more pics of Mimi and Grandaddy

Mimi and Grandaddy's 2 week visit!

So, after about a week of just me and the kids, Mimi and Grandaddy came down to visit. We were so excited to have them. They have been to Seabrook Island many times before with us and they love this place. This trip was going to be extra special because Mimi was going to be giving Grandaddy a kidney on July 21 (which by the way is tomorrow, so it is kind of ironic I am writing about their visit on the eve of their surgery)

Also, I spoke with my sister a few days before they were scheduled to come and asked her if Meia could come down with them to visit. She said yes and Maddie was beside herself with excitement. We had so much fun during their time here. Bruce and Regina also decided to come down during the first week of their visit, but they stayed at a different condo on the island.

There were so many fun things we did during the two weeks they were here, but one of the things that stands out the most to me was looking up beach songs and downloading them on the ipod. We made a beach playlist and then took the ipod and portable speaker to the beach. It was so relaxing sitting in the beach songs listening to beach music while watching kids play!

Maddie, Laurie Beth, and Meia had a great time riding their boogie boards in the ocean. It was the first time Maddie had been in the ocean since our we arrived back in May. She was finally not scared, but then unfortunately she got a bad sting from a jellyfish and that put an end to her desire to play in the ocean. :( She still hasn't been back in the ocean.

I have been reflecting on their visit and know that our children are so blessed to have them in their lives. One of the hardest decisions I have had to make all summer was whether or not I was going to stay here with Britt or come back home for their surgery. After lots of thought, we decided it would be best to return to Nashville a few days after their surgery so Britt could spend time with them before she would have to return to work in SC. Tonight I am questioning if that was the right decision and am really sad that I am not going to be there tomorrow. If you are reading this tonight, please pray that their kidney transplant tomorrow will go perfectly and that Grandaddy's body will accept Mimi's kidney! Pray for him to completely heal and for him to finally feel better since he hasn't felt well for several months. Pray that he can quickly adjust to all the new medicines he will have to take so his body will not reject the kidney. Pray for Mimi's quick recovery. Pray for our safe return so we can spend time with them while they heal and help them. Pray for Jeff to have strength tomorrow and not to be afraid!

Here are a few pictures from their visit!

More pics from Daddy's visit

Daddy is here!

Finally! After over two weeks, Jeff was scheduled to come and visit. We were so excited for him to come and especially excited that he was going to be able to spend Father's day here with the children. This is the one week I have some regrets. Jeff arrived after the kids and I had already been here for a few weeks. We were getting a little tired of the beach (yes that is possible) and just ready to sit around and chill. It makes me sad that he was unable to experience all of the "firsts" with the kids. But, it was still a great week.

The first thing Radlee wanted to show him was that he was able to ride his bike now without training wheels. We got him a bike for an early birthday present. He learned how to ride it on the pavement, with the helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads, and after may repeated attempts and falls he could do it. I was so proud and surprised at his persistence.

We also went to Charlestown Landing. It was a really neat place, but it is an outdoor walking trail and it was super hot the day we went. Maddie and I threw a pouty fit and looking back I wish I would have been a better sport. Jeff tried to do individual things with each of the children while he was here. He took Maddie to a Haunted Jail Tour in Charleston. They had lots of fun. He went with Radlee to the USS Yorktown Naval Ship. Radlee had a blast and Jeff got so many good pictures. Finally, at the end of the week, Britt took him on a trail ride for Father's Day. It was just the two of them and I think they had a great time. The time flew by and we were sad to see him leave.

Nana's visit

Nana's turn for a visit June 11-18, 2011

YAY!!! The kids were so excited to have their Nana visit them for a week. She was so excited too, because it had been the first vacation she had taken in several years! We showed her how to crab. We went to the pool and the kids showed her how to fish. It was a very relaxing week. We made some really special memories, and I know she was sad to have to leave at the end of the week. One of the things that impressed me the most was my mom's willingness to do basically anything the kids wanted to do. She is such a wonderful grandmother to them. Despite the fact that she has had a hip replacement, she rode a very far way on her bike just because Maddie wanted her to! I know she was so sore later, but I think she would do it again in a minute! Here are a few pictures from her visit.

June 4-June 11

Well, Cassie made her arrival and we had many things planned for the week. We were able to go and visit Mel and kids at Edisto Island. The visit was short but the kids had so much fun together.

We took a boat ride out to shell island. That day proved to be quite an adventure. Britt and Will were having a really hard time anchoring the boat. The water was really choppy that day, so anytime they got to close into the shore, the boat would start to beach itself. It was very stressful! I think despite the stress though, it was a really great experience.

