Fun at the beach.....

This past week was filled jam-packed with fun and excitment, coupled with a few moments of rest and relaxation...Our fun days at Kiawah were spent playing in the ocean, basking in the sun, flying kites, riding bikes, napping & just enjoying the beautiful scenery. Shields and Kate were at the most perfect ages to fully enjoy all that the beach had to offer. When Kate first laid eyes upon the beach she said "look mommy, it's the big pool", as she probably had no recollection of her trip last year, at age one. Shields was quite the waterbug and got into the ocean, up to his neck! I took the majority of the following pictures at the Belvidere Club (yes, it is spelled with an "i" not two "e's"), which was the picturesque and PERFECT setting for my brother's wedding. What wonderful memories!

Let them eat cake!

In the usual "Hill" tradition, we had yet another birthday celebration for Shields and Kate the first of April...As if one birthday party would ever be enough, and living by the 'so let them eat cake' motto - we had one heckuva time at Steve & Becky's house. So, what do you get when you throw Shields, Kate, Ellie & the twins together ~ combined with too much sugar and an Easter Egg hunt? A big MESS of cousin fun, followed by loooooong naps! They had the entire week to play with each other, and had a delightful time...It was good to visit with Walt & Martha and the rest of their crew, which now outnumbers our crew by ONE! :-)

YAY! MORE CAKE! In the same weekend, our very own Gran-El turned a young 60 years old She realizes that 60 is the new 40, so she wasn't depressed in the least. In fact, her drink of the night, a bright red Cosmopolitan, complimented her fashionable ensemble for the evening....No fool would have guessed that this hip grandmother was turning 60! Gran-El was nice enough to let the daughter-in-laws host a small family dinner at her house (so we wouldn't have to unleash the young cousins out into society), and we had a great meal! She received a MP3 player with an arm strap, and some free music downloads! Fun, fun, fun!

Enjoy the pic's from the wild and crazy weekend...

Kate recalls her mother's statement that "men can't drive"

and wonders if there is collision insurance on her gator....

Is something on my face?

That had better be YOUR basket, Ellie........

What?

I could help you with your visor there, Hampton, but I

think it's more fun to just sit here and watch you struggle with it.....

Pop tells Gran-El that the nicest thing about having grandchildren

is that they got to send them back home with their parents at the

end of the day.........Gran-El smiles delightfully at that news....

See how good 60 can look?

Who invited Harry Potter to the party?

A Fletcher Sandwich

Kate smiles knowingly remembering that being four

months older and four inches taller than the twins, gives her

all of the power......

Gran-El makes the comment that she smells something

funny..............................Tom's laughter is incriminating.

Ellie tries to make her mother understand that it is much

more fun to taste the batter, than to exert unnecessary

energy mixing it.....

"I'm worried, really worried...not quite sure why, though".


"The Birthday Boy"

I apologize for my long-winded, or as Tom calls them "cheesy" blog posts below...my creative fires were a burnin' last night...Actually, I just couldn't sleep...

"Look, look..."



"Smells like 'updog' in here"


"Cheeeeeese!"




"Help - my head is stuck!"

"Doesn't this thing move any faster?"



"Could this be a Clemson Tiger?"




"B's girl"...



"Shields' and Kate's favorite place to relax...."



"Hey there blinky..."

"Look at that..."

"This is the best seat in the house..."

"I couldn't find a Big Spidey, but I

did find a Big Turtle".....

