the United States. The Hope Diamond is also described as the “most famous diamond in the world.”
It looks like the elephant is coming toward them!
Super excited to visit the Smithsonian Institution – National Museum of Natural History
Vacation & Travel: Korean & Abraham Lincoln Memorials
Etched in the granite on the Korean War Memorial are the words “Freedom Is Not Free”
While in Washington, D.C. we went to several memorials. One of the memorials we visited the first day was the Korean War Veterans Memorial. As we were walking up to look at the memorial we ran into Park Ranger JoAnn. She asked if the girls would like for her to walk around the memorial with them and tell them more about the memorial. The girls were thrilled to soak in more information from the park ranger. She did great with the girls, answered all their questions, and made it fun for them too.
Park Ranger “JoAnn” taking the girls through the Korean War Memorial. She was super sweet and explained a lot of neat details to the girls!
One of the benefits to walking through the Memorial with a Park Ranger is that we got a lot of great information about the memorial that we probably wouldn’t have figured out on our own by just walking through. It did take a few minutes longer, however, it was really worth it and the kids enjoyed hearing the specific details that went into making the memorial special for the soldiers who fought in the Korean War. The granite wall is in the shape of a triangle intersecting a circle. The wall has over two thousand images etched into it that represent soldiers who served in the war from all divisions. The etches were amazing.
Inside a triangle shaped area across the sidewalk from the wall are 19 stainless steel statues designed by F. C. Gaylord in 1994. Each soldier represents all of the American service branches dressed in their specific uniforms. The soldiers are over 7 feet tall and weigh almost 1,000 pounds. The bushes on the ground around the soldiers reflects what the ground looked like in Korean during the war. One of the soldiers has designer Frank Gaylord’s initials and date carved into it.
Listening to all the information. On the opposite side of the wall (where the wreaths are located) are listed the 22 United Nation countries who were involved in the Korean War. The wreaths are not always there, but we came during the week of July 4th.
Karlie listening to what Park Ranger JoAnn is saying while Brina tries to count the reflections of the soldiers on the granite memorial.
When the images of the 19 statues reflect on the memorial wall it appears that there are 38 soldiers which represents the 38th parallel where the war was fought.
The Korean War Memorial is near the Lincoln Memorial and Reflecting Pool (an easy walking distance and the closest restroom too). Thankful for park rangers and their willingness to share pieces of history with kids. Our family really enjoyed learning more!
We made it to the steps of the Abraham Lincoln Memorial. The girls are excited to see Lincoln’s memorial!
Daddy and Karlie
Jake and his girls at the Lincoln Memorial
Brina and Karlie impressed by the size of Abraham Lincoln’s Memorial
Mommy and her girls! It is so much fun exploring and seeing these great places with the kids now that they know more of their history.
Sitting below Lincoln’s famous speech! “Four score and seven years ago….”
We had a blast exploring many awesome places in Washington, D.C. There is so much to do and see! We started early that morning and packed in as much as possible. We made sure to have plenty of liquids and snacks to help keep us going throughout the day. The girls even wore their own camel backs with water and snacks. They were troopers as we bounced around D.C.
Vacation & Travel: Smithsonian Institution – National Air & Space Museum
Jake and his girls at the Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C.!
Our family was able to spend some time at the Smithsonian Institution of National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. this summer. The first time we drove by the building and Karlie saw the sign she was ready to go explore it! The Smithsonian Institution buildings that we went into were really nice, very educational, and the best part is that they are FREE! You cannot bring in any food or drinks, but there are water fountains and a McDonald’s at one end of the Museum if you get hungry.
So excited to explore this building that they had to get a picture by the sign!
Over-the-top excited to go into the Air and Space Museum
Both girls love science and learning, however, Karlie loves anything relating to space so this adventure was a big hit with her!
So many things to look at and explore in the Air & Space Museum. As you can see Jake is the only one actually looking at me, ha! Thanks Babe! The other two were mesmerized by all the displays!
Karlie all smiles as she touches a piece of moon rock. This particular piece was brought back from the moon on Apollo 17 in December 1972.
Brina touching the moon rock….how cool to think that it was once on the moon!
Jake is so good about showing the girls the various items and explaining it to them. They love soaking up all the cool information!
Having fun at the Smithsonian Institute National Air and Space Museum!
We thought the room with all the history about how planes and other flying items were created was pretty neat!
Brina all smiles waiting in line for the next activity and you can see Karlie in the reflection checking to make sure her Air & Space Museum pictures were turning out! Silly girls!
Brina flying the plane!
