We spent Christmas with my mother in South Carolina. On Christmas Eve, just as the kids were getting ready to go to bed, we hear someone walk through the door… Santa was early! Oh no! But never fear, he just came to bring them one little thing each before getting back on his reindeer. He did come back though!
(thanks, Jamie, for being such a good sport)
While we were on vacation last month, we visited the Rockport Aquarium. Yes, that little town has it’s own aquarium. It only had a few tanks, but it was worth stopping in (it’s free and the volunteers there were SO nice). I only got one picture that was worth keeping, but that’s okay, we had a great time!
Marie and Cassie wanted to make faces at the camera. I, of course, obliged. They had a great time and it was a great way to blow off some steam after a hectic vacation day!
We had a short little walk from where we were staying on vacation last month to “shell beach”. I don’t know that I’d actually go swimming there as the waves break pretty hard, but it seemed to be where all the shells dumped on to. It was a great place to take the kids after dinner… we went several times actually…
I snapped a few photos, of course…
Jamie didn’t pick up just any shell, he had to analyze which one he wanted and why.
Cassie, on the other hand, grabbed any shell that got her fancy. We later went through them and made her narrow down her choices. No need to take ALL the shells from the beach, other families will want some too. (hey, whatever works, she’s 6)
The had a great time! 
Just a few more of the pool… I’m behind, as always, in going through photos. Trying to get better about that 
This is my nephew… He looks pretty serious about that water cannon!
Cassie just hanging out…
Tom and his sister doing the sibling thing… I had to get the kids out of the way… Tom is brutal with a pool noodle!
I found some more photos from the vacation… this is a visit to the beach we made with Tom’s sister, her 2 kids and his mother.
There were tons of marine hermit crabs. The kids wanted to bring them home because we have land hermit crabs, but I had to explain that they really aren’t the same thing (and even if they were, um… no). Anyway, they collected 9 or so and then we released them before we left. We had to play with this little guy quite a bit to get him to stick his head out…
Jamie was busy being a bit of beach bum. He’s also going through a little emo-esque phase. You’ll see we managed to not only find a black swim shirt, but it has a hoodie. SCORE!
Marie loved the beach and would have gone every single day if we had let her!
Cassie was just a cheese-girl!
My sister-in-law and her youngest…
… and her oldest…
Tom and I are goofs sometimes…
The two weeks we were at the vacation house (home now, sadly), there was a weird hump running down the middle of our king bed. We figured the mattress was just shot and they’d replace it. It wasn’t a huge deal so we just ignored it.
The last night we were there, I was in the kitchen cleaning up and Tom was in the bedroom unplugging stuff and getting the first of the packing going. I hear a big THUD… followed by Tom sticking his head out of the door and telling me, “Um. I broke the bed.” This, of course, caused peals of laughter from me telling him that I’m SO NOT telling these people that we broke their bed (and yes, we are 12).
So, we started taking the bed apart and it was up on risers. Thankfully, Tom just knocked it over, but not down. AND one of the lower box springs were up on the side rail and THAT is what was causing the hump. We felt a little like idiots, but hey, at least I don’t owe these folks a new bed!
It was a 3 person job taking this thing apart and putting it back together so it didn’t slide off the risers again, so we had quite a fun time actually putting it back together… but then, we noticed that we forgot to put the dust ruffle back on. Crap! It was late and we were tired, we figured we would deal with it later…
… but we forgot… so I got a reply email from the homeowner today saying “Just curious – but why did you take the bed ruffle off the master bed. Really just curious (its no great crime!!Ha)” — surely she thinks we are crazy house people that come and take apart beds for no good reason.
*laugh* I bet they are scratching their heads trying to come up with a good reason as to why in the world we took the dust ruffle off *laugh*
I was thinking I’d not respond for a few days and let them come up with all these interesting ideas as to why in the world someone would take apart a bed and remove the dust ruffle.
Nah, I’m not that cruel.
But they will surely think we’re crazy – at least we got rid of the hump in the bed!
… the things Tom and I get ourselves into, I tell you! But we had a really great laugh and will forever remember the night we broke the vacation home’s bed!
The kids are loving the pool. We like to take them when it starts to get dark so it’s not so hot and there’s less chance of getting fried out there in the sun. The kids are having a blast!
The first beach we went to was Rockport Beach. Tom and I really like this beach. There are just gentle waves, the sand is real sand (with a little gravel mixed in). There are little “tiki hut umbrella” things to sit in the shade and the kids have to walk through grass to get back to the car (no sand in the car!). What a great little beach park for kids!
This trip is from last week, we went with our housemates – you’ll see J and Marie (our niece) playing as well…
One of the kid’s favorite things to do is feed the ducks and birds in the canal… the ducks we have seen a few times, this one always comes with a mate – then we have a bachelor that has visited us a few times as well. The birds are the birds, but it’s really cool how close they will get to you!