Trip to Riverbanks Zoo

This past weekend was Shields' fourth birthday. To celebrate this momentous occasion, I planned a trip to Riverbanks Zoo for our family, including Papa and "B" (Gran-El and Pop could not attend, as they were off skiing in Colorado). The vision of our trip that I held steadfast in my head, was that we would have this wonderful, educational trip with the children...a true bonding experience, where we would sing the children's favorite songs the entire trip down; and upon entering the zoo, we would be mesmerized by the magnificent animals. I guess you could say that I had a Jurassic Park vision of sorts....I'm sure you can only guess that our day didn't quite go as planned. The trip TO the zoo was definitely the most interesting part of our day.....
Pocket book - check, Diaper Bag - check, snacks - check, sippy cups -check, stroller-check, cell phones-check, toys for the ride-check, dvd player with several choices of movies (even a hunting video for Tom)-CHECK!!!!!!!!!!!! At 9:30 am, we were finally ready to head to Columbia...well, after picking up Papa and "B", of course. EVERYBODY LOAD UP! After jamming our mini van full of people and stuff, we were finally ready to go to the zoo. We left Shelby at a reasonable time, and I was at the wheel - which of course meant that we would make good time. :-) With the pedal to the floor, halfway to Kings Mountain I realized that I had forgotten to get my morning cup of java. Kristin without coffee in the morning = headache and bad mood (the latter sometimes occurring even WITH coffee). So, we stopped at "B"'s favorite convenient store on the way to get our coffee. As we got out of the car, we realized that Kate had dumped her entire bottle of water all over her ~ leaving her completely soaked. Mom asked where an extra change of clothes for Kate was, and I simply shot her a dirty look. "Always pack a change of clothes for the children" she seethed. In that split second, I realized that mothers are ALWAYS mothers and cannot simply suppress the unwarranted motherly advice that they give. "Give me a break Mom, it will dry" I said, as I rolled my eyes. EVERYBODY LOAD UP AGAIN! Kate blotted off with paper towels, coffee cups filled to the rim, and everyone buckled up ~ time to ride again! Halfway to Charlotte, Papa and "B" decide that it would be best to visit the zoo on a full stomach...maybe brunch...Cracker Barrell! Okay, I'm not a Cracker Barrell fan and I'm not really hungry, but I can see their point, so I do not argue. Almost to Cracker Barrell and Shields is saying over and over and over again - "I want to see a BIG SPIDEY - I want to see a BIG SPIDEY!" Yes, my spider-obsessed child is so excited to get to the zoo so he can possibly see one of the spideys that he has seen pictures of - maybe even a tarantula!? We inform Shields that before we can see the BIG SPIDEY'S we need to stop to eat, hoping to divert his attention by pointing to the world's largest checkerboards on the front porch of the restaurant as we find our park. EVERBODY UNLOAD!! 11:00 am - We go into Cracker Barrell, where the hostess informs us that it will be a 20 minute wait. Is it ever LESS than a 20 minute wait a Cracker Barrell? GEEZ! "Do you really expect us to wait in this over rated, over crowded, tourist/trucker filled, trinket's gallore, ol' country store with a four year-old and a soon to be two -year old?" I think to myself (hopefully not aloud)......NO WAY! Just as Shields starts to grab for the "Meemaw and Peepaw loves me" t-shirts, we grab him and head out the door..EVERYBODY LOAD UP AGAIN!!! And we're offfffff - Uh oh...Gas tank is on empty...."B" made me wait to get gas in South Carolina, where she knew it would be cheaper...
Tom points me to the nearest gas station on Dave Lyle Blvd., where I pull in. I hop out and fill up and get back in the car. 11:30 am - We realize that there is a Wendy's nearly next door and decide that we are desperate and it doesn't look crowded. EVERYBODY UNLOAD - AGAIN!!!
We pile into Wendy's and proceed to eat a quick bite of lunch...Shields pitches a fit because he doesn't want to wear the napkin bib that Tom has configured..Tom takes Shields out of the restaurant and has a 'heart to heart' with him..which must have worked, because Shields comes right back in and wears that napkin bib with a big smile on his face. Tom still hasn't told me exactly what he said to Shields to make him cooperate so well...hmmm..
Finished with lunch - we check Kate's clothes - still wet. EVERYBODY LOAD UP AGAIN!!!
We're off to TJ MAXX to buy Kate an outfit, since her clothes are obviously not drying fast enough. We pull into the parking lot, and "B" and I hop out..Tom and Dad yell out the window for us not to be long, as we hurry into the store..In the store - lots of sales - really, really, good sales - cute shoes!! Sidetracked by the stupid, cute shoes!!!! Focus Kristin, Focus...I head to the children's aisle and grab an outfit for Kate - it sort of looks like PJ's, but oh well..Mom is lagging, trying on shoes...one pair after another..WE HAVE TO GO!!! LOAD UP AGAIN!!!
And we're offffff...........Who knows what time it is now? Who cares? We are on our way, and we are not stopping for a darn thing, I think to myself as I sip on my Biggie Diet Coke from Wendy's. We're almost to Columbia and I'm looking for the Riverbanks Zoo signs. Where are they? I have seen them before - so many times. Why am I not seeing them now? Does anyone know the exit we're supposed to take? Nope. No one bothered to look it up - including me.
Tom informs me to take an exit...Driving, driving...Driving through downtown Columbia now..this doesn't look right..my bladder is about to BURST!! I have to stop, I have to stop. I pull into the gas station that says "El Cheapo Cigarettos". Mom explains to me that I cannot use this gas station, because it's a Mexican gas station..I feel certain that the Mexican toilets are just like our toilets, so I run into the store and ask where the restrooms are. El hombre hands me a key attached to a long pipe, and points outside. I run into the restroom - close my eyes - not touching ANYTHING! I return the key attached to the nightstick to the man in the gas station and jump back into the car. We're off!! Really, this time - we are...I can feel it!!!
We are driving and Tom finally calls the Zoo after calling 411 to get the number. They give Tom directions from downtown Columbia, and he relays them to me as I drive. We start to see signs for the zoo and realize we are almost there...Finally - there it is!! Riverbanks Zoo!!!
We really made it!!!! The parking lot is completely full and it takes us awhile to find a park but we are here....EVERYBODY UNLOAD!!!! Not sure why we were trying to get to the zoo, when our trip felt as though we'd already spent an entire day at the zoo!!

"I love my sister"

"Wow...would ya take a look at that....."

"Pretty Squirrel"

"Move over Curious George!"

"That sure is a weird looking duck!"

"Yes, I am always this happy.......well, most of the time".

"Big Spidey"

Shields and Kate are fascinated by animals ~ especially spiders (or "big spideys", as they like to call them)...which, I guess is not technically not an animal, but is actually classified as a predaceous arachnid of the order Araneae. I am sure you can only imagine how thrilled I am that my children love these creepy crawly predatory arachnids, which spin webs that serve as nests and as traps for their helpless prey who meet their dreadful demise once trapped. Some might say, "isn't that neat that at such young ages your children are daring to be radically distinctive by choosing not to like boring ol' horses, doggies, or even tigers". I will have you know - this huge obsession with "big spideys" was not dreamed up by their capricious and fantastical young minds. Rather, it was 'implanted' into their brains by a certain grandfather (a.k.a. Papa) who upon every visit to his house, takes them on journeys far and wide (across the yard), through the dense jungle (around a few crepe myrtles) searching for the most elusive and terrifying spider. The thing that baffles me is that their 'Papa' is deathly afraid of big spideys, and I often wonder what he would actually do if they stumbled upon one. Still - after so many expeditions and after finding a few cobweb remnants, they disappointingly have yet to track down one of these "big spideys" that Steve Erwin (and Steve Hill) talk constantly about.......I am hopeful that one day (yeah right) they will finally discover a large arachnid that they can catch and scare their Papa with...especially since it's his fault that they are obsessed with those nasty eight-legged creatures!! ;-)