Karlie’s turn to drive! They’ve got their eyes on what’s in front of them! Whatever it is better look out!
Soaking it all in….
Wow, what a huge carrier. Even the display model was big! Love that they are so fascinated by the display they don’t even realize I am on the other side taking their picture.
Having fun at the Air & Space Museum!
Karlie wanted a picture by her favorite rocket – The Apollo! The space rooms were a hit with Karlie!
Karlie all smiles as she gets a picture in front of Buzz Aldrin’s astronaut suit. Earlier this year in March she had a chance to see and hear Buzz Aldrin speak at Wofford College in Spartanburg, SC!
Mommy and her girls!
It didn’t take Brina long to figure out all the computer activities!
Showing Daddy what she put together on the computer!
Fascinating, this was probably Brina’s favorite rooms with all the interactive science activities, experiments, and fun information.
Gravity, force, magnets…..all kinds of fun activities to check out!
This picture cracked me up – all three Karlie, Brina, and Jake have their heads down looking at the all pictures in the displays.
Someone really liked this room!
Having fun at the Air & Space Museum in Washington, D.C.
Karlie and Brina loved all the neat activities and displays at the Smithsonian Institute National Air and Space Museum! I was shocked at how long we spent there since the time went by so quickly. They could have spent the entire day just in this museum. Karlie was really hoping we had “extra” time in Washington, D.C. so we could go back and go through the museum again, maybe next time sweet girl!
It was educational, fascinating, and a fun place to explore for the whole family. They did a great job with this museum. Washington, D.C. is a great place to visit the only hard part is fitting in all the amazing places to visit into one trip! We packed in as much as we could in the couple days we were there, but I am sure we’ll have to go back at some point to explore some more!
Travel & Vacation – Exploring Colonial Williamsburg
Our wild crew at Colonial Williamsburg in front of the Governor’s Palace!
We had a chance to explore Colonial Williamsburg in Williamsburg, Virginia on our recent road trip up the East Coast! It was our first big stop an our road trip. After driving to the area the day before we spent the night at a local hotel and were up early the next morning with our picnic lunch packed and ready to explore the area.
Jake had to work on Friday so for the most part it was just the girls and I exploring Colonial Williamsburg. He did get to join us for a little bit over his lunch break though which was really nice. It was a lot of fun seeing so many neat historical places. The girls did the quest exploration and scavenger hunt. My phone didn’t work in all the areas so we didn’t finish all the quest activities, but we did get our prize for completing the scavenger hunt.
Last year in school the girls studied a lot of about the American Revolution, Civil War and more in Social Studies so this adventure really ties into some of the items they have been learning about in school. Colonial Williamsburg is like taking a step back into America’s past during the time of the American Revolution. There are hundreds of restored buildings, exhibits, homes, government offices, trade shops, museums and more to explore.
We’ve made it!
Hiking along the path to the next location to explore! This was a neat bridge with a stream and path running underneath it, nice and cool on a hot summer day!
Brina and Karlie outside the Governor’s Palace!
Beautiful display of pistols with the family crest in the entry way of the Governor’s Palace!
Standing in front of the fire palace with a small portion of the weapons on display in the palace. The Governor’s Palace had impressive displays of muskets, pistols, swords, curve-blade sabers and more! The hundreds of weapons visible once stepping into the house was meant to both wow and intimidate you.
More weapons displayed on the stairwell. Brina really thought they did a great job hanging the guns!
Touring the gardens at the Governor’s Palace!
Jake with his girls near the palace greens!
George Wythe House and gardens!
Exploring inside George Wythe’s house!
Wow, he was studying some really cool scientific items.
Playing the game of “Pick up Sticks”
Watching him hand-make cedar shingles for a building at Colonial Williamsburg! The fresh wood shavings smelled awesome!
Oh no! Brina and Karlie in the stocks, what did they do?!
Touring the print shop! Wow, there are some BIG books! Karlie loved it!
Brina all smiles!
Grinding up seeds of grain. This is going to take forever if we want to make some homemade bread!
Outside the capital building!
We had a blast exploring Colonial Williamsburg! The girls were ready to stay for a week and explore even more. We only had the one day at Colonial Williamsburg along our road trip, but we packed in a ton of activities into that one day. Thankfully, we started early and were able to get through a large portion of the items that the girls wanted to do. It was really neat learning what it would be like to live there during the time of the American Revolution. All the people were very friendly, helpful, and it was a great day with the kids. We were all exhausted by the time we got back into the car later that day and headed back onto the road towards our next destination.
