Charleston

We had the opportunity to travel with the basketball team to Charleston the week before Thanksgiving for a basketball tournament. It was a great time to just get away and be together as a family in a very beautiful and historic town. We all needed a little change of scenery and I needed a break from the norm! We had some warmer temperatures most of the days we were there, so we were very thankful for the break from the cold weather. We spent most of the mornings doing school and playing in the room. Once school was completed, we ventured out to check out our surroundings. There was some great shopping a street behind us, a wide open park a couple blocks down from us and, the aquarium was just down the street. We were in the best location!

One morning we decided to venture down to see the water. The sky was dark, but the weather was warm. Minus the whining from a certain little girl who "doesn't.think.she.can.take.a.nother.step.or.she.will.die.", we all faired well on the walk;)  

The going to check out the water

taking a break from "all that walking" (really it was only a few blocks away...maybe a mile at most!). We sat and watched big boats glide through and enjoyed seeing all the sights and sounds of a waterway.

of course, it wouldn't be a basketball trip if someone didn't get sick. True to her nature, Alley got sick Thursday night and we spent all of Friday in the hotel room. She was feeling better on Friday, but I wasn't ready to risk heading out on an adventure when we hardly slept the night before. Thank goodness for legos and PBS!! ;)

we did go outside the hotel to get a little fresh air. Alley decided everyone needed dance lessons. I mean, you never know when you will be invited to a ball! ;)

Thank goodness Saturday seem to be a good day for the girls, but poor Andy ended up with a horrible migraine. Whomp-whomp! So the girls and I tried to make ourselves scarce on saturday. We headed over to Mount Pleasant to see what was over there. Lucky for us, we found a Barnes & Noble that was just about to start story time!

the girls all excited about story time

they did a project with glitter and glue...obviously the person who planned this activity does NOT have any children...We walked away with very glittery dresses, hands and hair...plus 2 out of the 3 had glued parts of their dresses together...(sigh)

after a quick (and quiet) lunch and nap at the hotel, we headed to the aquarium. The girls have been talking about going to the aquarium since October when I told them we would go. Note to self, never tell them anything until the day it happens. 

Very excited to see the fish tanks...MC is more concerned with snack time...

in the outdoor section of the aquarium...MC was very concerned with the fish that kept coming up to the edge of the water and "wooking at me". 

Kendall patiently waiting until it was her turn to feed "my new friends"

MC overly excited about the huge fish and sharks in the tank. She was so incredibly excited!

going for a safari ride

Alley holding a starfish

MC grabbing the starfish...we all thought she was about to run away with it!

just chillin with the frog outside:) MC was still trying to make her escape

the view from the aquarium

the last morning we were in Charleston, we met up with one of Andy's former co-workers who had moved to Charleston. His daughter was born 2 weeks before MC, so it was fun seeing how they had grown. We enjoyed the donuts and catching up!

This was the best I could do! Neither girl was too excited about getting their picture taken:)

We had a great time in Charleston and are so blessed to be able to travel with Andy on his long trips. I just hope that we can break this curse of Alley always getting sick during basketball trips! Our next one is in March....here's hoping!!