Warning: a ton of pictures

Last week my mom & dad, Rachel, Eli & Brynn left after a VERY FUN 2 week visit. Our house has felt kinda empty since they left.....as you can imagine our house was very lively with 10 people (and a cat)~ everyday we played "musical babies" as we strategically put kids down for naps in different rooms and then moved them for the next kids needing sleep. Bremen & I also finally had a good excuse for going to see a bunch of local sights, which were more gratifying to experience with family!

It was so fun to see our kids playing with their cousins, because we're so far from any family it doesn't happen often enough. We all loved getting to know Brynn, she's so much fun and such a smart & sweet baby girl.

Lily & Eli are quite a pair~ they're 5 mos apart and love all the same things (Elmo, Thomas trains, Mickey, Little People) which made things easy and difficult at times. Above, they were playing in the rain. Below, they loved climbing into the wagon~ they'd have a conversation (interesting ones) or dance like in this picture, funny kids.



Boone Hall Plantation Pumpkin Patch

Still such a cute aunt to my kids, even after having babies of her own :)

Peninsula Grill

I mentioned before that for our birthdays Jake & Rach gave Bremen & I a gift certificate to this amazing, world famous restaurant in Charleston. My mom & Rach watched our kids while we enjoyed the best food since we were in Italy a couple years ago, if not ever. (We were walking by the next day so we stopped for a picture). The service was amazing, you seriously don't believe there are places like this until you experience it for yourself....imagine it being like Ratatouille but without the rats of course and instead of french accents, there are gentlemanly southern accents.....quite the experience! Thank you Jake & Rach & mom, it was a great night. Oh, we're celebrating our anniversary this month that explains the writing on the plate and this is their amazing coconut cake....yum!

Savannah, Georgia

Savannah is a 2 hr drive away so we ventured out (all the kids in tow). It is such a charming place....this is the old part, it reminds me of Italy, I love how old architecture has so much European influence. The cobblestone is original from the 1600's.

Since we were in town, we HAD to stop by Paula Dean's restaurant~ Lady & sons, but our timing was off so we didn't get to eat there, it was satisfying enough just to see it though.

Isle of Palms

This is our beach that's just a few miles away, we love it~ shallow, warm water, perfect for the kids.

Angel Oak

Isn't this amazing? They say this may be the oldest live oak in North America and maybe even the world~ it's 1500+ years old (it's true, I looked it up to be sure I heard right), it is truly majestic!

Magnolia Plantation

We heard the Magnolia gardens were breathtaking, and they did not disappoint. Lexi found this garden which is the first garden in America, dated to the 1600's.

They loved it so much we had to drag them out of there! Very sweet antique garden.

They also had this beautiful maze which was a fun surprise.

Random Fun-ness

The kids attacking Opa....literally! They always love running around and wrestling with Opa.

One of Eli's many early mornings (poor Rach), but on the upside, Dane & Lexi loved seeing him every morning before school.

A walk around the neighborhood, the wagon is a must!

We had such a fun, memorable time. Thanks mom, dad & Rach, and also Jake for being so supportive of Rach coming out here.