a few more pictures from vacation

our last day…it rained.

so we hit the market to do a little shopping and the candy store for some pralines.

the streets of Charleston flood….because the city is at sea level.

funny that this is the only picture i took of our trolley ride where Cooper is smiling…not so funny at the time, because he was a monster….whining, whining, whining….about EVERYTHING.

until i said he needed to shut his mouth or the trolley driver will kick us off…yes, i really did say it.

you see…this little boy has been a bit challenging….stepping it up a bit, he has learned how to bug caroline like only a little brother can, talking back….and when we travel, he gets homesick. homesick=cranky cooper.

we explored The Battery

and Waterfront Park before heading back to the condo to pack up…BOO :(

a sneak peek of my next post…i saved the best for last.

On the water….

how about this for a perfect day….

* met up with friends downtown for breakfast at Toast…oh man, yum! a must stop if you are in Charleston! One day there will be a visit WITHOUT the kiddos and it will be all about the “Bottomless Mimosas!”

* met up with friends for an afternoon boat ride….sunny skies, on a river somewhere in South Carolina, endless snacks and a cooler of beer.

* and the kids’ favorite….dinner at Chuck-E-Cheese.

two thumbs up from Coop is a great thing!!!

* our next adventure out on the water was a day they said it was going to rain so we skipped the beach….. for a water taxi ride over to Patriots Point…for a cheap fare you can get all day rides on the taxi….a great way to see the Cooper River! We never saw rain…just sunny skies and in the 80s!!

 

the captain does a great job finding the dolphins….

 

our first stop was the submarine….my kids will forever remember it as the “hot and smelly submarine.”

 

and then we spent hours on the aircraft carrier….exploring EVERY inch!  From the engine room to the galley the kids loved exploring!    

did i mention that it was hot??? really hot….at least for us Yankees…my kids were melting by the minute.

“The Edge of America” Folly Beach, SC

 

over 400 beach pictures….here are just a few!!!

we had amazing weather

most days we were the first ones on the beach

 

lots of castle making

we found this little guy in the tidal pools at low tide

 

lots of wave jumping!!

  

i always catch caroline dancing on the beach

 

folly beach pier

see you next year folly beach!!

Hello Monday!!!

hope you can follow this post…..we rolled into our driveway on Saturday at 11:30 at night, after driving almost 17 hours, back home after a week in Charleston, SC.

i still need to download a gazillion pictures from vacation…so you will get Easter pictures before our vacation pictures.

this was Coop at the end of the day yesterday…….not a happy camper….we put him to bed at 6:45….and he was asleep at 6:46…and slept for 12 hours.

rewind 20 hours

after tucking the kids into bed around midnight, we stashed the Easter baskets and hid the eggs for the morning before crashing ourselves.

we did not tell the kids it was going to be Easter the next morning…hoping for a few extra minutes of sleep.

this was Caroline’s face when we told her it was Easter….she was so cute about it, and kept shaking her head in disbelief.

 

lots of coffee and jelly beans later…we were ready for church.

 

  

we were so excited to see the sun….we were told there was snow on the ground the day before.

after an AMAZING church service we found the Easter Bunny…Yippeee!!! 

 

so…here i sit….typing and procrastinating….Caroline off to school and Cooper checking out his Easter loot…….my “to do” list is a bit long….hoping to get a lot done today!! Happy Monday everyone!

ever have one of those days

where you feel like a total failure at this parenting thing???

that was yesterday for me.

Caroline and i got in a huge fight

over nothing really.

she had her heart set on taking Cooper’s backpack to bring HER stuff for vacation…because it had more pockets…..even though she has 3 backpacks to choose from, she wanted HIS.

A full tantrum erupted….  “your a mean mommy!!” “this is so unfair!!” “I don’t want to live here anymore!!”   awful things were just flying out of her mouth….her little body was just FULL of anger. 

and of course i yelled back…..because when i told her to go to her room….she didn’t.

So i yelled some more. And mean things were flying out of my mouth.

 

and i have a knot in my stomach just thinking about it…because i don’t want to yell, i don’t want to be this angry mom, and i know better.

i can be better.

you see…Caroline is my intense child, EVERY decision is difficult, she over thinks everything, and becomes very overwhelmed, cooperation and  compromise are not easy for her. In our family dynamics she NEEDS lots of attention, she NEEDS constant reassurance, she NEEDS us to stay calm and talk her through situations.

most days we give her as much as we can, and sometimes its never enough.

 

i know that i not only have to love her,

i have to love her FIERCELY.

  

for the FIRST time, after a very long time-out in her room, she came to me and said she was ready to talk. This was a big deal.

you see, after a fight/argument she has very little remorse and she never wants to apologize. But yesterday she curled up in my lap and was able to look me in my eyes…and we talked….and we cried….and we talked some more.

Spring in New England

On Monday i put away all the snowsuits, snow pants and boots….Mother Nature didn’t like that……it was a balmy 50 degrees when i put Caroline on the bus in the morning and by the time i picked her up in the afternoon it was 30 degrees and snowing!

i am keeping the shovel out…we have had blizzards in April and i’m not taking any chances.

yesterday almost hit 50 degrees….the kids headed straight outside afterschool.

i went out to look for some color….this was the only flower crazy enough to grow…i think it has been covered with snow 3 times this April.

when its not snowing…its raining…cold, dreary rain.

which means the schools are still filled with germs and viruses.

this week we have been fighting fevers and earaches….and i am constantly taking their temperature….i’m a little neurotic when it comes to thermometers…i have one that takes forever to register but its the most accurate (the kids don’t like this one of course), i have one that registers in 30 seconds but is not so accurate, and then we have an ear one that i can’t figure out.

and i signed my little buddy up for Kindergarten last night…..he has decided NOT to stay at home with me forever….he can’t wait and is SO ready….me, i’m totally not ready to send my baby to school….i have a knot in my stomach just thinking about it!