Thanksgiving at the Beach

My dad once told me that the best way to finish all of the small, nagging projects in your house was to schedule a dinner party. So naturally . . . we volunteered to have Thanksgiving at our house this year. In 7 1/2 years of marriage, Mark and I haven't lived below the Mason-Dixon line and therefore have never been able to host the Lyles family for any holiday. Clearly, it was our turn. It started out as a joke . . . let's do Thanksgiving at Robin and Mark's--but quickly became the motivation we needed to tackle some of the unfinished home projects that had been hanging over our heads. Don't get me wrong, we have a LONG way to go, but round 1 was completed before lunch on Thanksgiving!

It was so wonderful having everyone over. I didn't take many pictures because I was trying to be a good hostess (even though we ate off paper plates!). Finn especially loved having his cousins over and getting to show them his toys, room and play in his own backyard. At one point, he comes racing through the house wearing a shirt, and shoes (no pants) because Luke had taken his pants off and Finn wanted to be just like Luke. Nevermind that Luke had shorts on under his pants when he took them off. Finn did not. He was in hog heaven and hearing the screen door slam over and over was truly music to my ears. We loved having everyone over and hope that it won't be next Thanksgiving before everyone comes back. Here are just a few pictures Mark took on the beach.

My little turkey

Snuggling with Uncle Danny after a wipeout on the cement (notice the bandage!)

Benich Vist Take 2

Let me set the record straight here: 1. I love my friend Kriya. 2. I love her kids, Wade and Bree. 3. I want Finn to love them as much as I do (because he will be hanging out with them regardless)

Now, the reality of the situation is that while #'s 1 and 2 are most definitely true . . . #3? Not so much. At least this was the case this summer. I was so excited to finally be closer to some of my dear friends and even more excited when they are able to visit Charleston. Kriya and her kids spent a week at Wild Dunes this summer and I was so happy that FInn and Wade could be buddies and Kriya and I could spend hours chatting and catching up while watching our adorable children frolic in the ocean and develop a lifelong friendship. Which could not have been further from the truth . . . the entire time we were together they fought. It started out as innocent bickering and ended up in a full on knock down drag out wrestling match. Sad, but I was resolved that they would get over it and be friends eventually.

So, when Kriya called and said they were spending an entire week in Charleston I was thrilled and had to go ahead and book my day with them because she is a busy lady and has lots of friends and family to squeeze in. What followed was shockingly one of the most pleasant days I have ever spent. Seriously. The boys were angels and LOVED playing together and got along great. Not one fight the entire day. We played on the beach, lunched at Taco Mamacita's, hung out at the house and played on the beach some more. Seriously, one of the best days ever. Now, it is highly likely that this will never ever happen again, but that's okay, because this was one for the record books. Of course, I didn't take any pictures, but Kriya did. So you can see her's here.

Kriya, Wade and Bree: thanks for spending your day with us and we can't wait until your next visit.

What You Missed . . .

An encore performance.

Notice how he does his hand motions while holding an ice cream that doesn't fall off. What talent!

Harvest Dinner

Finn's school puts on a fun event called the Harvest Dinner. Reminiscent of the first Thanksgiving dinner between the Pilgrims and Native Americans (note to self, do NOT call them Indians!), all of the families gather together to celebrate, eat, give thanks and of course, hear 3 and 4 year olds sing songs, because I'm pretty sure Squanto and his buddies put on a show for their parents back in the day. The kids worked so very hard and did a great job. Everyone sang and no one ran to mom and dad until after it was over. Finn was so very proud and we thoroughly enjoyed seeing him in his element. As a proud mom, I will only force you to watch one song.

Emma, Easton, Gracie, Zack, Finn and Easton

Our Native Americans

Singing with the Pilgrims. No stage fright here

Clowning around with Zack

After a great show and a quick meal, it quickly went downhill . . . all of the kids were high on excitement and sugar and ended up climbing under, over and around stacks of chairs

School Pictures

I love that they take pictures at school so that I am guaranteed at least one photo of Finn where he is sitting still and semi-focused. These turned out way better than I expected, although Mark wanted to know why they put flowers in his hair.

2nd Ammendment Rights

We believe in the right to bear arms . . . and bellies!

Let the record show that it is November and we are still wearing shorts (and sandals!). Couldn't be happy to be back in the south again.

Samantha Comes to Town

We were so excited to have our first overnight guests since moving to Charleston. And even more excited that it was Alisha, Samantha and Barrett Slye! Alisha was incredibly brave to fly solo with two little ones and we were so happy she did. Finn was SO EXCITED to see Samantha. We even skipped school so we could enjoy every minute of their visit. Finn and Sam truly treat each other like brother and sister . . . hugging and loving on each other one minute and duking it out on the floor the next minute. We had a great, low-key weekend, hanging at the beach, playing on the playground, visiting the park and chilling on the porch. We even ventured downtown to the kids museum, only to find it closed. So we regrouped and hit a nearby park and they were just as happy rolling in the dirt. We were spoiled living in DC being able to see our dear friends on a weekly basis and miss seeing them so it was great to spend a few days together. Unfortunately, we didn't take too many pictures. It was hard enough wrangling all three of them, much less while holding a 5 lb camera. We did manage to take a few on the iPhone which are all blurry because they were never still. We miss you guys and can't wait to see you again!!

Hiding out in the tepee

Notice the budding artists . . . their artwork may be seen on each other's faces

It had been quiet for way to long and then we figured out why. They even managed to color all over poor Barrett.

Check out his blue "man-liner" The head wound is courtesy of a run-in with a fence post at the playground. A cool hand-drawn bandage by dad and he was all ready to go again.

Finn and Sam had each other . . . Barrett had Lily.

Girls night out! Mark volunteered to stay in while we went out to dinner.

Just kidding . . . all four of them were asleep before we left :)

Things I Never Thought I Would Need to Say to My Son--This Month

1. Stop licking the floor

2. Stop licking the table

3. Yes I'll read you a story, on my lap, even though I'm using the bathroom

4. No, it's not ok to pee pee on the playground at school

5. Stop peeing on the flowers

6. Stop peeing off the deck

7. At least he turned around (when I caught him peeing in the ocean, standing up!) Sense a pattern here?

8. Take that candy out of your underwear (my all time favorite)

9. No, I do not need you to wipe me (in public restroom)

10. No, you my not have a margarita with your grilled cheese (when ordering at a restaurant)

May the Force Be With You . . . until Next Halloween

Darth Vader and a very embarrassed Yoda

Humiliation, with a capital H!

Oh yes, I dressed up as Princess Leia. Finn told me he did not like my hair braids.

We had a great Halloween. Because Finn is such a lover of all things sweet (which he gets from both his mom and dad), trick or treating was serious business. We got all dressed up and walked a few blocks down to the Captain's Row . . . where all of the old Ft. Moultrie Officer's Quarters homes are located. These homes are gigantic and beautiful and the people go all out with decorations and themes. Candy for the kids and hunch punch for the adults . . . not a bad way to trick or treat. The police even block of the street on both ends so it is packed with scary little monsters, ghosts, goblins, firemen, darth vaders and the occasional Harry Potter. Finn took his trick or treating very seriously and did not mess around. He inspected his haul after each house. I was proud that he remembered to say thank you. He didn't let scary costumes deter him like they did last year. He would just turn sideways and scoot up the steps, get the candy and run back to me. He was getting that candy no matter what! After it was over, we had to inspect all of his loot and talk about each piece and which ones our favorites were. He said it was better than Christmas and can't wait until next year!