We just got back from the most AMAZING vacation in Hilton Head, South Carolina. We met up with my parents and sister and her family and stayed at a beautiful Condo right in Shelter Cove. It was such a beautiful area, there was so much to do and see, we wish we could have stayed another week at least. It definitely jumped to the top of our list of favorite places to vacation. Thanks, mom and dad for the awesome week! We miss you already!!!

Around the house
The condo was BEAUTIFUL and very spacious. Lucky for Max and London their cousin Spencer brought plenty of toys to share!!:) Max and London LOVED the stairs and I even showed the kids how to make the most of their sleeping bags on them...that was a great trick! When we left, Max asked if we could pack the bunkbeds to take home. He and London loved sharing a bedroom all week.









Down by docks
These docks were across the street from where we stayed and they were fun to explore. The bridge went straight to the Disneyland Resort which of course we ventured over to. You know Morgan... anyways, the picture of Max and that Neptune guy is actually a sun dial that really works. As Max would say: "Impresssssive!"




Mini Golf
We went miniature golfing at this little place by our condo and it was all pirate themed out. The kids got so excited finding skeleton pirates all over and listening to the cool pirate music. Max and Spencer even got a hole in one! The island had all sorts of cool family-themed activity centers like this one, one more reason I loved it so much...very family-friendly!





Coligny Beach
We got to visit 2 different beaches during the week, my favorite was Coligny Beach. It was awesome, with changing rooms, a splash park out front (which was nice for the kids to get the sand off afterwards) and a lot of mini waves. The kids LOVED getting buried by Morgan, as well as hitting the waves on their boogie boards! London was a champ and would fall asleep in a chair. I can't imagine anything more relaxing then sleeping on a lounge chair at the beach on a beautiful day...










Palmetto Beach
This was a great beach, too! Lots of crabs to dig for and lots of fun waves. My mom conveniently forgot her swimming suit but still got wet and sandy with the kids...they loved it!!





Dolphin tour
The last day of our trip we headed out on a dolphin tour. It was a beautiful boat ride and while we only saw a few dolphins (very pretty!) Morgan and I were definitely more interested in the beautiful homes we saw along the way. Maybe one day...yea right!





Lighthouse in Harbor Town
This was one of my favorite outings. For my mom's birthday we headed down here to see the Lighthouse. Which I got to climb to the top of in my boots. Awesome. Anyways, the area was full of shops, a huge park for the kids, and lots of beautiful scenery. I loved that they had little red rocking chairs all over so you could sit and watch boats come in. We had dinner for my mom's birthday right on the water and it was beautiful. Happy Birthday, mom!!!













Mom's Birthday
Speaking of, here is my mom eating the Piggly Wiggly cake we got her. Didn't even have that much frosting but oh well. I LOVED going out looking for fabric stores all morning and having lunch with just us girls. Hope you had a wonderful birthday, mom!!


London's "Birthday"
Ok, so really just cupcakes and the song, but it was worth a try. She sure made a mess with that cupcake...but I was too tired and grossed out to take pictures of the after picture. Why is she so messy???!!




Savannah
This was definitely the highlight of the trip for me, besides being with family of course. I LOVED sitting on the trolley and learning all about historic Savannah. The streets were so quaint and beautiful, the homes amazing. One of the many paint colors was called "Haint Green" because it "haint" blue and it "haint" green. Riverstreet was adorable, too, with all the shops and boats. One lady sat on a bench and made flowers out of leaves and gave London one for free. At the end of the day, we got to eat at Paula Deen's restaurant for dinner and was it ever tasty! They did the cutest thing to open dinner service, but I'm not going to spoil it for any of you that are planning to go. Just know, it's super worth getting in to eat the food!! We couldn't get enough!

Carnival for Jonas and Maggie

I just wanted to make sure everyone was aware of the Carnival that's going on this weekend for Max's cousins, Jonas and Maggie. Please visit Spread Magic Around for more information.
We're so sad we can't be there to join in the fun, but want Jonas and Maggie to know how much we love them!! Hope it's a HUGE success!!

Weekend Visitors

We were lucky enough to have the Mathie's come down for a few days this last week and loved showing them around our new little town!
We got to do all one does in Gainesville: Visit Haile Plantation, see the Gators at Paynes Prairie, go to "The Swamp", and of course, eat and shop! Morgan had to work almost the entire time they were here, so Poor Papa Mark went around the house and did some minor "repairs" and yard work. Major improvements!!
The kids were spoiled with toys and attention and definitely sad to see them go. Max cried a good part of the way home and had to wear my sunglasses so we wouldn't see. Thanks for the fun visit, we loved having you guys!!


