Dog Days of Summer

It is a sin that we live 5 minutes from the beach and go so rarely. A goal of mine this summer has been for Loulie and I to go more, which we have, but Bert has only been twice (maybe). I decided Friday night to remedy that. Instead of packing up for or usual Friday night at Freshfields dancing, we decided at 6:30 to throw on our bathing suits and head to the beach. Besides, it has gotten so humid here, by the water is really the only place anyone wants to be. 

6:00 is my favorite time of day to spend at the beach. There were still a good many people there, but if you have ever been to Folly, there is no pretention or reason to be at all self concious. So Bert and I both joined Loulie riding waves and rolling in the sand. We played until dark and then threw on cover ups and walked through the little downtown for dinner. It was a sweet family night--the kind that isn't big plans but that you will probably remember with more fondness than the nights you did have big plans.

The rest of the weekend was pretty low key--a birthday party, church, ice cream date with good friends.  Bert and I did have a movie date Saturday night--The Way, Way Back.  Loved it! We are pretty particular about movies and always rave when we see something different. It was a dark comedy and we were still talking about it Sunday afternoon. Not giving anything away, I did have a hard time seeing Steve Carrell play the antagonist. 

This morning starts a busy week--I am so towing the line between schedule and just having fun. On one hand, I feel like we need to be working on adjusting bed times for the early school time we have coming to us but I also want to pack in as much fun and freedom as we can into the next few weeks. Looking at the calendar though, I think life is beginning to force us into good behavior--early bedtime, eating better and getting organized. I can handle--I thrive on structure. But oh how I am going to miss those late nights at the beach.

Ariel

It will not always be this way but it just so happens that the beginning of preschool, first day of ballet and Loulie's birthday fall within days of each other. I know she gets older/bigger/more grown up everyday but having all these tangible reminders at once kind of sends me into an emotional tailspin. I may have been the only mother who cried in the hallway the first day of school while my child happily walked right in. The difference this year is that we've done most of this before--I felt seasoned. I wasn't the new kid on the block anymore. And Loulie--she inherited her mother's nerd genes and loves school! I hope it stays this way and that she's always so excited to see her friends and teachers.

 Beginning about 6 months ago, Loulie started asking about her birthday party. EV-E-RY-DAY. Her main requests: 1) that it be an Ariel party at the beach, 2) that she have an Ariel cake and 3) that all her friends be there to sing her happy birthday. She talked about this so much that I began to get a little nervous that our plans would not meet her expectations. Then I remembered that she is just 3 and to keep it low key. So we had a little beach picnic with a few of her little friends at my parents' house. Bert's landlord lent us his golf cart to shuttle tired kids back and forth.I packed sandwiches and fruit in sandbuckets for lunch. I am no party planner and entertaining a pack full of littles kind of scares me. But thankfully mother nature cooperated and the day went off without a hitch.

 Another of Loulie's requests was to BE Ariel (WTH!) so we found some mermaid fabric to make her this dress and headband. I may have lost my fingerprints in the process but she felt so beautiful so whats a few burns?

 

 Loulie and her friend, Madison in the picture below, are fourth and third generation Sullivan's Island neighbors. So fun to have all of them there!

 I'm just going to go ahead and make the most biased comment ever--these four are the sweetest girls you will ever meet. They partied long after the other guests left, pretending to be mermaids. Below is a shot of them resting on the beach after just being saved from a fisherman's net. I don't know where they come up with this stuff but it makes my heart glad for Loulie to have sweet girlfriends to play with. I am so thankful for them and their parents.

 The actual day of her birthday we made cake batter pancakes (pinterest fail) and had a few presents all set up. She didn't ask for anything but we had hinted at a kitchen. Bert and I were all excited with cameras ready to see the look on her face when she walked in. She walked right past it, sat down and started eating. Finally, we we like 'So, um, do you notice ANYTHING?!" Completely surprised, Loulie goes "That's for ME?" Best money we've ever spent. She has logged hours in her little kitchen that is no so little. I think I am about to move the kitchen table out to accommodate Loulie's furniture. (Never say never--I always promised I wouldn't let children's toys take over my house)

There aren't really words to express what it's like watching someone grow up. The gratitude I have to God for making us her parents, for loaning us His child--it's overwhelming. I wanted Loulie to feel loved and special and appreciated for  the kind daughter she is and for how proud she makes us. I think we accomplished that.

April in pictures

April could be classified as the fastest month of my entire life. On more than one occasion I found myself thinking "I need to make plans for Easter" or "don't forget that meeting" only to remember seconds later that it already happened. Everything just came and went so quickly, it is kind of a blur. As a result of the busyness, I was pretty slack in my writing as well. And since I obviously need a way for my aging brain to capture the memories--here are pics from the last four weeks...

How to nap properly on the beach

Forget surgery--Sophie will pin your ears for free

Found an entire box of my grandmother's sewing supplies--I think wooden spools look way cooler

Loulie's portrait of her Daddy

He Has Risen Indeed!

Apologies for being completely lame on the blogging front lately. Here is the post I wrote last Monday on our Easter weekend. Prepare yourself for a ridiculous amount of photos.
                         **************************************************

"Christ the Lord has Risen Today! Aaaaaalllllllleullluiaaaaa!"

I'm sorry you weren't here yesterday morning when I awoke Loulie with my rendition of the above hymn. Consider yourself lucky. My mother always points out that I am lucky that the worship team at our church drowns me out. It could just be my own superstition but I think the gentleman behind me turned off his hearing aid yesterday when they played "Oh Happy Day." I couldn't help it--you just can't sing that song quietly and apparently Loulie just couldn't help but dance.

We have been on a work hard/play hard rollercoaster for the past two weeks which is why I have been so lame on the blogging front. The weeks have been packed with lots of work and running around while we have used the weekends to enjoy all Charleston has to offer in the spring--which is incredible beauty and lots of outdoor festivals!

Last weekend, Bert's parents were here for a wedding on Friday night but stayed on to hang out with Loulie on Saturday allowing me to run a few errands and have an actual date with Bert. The whole time we were getting dressed up and leaving, we kept saying "This is so weird. This is awkward." It's sad but we have forgotten what it is like to eat somewhere that doesn't have a kids' menu. Lucky for us, dating is like riding a bike and we were sipping wine and having adult conversation with friends by 8:00!

Our lack of dates does not equal lack of fun. The best part of living here is how easy it is to entertain your family. I feel like there is a new out door activity to try everyday. I also feel like we packed just about all you can do into the past weekend.

Between egg hunts and beach trips and an incredible Easter service at Boone Hall; I couldn't help but fall a little more in love with the lowcountry. My parents were here for the weekend, their last visit before my mother makes the move to Knoxville so we spent most Saturday and Sunday after church out on Sullivan's Island. Two bike rides, a run and a couple of paddle board excursions left a little Bug tired and me getting out of bed a little slower this morning. But it was a perfect Easter weekend! And I think we all have a new hobby and some sporting goods at the top of next year's Christmas list.

One Tired Bunny

Hunting Eggs

                        

 Hope you all had a Happy Easter celebrating our risen Lord!!!