Picnic at the Park

Caroline and Fordham joined Jackson, Harris, and I for a quick run and picnic lunch at the County Park today. Jason went away for a night with the boys in the woods, and Stephen is a tugboat captain who works 7 on, 7 off (poor Caroline... I would die!), so since we were single on a Saturday morning, we decided to do something fun! It was another beautiful morning, so we had a great time... we haven't run together since the bridge, so it was a great chance to catch up. (I love this picture of Caroline and Fordham!)
Harris' favorite part of the picnic was climbing in and out of the stroller.
Yummy lunch...
Fordham was enthralled with what was going on around us... he sat like this for what seemed like forever! Too cute! He and Jackson had a great time playing... Jackson was the big kid that Fordham followed... so funny! Hopefully Jackson didn't teach him anything too bad...
Harris loved having lunch outside.

We had a great time, Caroline and Fordham! We'll have to do it again soon!

Popcicles

Nana and Papa T introduced Jackson and Harris to popsicles while I was gone... they love them now!! I just had to post this picute... look at Harris...

Beach Trip

My great friend Nancy's parents have a home on Isle of Palms, and she invited Harris and I out for a beach morning on Friday (Jackson was at school). It was a beautiful morning, so we made the trip to play with Nancy, DuBose, Mills, and Nancy's sister, Jennie. It was Harris' first trip to the beach since he was just a few months old, so I was interested to see what he thought. He did great!! He loved the feel of the sand... that boy just danced and danced all morning! He made one dash for the ocean, but it was a bit cold still, so when he fell in, he decided it wasn't for him. He recovered quickly, though, and went back to dancing and running the beach.
DuBose and Harris had a great time playing together! DuBose would follow Harris and do everything he would do... take little steps, fall down, turn here, turn there... it was too cute! They are going to be great friends!!
Mom and Harris...
Nancy had this great tent to give a little relief from the sun (you can see Mills trying to roll over to the left) Harris thought it was the best thing ever. He would run in, dance for a few seconds, run out, run back in, dance for a few seconds, and repeat the whole thing over again. DuBose thought it was the funniest thing and would dance with Harris. These two were a trip!!
Harris loved the beach chairs.
Chasing birds.

Check out Nancy's blog... she has some cute pictures, too!

Thanks, Nancy and Jennie, for the invite to join you... we had a blast!

Reward

Look at my reward for going on vacation!! Terry and Jason were awesome and put in my backsplash while I was gone. It is beautiful, guys... I love it!! Thank you so much!!!
This is under the breakfast bar...

The pictures just don't do it justice... you all have an invitation to come see it in person!

Happy Birthday, Grandaddy!!

We hope you had a great day!! We love you and miss you lots! Lots of big Jackson andHarris hugs and kisses to you!!

Love,
Jason, Amanda, Jackson and Harris

Bald Head Island, North Carolina

Doesn't Dad look like a pro?? We arrived at Bald Head Island on Sunday afternoon... it was a perfect day, and the island was beautiful. This would be a perfect place for a family vacation. The marina, and the island in general, was quiet... I went for a run, we ate dinner, played cards, and went to bed! There was a beautiful sunset that night... it was the perfect end to our first day at sea!
The view of the lighthouse from the boat.
Marina pictures...

The lighthouse at Southport, where you can catch a ferry to Bald Head Island.
Leaving the marina.
Good-bye Bald Head Island!!

ICW Trip

A fishing boat along the ICW...
It was amazing to see all of the birds following the boat.
The sign on the dock is a little hard to see in the picture, but it is a lady in a bikini holding a sign that says "Bulk Ice/Shrimp/Live Bait"... we saw some interesting things along the ICW!

After a slow-going trip through the ICW due to all of the other boats and no-wake zones we cut though back to the ocean. It was another autopilot afternoon to Beaufort!

Beaufort, North Carolina

Sunset in Beaufort... definitely my favorite.
We arrived in Beaufort on Monday, just a day late. I had an incredible suprise planned for Dad for his birthday, but we didn't get in on time to make it. So, we planned it for 8am the next morning. Unfortunately, there was a low cloud cover on Tuesday morning, so we were unable to go on the air tour that I had planned. I was so disappointed!! Dad was suprised when we got to the airport and I told him what we were doing, but he was so good about not being able to go... he just said that we would do it when we came back through in the fall. I was so looking forward to it... I was so sad! The people at the airport were so nice about it, though, and said we should definitely reschedule next time we were going to be there. It is a date!!

