Charleston!

 We were so excited to be on the way to Charleston! Carl and I both love Charleston but it's hard to get there now that we live so far away. Our trip went really well although we were not sure what to expect since this was Henry's first extended car trip. Henry is an excellent traveler just like his sister.

We enjoyed a yummy barbecue lunch at Maurice's in Columbia. That mustard style barbecue is so good! It was fun driving through Columbia since we lived there for about 6 months.  Carl thinks we stopped at every rest stop between Columbia and Charleston which is only a slight exaggeration. Henry does not eat well with commotion and there's always a lot of commotion with Evie around.

Carl took Evie to run around at one rest stop and she was immediately covered in ant bites. OUCH! Carl took her dress off and picked every ant off the inside of her dress. Henry slept most of the way to Charleston. We tried to get Evie to sleep but she did not close her eyes one time. Evie has a book, Goodnight, Charleston that covered all the highlights of a visit to Charleston. She wanted to take a carriage ride so Carl took us to Carolina Polo & Carriage Company because his friend, Richard from college owns the company with his family. We had a wonderful guide, Brian who took us all over the beautiful City of Charleston along with our horse, Gibbes. Evie did really well although the tour was nearly an hour. Carl and I were slightly concerned that we were going to have to get off and walk back to the car but that never happened. Evie pointed out every pink house along the way and loved seeing the Battery. It was a wonderful time! Carl enjoyed catching up with Richard who has his own baby boy that is just a little bit younger than Henry. Carl wore Henry in the Baby Bjorn and he took a few snoozes along the way. It was the perfect way to spend our first afternoon in Charleston.

After our carriage ride, we headed to Ben and Katherine's house. Carl and Ben went to College of Charleston together and Ben was with Carl on the night that I met Carl. We had so much fun staying with them and they have two precious boys, Hudson and James that are the same ages as Henry and Evie. Ben prepared a delicious dinner of pork kabobs with pineapple and red pepper along with some delicious rice. We enjoyed dinner together and had fun catching up. Our kids played outside and watched a movie. It was fun to see them playing together. Carl and Ben hung out while Katherine and I headed to bed exhausted from wrangling the kids.

Ben and Katherine have a separate guest house which is also Ben's office. It was such a great place to stay! I was slightly anxious about sleeping in the same room with both kids but it worked out so well. Evie went to sleep first then I fed Henry and carried him into the room. Our sweet girl was exhausted from not napping so she did not make a peep.

It was another beautiful morning in Charleston. We headed out to  Charlestowne Landing for a bit. Evie enjoyed exploring the ship and I enjoyed seeing the scenic Lowcountry views. Henry slept through this outing! It was time for lunch so we drove out to Folly for some seafood. My dairy-free diet was difficult to manage eating in restaurants but I enjoyed my grilled shrimp with veggies. Carl and Evie had fried shrimp along with about a pound of peanuts. Henry napped through lunch.

It was such a gorgeous day that we decided to spend some time on the beach. Although, our wardrobe was not entirely beach appropriate since it was 85 degrees and we had long pants on. Evie had a blast running in and out of the water. Henry liked the sound of the waves. It was a special time that I will always remember even the part when Evie threw sand in my mouth.  Our Evie loves the beach and was one happy girl frolicking in the sand. Carl loved the chance to stick his toes in the salt water and smell the pluff mud. We thought she was worn out and ready for a nap but she surprised us again by skipping her nap. It was time for showers before heading out for the evening. Carl drove us out to Sullivan's Island. Henry slept and Evie peered out the windows.

Courtney and Phillip, Carl's cousins, hosted an oyster roast for us with some of the family. It was really fun! I have not had oysters in years and am pretty sure that I had more than my share. Evie ran around with all the kids. Elissa's daughter Taylor is just a few weeks younger than Evie so they had fun playing together. I took a picture of John Phillip with Henry because there is a similar one of Carl holding John Phillip about 18 years ago. Time goes by so quickly, before I know it, Henry will be holding JP's baby. It was really a fabulous night and so sweet of the Prickett's to host this so everyone could meet Henry without us running all over town. Mary and Carolyn are so good with the little kids and kept Evie busy all night so I had a chance to chat with everyone. Evie could barely hold her eyes open and was ready for bed. Hudson came in for a visit and then Evie crashed for the night.

We packed up our stuff - way too much stuff! I have some new packing tips for our next trip that is for sure. It was a rainy day but I was determined to go see the College of Charleston. It is such a beautiful place and I feel so fortunate to have had the opportunity to attend school there. Even in the rain, it is still a beautiful place. We stopped at Caviar and Bananas for breakfast. Thank goodness, that place was not there when I was at the College because all my babysitting money would have been gone. It is the cutest little cafe! We made one last stop at the Battery before getting on the road to She She and Poppy's house. Carl and I were both so sad to leave and wished that we could have seen more people and places. We hope to get back there soon!