First and foremost, Happy (belated) Memorial Day! We are grateful for the service of the members of the armed services who sacrifice to keep us safe.
The Memorial Day weekend brought perfect weather so we decided to stop by the market where the annual Spoleto Festival was well under way. Bigs and littles all had ice cream.
On our way home we stopped to get the best Vietnamese in town from a little food truck called Pink Bellies. It’s run by a Viet college kid and I can’t say enough good things about it. It’s not the best Vietnamese food I’ve ever tasted in my life (ahem, have you met my mother and grandmother??), but it’s definitely close to the authentic taste of home that we’ve been missing.
Monday we had some friends over and filled the pool for the kiddos to all play in. Hubby says the girls in their matching swim outfits look like Team USA in their uniforms. Ha! Little Olympians in the making.
As the week progressed we tried to find something new to experience since this week is our nanny’s last with us. *tear*
On Tuesday morning, we got the kiddos dressed and into the car, not quite knowing where we were going. We just knew we wanted to get out of the house*. As I was buckling them into their car seats, a stroke of brilliance hit me.
A new beach!
About an hour south of here is Kiawah, a resort along the coast that is known for its beautiful beaches and challenging (apparently) golf courses. I am not a golfer, but according to the sign, Kiawah hosted the 2012 PGA Championship. Next to the resort is the Kiawah Beachwalker Park that is open to the public. It was a warm day and the kids were excited about the prospect of water and sand so we thought, why not? It ended up being a wonderful adventure. So wonderful in fact, that we went back today!
*Note: Yes, you can be spontaneous with 3 kids under 5! Our best adventures tend to be when we decide on the spot where to go. If you’re wondering how the heck we do spontaneous with that many in tow, let me tell ya! We have extra clothes, swim gear, sunscreen, diapers and snacks in a backpack that we take everywhere. I also keep lots of extras in the car, like a medical kit, towels, water for rinsing, a port-a-potty… Oh, and an open mind. That’s mandatory.
We got to the beach early this morning and stayed for a picnic lunch before heading home. We found all sorts of wildlife: hermit crabs, jellyfish, minnows, conch (I think that’s what it is), clams and sea snails; all alive! I’ve been to northern beaches all my life and have never encountered any of this. Up north, this is unheard of! I can’t believe this is the norm where we live now. Wildlife, wildlife, wildlife. I love it! I can’t wait to see what we find when we go back again. This beach, though a bit further of a drive, has quickly become one of my favorites.
I don’t know if you can see in this photo (the one of my toes) without enlarging it but there were plenty of minnows swimming around in the tidal pools!
So many little hermit crabs! This last one was a bit big for its shell!
Here’s our shell collection from today (all without live animals in them of course).