One of the things that was the most fun this week was learning how to go crabbing. We would go to the rocky side of the beach and wait for the tide to go out. We took our big crabbing nets and would catch some pretty large blue crabs. I think we caught around 25 crabs. None of us really had any clue of how to cook them, clean them, or eat them. Google and Youtube became our friend and by the end of the night the kids knew how to disect the entire crab and knew what parts were edible. We basically got very little meat out of the crabs, but it was all about the experience.

Our first week: May 24-June 4 2011

We arrived in Seabrook Island I think on May 24 or 25! See....this is why I should have been keeping track of our events all summer. Will came down with us. He brought Bailey and I brought Samson. We spent the first few days getting adjusted to our new surroundings. We went to the beach and spent a lot of time in the pool. the kids had a blast playing cards at night. Britt and Will were so sweet to include them in what they were doing. The first day we were here we spotted this alligator in the pond. We have seen him almost every day all summer. He can be quite annoying trying to mess with the kids while they crab or fish, but they have had a blast catching him. Poor fella probably has so many hooks in him! Luckily their line always breaks, and they don't actually pull him in. The kids have also had a wonderful time riding their bikes. There was hardly anyone here that week, so it was so relaxing and wonderful.

Dealing with Samson was quite stressful those first few days. I began to really question my decision to bring him. When we were at the pool he would sit in the condo and bark. He also refused to use the restroom for the first two days we were here.

The kids anxiously awaited Ms. Cassie's arrival on Sunday, May 29th. We picked her up from the airport and we began to plan all of the fun things we would do that next week. The kids also anticipated the Jeters' arrival in Edisto Island. They were staying about 1 hour from where we were staying. We planned to spend a day with them at "their beach". We all began to feel like this was a place we could stay forever!

Summer of 2011

Wow! This summer has been amazing! We have done so much and learned so much I don't even know where to start. I hope this summer will be one my children will remember and cherish forever.

How it all began.....Seabrook Island has been a place our family has been visiting for several years. I would have to say it has holds some of our dearest memories and will be a place that is always so special in our heart. This was the first place Brittany ever rode horses about 10 years ago. She loved it so much that we went back home to Nashville and found a place for her to start riding. She was a natural. Before too long she was showing and jumping. Too make a long story short, we added two more children to our family and it just became really hard to attend all of the functions with a toddler and a baby. Also, Britt had a pretty good fall one time and hurt her back. She started not wanting to go and I didn't want to force it. I didn't want to push her and then feel responsible if something really bad were to happen.

Last year we came down here once again for a vacation. It had been a few years since our last visit and Brittany's last time on a horse. She took the advanced beach ride several times and once again was in heaven. Before we left she informed us that she really would like to live here during the summer and work at the equestrian center. I kind of just blew her off, but I should have known that when this first born says she is going to do something she does it. She is just that kind of girl. I wish I had that same determination.

Fast forward to a year later.....Britt had everything lined up for her time in Seabrook Island. She had secured a condo (all on her own), contacted the manager of the equestrian center and was hired for the summer position. I was so excited for her, but being the paranoid mother I am became really nervous about her spending the time by herself all summer. Many thoughts consumed me....What if she fell and became paralyzed? What if she went to a party and someone slipped her a drug? What if she didn't eat and fainted? ETC...... So, I decided I would come down here for a few weeks and spend some time helping her get accquainted. I had not originally intended on spending a very long time here, but after we got here and saw how hard she was really working it just became very hard for me to leave her. Also, Mimi and Grandaddy were scheduled to have a kidney transplant in the middle of July. They were also planning on coming to visit, so I really wanted to make sure Maddie and Radlee had time to spend with them at the beach before their big surgery! It has been a wonderful trip but not always easy. It has been hard to be away from Jeff for so long. He has been able to come down a few times, but it is just not the same as always having him around. Another thing that made it really hard was that one of my best friends was going to probably end up having her baby while we were here. Angie and I have been friends since high school. We have always been there for one another's significant life changing events, so the thought of not being there was breaking my heart.

I wish I would have been journaling this entire summer, but since I haven't I think I will just take looks back at each week and blog our special times together! This is a summer we will never forget!

Changes

WOW! I can't believe I am actually blogging again. Today I was looking back over previous post and just saw how amazing it was to have so many important moments in my children's life are recorded through this blog. I hope to capture their pictures, thoughts, quotes, and other memories. I shall not focus on my words coming out perfect, but speak from my heart in order to leave this little legacy for my children. I hope to one day print all of this out for them. I envision them sitting around the table sharing memories with their own children or even their grandchildren. So, here goes my newest attempt to capture a glimpse of our lives through this blog. Enjoy!