I think this was my favorite stop along the way... it was such a great town... definitely somewhere I'd like to visit again!!
I think this is the only picture I have of Dad and I together on the trip!!

Leaving Beaufort

The marina as we leave... such an overcast morning!! You can see why the air tour was cancelled... so sad!

Bye, Beaufort! See you in the fall!

4/25 -- Beaufort to New Bern

To the left is the Beaufort Airport, where we were supposed to have our air tour... you can tell that it wouldn't have been the best day for a flight! Next time we are there...
No autopilot that day... I drove most of the way to New Bern! It was a nice trip once we got out of Beaufort and the sun came out. I'm glad that I got to drive as much as I did... I talked to Dad last night, and his trip from New Bern to Manteo Bay was a rough one... hopefully I was able to give him somewhat of a break before that!
Arriving New Bern...
Views from the Neuse River...

Arriving New Bern

The bridge we passed through to get to my final stop...

The End

New Bern, North Carolina was the end of the line for me. On Tuesday afternoon, I picked up my rental car from the airport and drove to Morehead City for the night. It was a good chance to have a last night of freedom for me and for Dad to have a break before his next passenger arrived.

I had a short but nice run along the waterfront in Morehead City, and I headed back to my room for a good night's rest before my trip home. The next morning, I took my time getting ready to leave. It was my last day of freedom! I had planned on taking my time getting home and visiting all of the little coastal towns along the way, but I was tired and not feeling great, so I headed straight home. It was an easy drive except for Myrtle Beach and Mt. Pleasant... too much traffic and rain!

When I got home, Jason and Jackson were thrilled to see me... lots of hugs and kisses. Harris, on the other hand, was furious. His little lip started to quiver, and his eyes filled with tears. The poor guy was so mad at me that he started screaming!! Made me feel terrible! He got over it pretty quickly, though, and was once again Mamma's Boy the next day!

It was an amazing time... so relaxing and such a great chance to spend some QT with Dad. It has been a long time since we have been able to do something like this, and I appreciated every second of it.

Thank You's

Jason, thank you so much for taking such good care of the boys while I was gone! I appreciate all of the support that you gave me in going. You are an awesome daddy, and the boys loved their Daddy-bonding time! While I wish you would have been able to go with me, I appreciated the time with Dad. I know that you will go this fall!!

Mom and Terry, thank you so much for coming and taking care of all three of my boys!! I felt so much better leaving with you here. Harris and Jackson loved their time with you (I am still trying to wean them off of french fries and milkshakes!!), and I feel like they both grew up so much while I was gone. Thank you also for my backsplash!! I can't believe I got to go on vacation and come home to such a beautiful improvement!! Thank you, thank you, thank you!! I love you both!

Dad, so many thanks to you!! The trip was incredible, and my time with you was invaluable. I appreciate the invitation to ride with you, and I am hoping we can make this an annual thing! I hope the rest of your trip goes as beautifully as our leg went... please be careful and safe. I owe you an air tour in Beaufort in the fall!! I love you!!

Pictures

Ok, ok... I am working on this. I have been trying to catch up and have been blogging for the past hour and a half, and I am quitting for the night. I will post all I have, and I will finish tomorrow... I promise.

Yes, I am home safe and sound. It was an amazing experience, and I am so looking forward to doing it again. While I am a little tired (I didn't sleep very well on the trip), I am happy to be back with my boys, and I am feeling recharged as a mom.

I have a ton of pictures, and I feel bad making you look at all of them, but it is good for me to document everything so I remember it all! Enjoy!

4/23 -- Leaving Charleston

Checking the engines...
Turning on the blowers...
Ready, set, go!!!
Leaving the Charleston City Marina.
Charleston battery. There are two steeples that you can see... St. Philips, our church home, is the one to the right. It is amazing to me how calm the water was here. The minute we got past the jetties, it got super-rough...
Getting further and further away... good bye, Charleston!
The Cooper River Bridge in the haze.
Fort Sumter, where the first engagement of the Civil War took place.