Another Fabulous Day

We had another great day. It started with The Salty Dog and ended with putt-putt. In between there was a whole lot a frolicking in the sun. This is the life!

A picture that needs no explanation.

Man was is HOT! The coolest part was SJ getting to talk on the cell phone with her mom while her mom could look at her on the live webcam.

Shouldn't the sign say, "Birds will take a finger off if given the chance!"

Too much fun playing in the waves. Sorry folks, that is as close as you will EVER come to seeing me in a bathing suit.

SJ and her Sandman. She's from Indiana and does what she knows best. Heck, I think their snow just melted about a month ago.

Kaylea and SJ in the stocks.

I know, it looks like Auntie M made a hole-in-one, but don't let her fool you. She was just striking a pose for the camera.

Kaylea loves her cousin, SJ!

Today we are off to Savannah and Tybee Island. There should be lots to tell when we get back.

Sun, Surf and Fireworks

How better to end a beautiful day at the beach than to watch fireworks over the palm trees?

Kaylea and SJ waiting for the show to begin.

Palm trees and fireworks - amazing!

Fun In The Sun

Yesterday we spent the day at the beach. Finally, Kaylea and SJ were able to not only see the ocean, but play in it, also. We found lots of Sand Dollars, flew a kite, splashed in the water and built a nifty sandcastle. We hope you enjoy the pics.

Kaylea and SJ on the beach.

SJ with her sand dollars. She was the first to make a find.

All the girls playing in the sand. L to R: Miss C, SJ, Vickster, Kaylea

Well folks, today we are off to Charleston for a carriage tour, lunch at Aaron's Deli and a stroll through the market. More pictures will follow.

Let The Fun Begin!

Yes, by looking at our nifty countdown clock, you can see that our happy little family is at the beach. The week that had been "FOREVER" away is finally here.

Our "little" group is not so little, though. We are actually closer in appearance to one of those polygamist families with all the youngins. The happy family consists of Mr. Bob, Auntie M., Miss C (Mr. Bob's 16 year-old daughter), Vickster (Auntie M.'s 18 year-old niece), Bub, Me, Kaylea and SJ (Kaylea's 10 year-old cousin). I'm sure people look at us and try to figure out which kids belong to which adults. Oh well, "Keep em guessing." That's our family motto.

We arrived at Hilton Head yesterday afternoon after the longest car trip known to mankind. I'm quite sure that Kaylea and SJ thought we were taking them to the far side of the moon, as opposed to the beach. Heck, they probably think we are just pulling their leg at this point and they are somewhere in Idaho. You see, we haven't actually seen the ocean, yet. Yesterday when we got here, we had to unload and unpack, then there was dinner to eat. After dinner the girls went swimming in the pool while Auntie M and I went to the grocery store to buy all of the needed supplies for the condo. So, like I said, we could be playing a mean trick on them right now, and they would never know it. "Trust us, girls. We are at the beach. We promise."

Needless to say, we don't have any pictures to post, yet. But stay tuned; there will be some appearing shortly. Now, since I didn't come to the beach to sit in front of a computer and blog, I am going to excuse myself and go get ready for a day of fun in the sun!

Catch ya later!

Kaylea Is A Happy Beachcomber!

While Kaylea was home with her "pox" she did get some news that put a huge smile on her face. We got an e-mail letting us know that her FAVORITE cousin "SJ" will be joining us on our trip to Hilton Head this summer. Kaylea was so excited; she had to tell everyone!

****Just to fill in the family tree - SJ's mom is my first cousin, Cizzy. Cizzy's mom, Aunt Shashan, is my mother's oldest sister****

Cizzy is two years older than me and we were very close as kids and teens. Cizzy lived in Kentucky and I lived in Florida, so we were loyal pen pals (yes, I am dating us - this was way before e-mail) through Jr. High and High School. I always listened to Cizzy's advise and felt like she was a sister.