London LOVES the new Gator Grammie bought her...can't ya tell??


All of us at the Farmer's Market in the Village at Haile.


Payne's Prairie




Eating with Dr. Morgan at the hospital for lunch.


"The Swamp"


Eating out at yummy spots like Five Guys, Sony's BBQ, and Jimmy John's.





Shopping in Jacksonville...the kids LOVED the pond with turtles, fish, and ducks. Reminded me of AZ.


Max just kept saying over and over again how sad he was to see them go. He was worried about the good-bye scence from the day they got here. He can't wait for a trip up to see his Utah family!!

Weekend Trip to Tampa

Morgan had a DO Conference in Tampa this past weekend so we thought we'd make the most of it and all go down together. We stayed at an amazing hotel, the Intercontinental. The kids loved the rooftop pool and glass elevators. Actually London HATED the elevators at first but loved them after a few rides. On Saturday Morgan's meetings ended early so we got to hit Fort De Soto beach. We spent most of the day hitting the waves, collecting shells, playing paddle ball, and just lounging. We got to meet some friends from AZ, the Heatons, for dinner (at Smokey Bones?? Delish!) and it was good to catch up with them!
On Sunday when Morgan finished with the conference we headed over to Costco (of course!) and then on to John's Pass. It's a little beach front village with a boardwalk where you can see pelicans, fishing boats, shop and of course, eat tons of seafood. So while we didn't do much besides check out the birds, it was still really a neat little town and I'm glad we took the time to go and see it.
I love that Morgan likes to venture out and take advantage of all the great things we've got around us. Thanks, babe, for an awesome weekend!!

London freaking out on the elevator ride...

Max on the roof top by the pool overlooking the ocean.

Look at those guns!!

Teaching London the rules of paddle ball...

London doesn't like to be told what to do.

Getting better every trip!

John's Pass

In front of some cute "candy and sweets" shops. ....mmm...fudge....

Ugly ugly pelicans.

More cute shops...Max and London loved all the giant turtle and pelican statues they had everywhere.

Overlooking the Pass

Eating out with the Heaton's...good times!

Fun with friends

Where has this month gone?? We are so busy with playdates and activities that I can barely catch my breath. Here are 2 random pictures I managed to get of what we've done the past few weeks.

Max and London with Jackson and Lexi after a romp through the sprinklers

Max and a bunch of his school friends having lunch at Chick-fil-a...we might need to make this one happen more often:)

Bedtime? No, it's unders-on-the-head-catch-us-if-you-can time!

Yes. You read that right. My kids love to put underwear on their head and run around naked after baths. It usually ends with jumping on my bed for half an hour while I try to tackle them to get their jammies on. Luckily I got them semi-clothed so I could get some pictures. I think London looks like the creepy dad on Pirates of the Carribbean, but whatever. They think they're hilarious. I can't wait until I can embarrass them with these pictures:)





As everyone knows, I check on my kids at least 3 times before I go to bed (unless I zonk out immediately after they fall asleep) and I probably am trying my luck with the photo taking but I don't care.
I love that Max has to sleep with half a dozen of his favorite stuffed animals and a pillow "shield" to keep bad guys out. Every time I check on him he's switched positions. I have NO idea how he doesn't fall off the bed each night.
I love that London is such a snuggler with her Baby and Monkey, but then it makes me sad because I never get to hold her anymore. So, fighting every motherly instinct to let her sleep, I usually find myself picking her up and snuggling her. I know her cradling time is drawing to an end (what, she's 2 next month!?!) so I'm taking all the moments I can, even if they are when she's asleep and it's 11 o'clock at night.

She is getting too big for her crib!!

Seriously. HOW IS HE NOT FALLING OFF??

Max and his entourage of animals...ok, more like his secret service.

Cute Chiara Girls

The Chiara's live down the street from us and I don't know what we would do without them!! We have constant playdates and Maria (their mom, who is AMAZING) is always having us over for her amazing dinners. She makes it a little bit easier to be away from home.

This is on Labor Day when we had breakfast together.

Labor Day BBQ

This last Labor Day we spent relaxing at my friend Courtney's house for a BBQ. She and her husband totally outdid themselves and we had a fantastic time! Their backyard is every kid's dream come true complete with hammock, HUGE playground, sandbox, and room to run around like crazy...which of course they did. London and Max's faces were dark red and they were covered in sweat within 10 mins. but they didn't care at all. I wish I had a before/after shot of London's hair...it was savage-like by the end of the night!
Thanks, Courtney, for being such a great host!!