upthecreek: July 2006

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CICI!

Happy Birthday CiCi
We love you so much!

MTW (Mother's Therapy Weekend)

Nancy, Amanda, me, Dorothy, Caroline, Melinda and Katharine

I know everyone else has probably written so nicely about this most fantastic weekend. I can't even describe how much I love all of these women. You all are truly so special to me. It is so nice to have a break from the daily responsibilities. We stayed at the Fordham's house in Beaufort called Wildhill. It was so peaceful and beautiful. Caroline, Nancy and I arrived on Thursday and then we were joined by Amanda, Melinda, Katharine and Dorothy. The company was wonderful, the drinks were tasty and the card playing was phenomenal. Thank you Anne for teaching me Poohead at Kiawah so I could share it for this weekend. We had a lot of laughs over it. I can't wait for the next MTW.

This is what we did all day Friday and Saturday (we were all ther on Saturday).

We are so happy to be here!

Can't you see the peace surrounding us?

Katharine and Melinda

I love you all!

Garden City

Okay, I failed as a vacationing mother this trip. I forgot my camera, but I did get a few pictures thanks to Amy. We got home from Kiawah on Saturday, July 22nd. We went to 8:30 church and Sunday School the next day, and then I headed to Garden City with Spencer and Eliza while big Spencer went to Atlanta for work. It was a rough trip because Eliza decided that she did not want to travel quietly for the first time ever. We did make it finally, and when we got there we were greeted by CiCi, Aunt Helen, Uncle Sandy, soon to be Aunt Amy and Uncle Blair. Uncle Sandy left that day, and then Aunt Helen left the next. Uncle Blair ended up having to go home too, but he came back Tuesday. We had a great time. We played on the beach, and Amy and Blair would take Spencer out on the beach and I got some time minus one child. It was so very nice. Eliza had her first egg there, and of course had a reaction to it (she broke out in hives) since we were not at home. Anyway, I left on Thursday, July 27th (CiCi's birthday) to go to my Mother's Therapy Weekend with my friends, and I left the kids with CiCi. Aunt Heather, Uncle Jon, Benjamin and Charlotte joined them that day after I was gone. Bi Spencer cam about 1:30 in the morning Friday. They all had a wonderful time until Uncle Jon had to rush to East Cooper Hospital because he had appendicitis. He got there just in time thank goodness. It was bad, but it had not ruptured. He is doing better now. Anyway, here are some of the few pictures I got:

CiCi showing Spencer how she paints.

Amy is the best story teller!

Again, playing in the sand.

This is so much fun!

Spencer is so serious.

Is this really brotherly love?

Uncle Blair and Spencer making up songs while I was gone somewhere. Thank you Amy for taking pictures for me.

Kiawah Days

July has been such a busy month, but it has been full of fun. From July 15th to the 22nd the entire family went to Kiawah for a week vacation. The troop consisted of Mom, Dad, Thomas, Bryan, Anne, Julia, Legare, and the four of us. The week could not have been more beautiful. The weather was fantastic and scenery was amazing. Sorry everyone, but I am having a hard time not putting pictures on. These are just a few.

Eliza stands up without holding onto anything for the first time. Way to go!

I don't know what happened to the camera, but I thought the picture looked kind of cool.

Eliza really loved the beach.

Uncle Thomas bought the kids body boards, and they loved them!

The crew. Nothing but trouble, but you got to love them.

Digging in the sand was our favorite pastime. Not really mine, but I sacrificed for the kids.

Legare and Spencer went for an evening walk with Memaw and Pop.

Memaw has made them all several matching outfits. Don't ask what Spencer is doing, I have no idea.

I think that we have worn Eliza out during vacation.

The hole. I think that Julia really should get most of the credit for this, but the boys loved it too.

My babysitter!

My boys

Eliza has really started walking with help. She doesn't want to try without holding onto you, but she has started moving.

Like Father Like Son

I had to put this in. I was lying in my bed when Spencer comes in (9 pm) and says he has to go potty. So, we say, "GO!" As I am fuming because he is not asleep yet, I look up and see in the mirror in my bathroom my child's bare bottom with his pants around his ankle carrying a boat catalog into the bathroom with him. I was in hysterics. Wonder where he got this from?

Like father like son - You've got to have that reading material.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BLAIR!

Happy Birthday Uncle Blair

We love you!

COON DOG DAY

This was Eliza's first Coon Dog Day and Spencer's fourth. We started the day by going to the pancake breakfast at the firehouse with Andre. It was, of course, very yummy. Then we went downtown to look around and play on the playground. We ended up seeing several people from home that we never see there. Funny how that works. next came the parade, and then home for naps. Later we went to se the coon dogs treeing. It took them a long time to get things rolling, so we got bored waiting on everything and did not stay very long. We got to end the day with songs from Papa James around the fire.