Cizzy has two beautiful daughters, K8 and SJ. K8 is almost 15 and SJ is 10. Bub and I spent a lot of time around K8 when she was small. She was more like a niece than a cousin. Then when SJ came along, Bub and I were really taking notes. You see, SJ is only 10 months older than Kaylea, so I would turn to Cizzy with all of my pregnancy and parenting questions. Cizzy was the best mom I knew and I wanted to do everything just like her.

Needless to say, SJ and Kaylea have kinda grown up together. Well, as together as they could, being 5 hours apart and only seeing each other about 3 times a year. Kaylea always wants to see "her cousins". I think she looks up to K8 and SJ the same way I did with Cizzy when I was younger.

When we began planning the trip to Hilton Head, we (Auntie M, Mr. Bob, Bub and I) decided that it would probably be more fun for Kaylea (and us) if she brought a friend along. When we told Kaylea she could invite someone, she immediately said she wanted to see if her cousins could come. Kaylea hasn't seen K8 and SJ in over a year and we all agreed this would be the perfect opportunity for them to get to spend some quality time together. Well, I guess K8 decided to forgo the trip, but luckily SJ was on board.

The girls should have a blast. We are planning a day in Charleston and a day in Savannah, but other than that, they will just be riding bikes, playing on the beach and swimming for the entire week. Auntie M. has even talked about us going crabbing, which could be fun, also. Especially, when we get to eat what we catch.

Luckily, we don't have that much longer - only about 5 weeks and 7 hours until we will be leaving. I think I am going to try to figure out how to install one of those countdown clocks on the Blog, so Kaylea can always know how much longer. (It will also keep me from going insane). Now, all we have to do is just wait - oh, and start making my lists! We don't want to forget anything!

Greetings From Hilton Head BBBBBeach......Man It's Cold!!

As many of you know, Kaylea and I have gone to Hilton Head Island on an impromptu vacation with Auntie M, Mr. Bob, Memommy and Mr. Jimmy. We all were sad that Bub couldn't extend his vacation and join us, but we will make sure and bring him back a t-shirt. So far the trip has been very UN-beachy. That would probably be due to the cold weather and cutting winds. I haven't even made it down to the ocean yet; however, Auntie M badgered Mr. Bob into going down to the beach with her and Kaylea this afternoon. I don't know about you, but it doesn't seem like a place I would want to be under the current conditions.

Kaylea on the beach, BRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!

Kaylea wrote, "I Love Vacation" in the sand

Kaylea is having a blast, though. She doesn't care how cold it is outside; she is on vacation at the beach. I think she will probably live near the ocean when she grows up because she loves being near the water. Today, we took a day trip to Savannah, another one of Kaylea's favorite vacation spots. Unfortunately, she was very disappointed when we were not able to eat lunch at Paula Deen's restaurant. Apparently they were closed for the week to do some yearly maintenance. Boo for us - yeah for her employees!

We, also, walked on River Street and stopped in at the Savannah Candy Kitchen. It isn't a trip to Savannah without getting a few pralines and some taffy. It was really too cold to do much walking so we all decided to take a tour of the city in a nice HEATED trolley. I think the tour was a little too much excitement for Kaylea because she was passed out on my shoulder within fifteen minutes. I was able to wake her when we stopped at Saint John the Baptist Cathedral. She was very intrigued by the Holy water pool at the entrance to the cathedral and the rosary candles at the alter. You could tell she wasn't a good Catholic girl, however. She was trying to figure out how to drink out of the Holy water pool and lit about five candles before I could stop her. I tried to cover for her error by explaining to her the purpose for the rosary candles and telling her since she lit five candles, she needed to say five prayers. We used the kneeling bench and prayed, at least I think that is what she was doing. If not she was at least acting like she was praying. It was a lot of new stuff for a little Baptist girl from East Tennessee to take in. She was very interested in their faith and practices, though. I guess I can be thankful for that. I always try to emphasize to her that our religion is not the only religion and she seems to take interest in learning about how others worship. Thank goodness she looks at things that are different with curiosity and wonder instead of shying away and just thinking they are weird.

Well, that is enough for today. We are going to bed so we can get up early in the morning and head out to Charleston for the day. I'm sure the day will be filled with new adventures for all of us.