Pawleys Island

We spent the second week of our vacation at our favorite spot on the South Carolina coast, Pawleys Island. We stayed at this same resort right before Duncan’s first birthday, and I believe it’s the best deal on the coast. We had a one-bedroom condo that overlooked a little lake and was right next to the swimming pool. The beach was a short walk away. And since it was the week before Memorial Day and still the "off-season" we had the beach largely to ourselves. We only left once to go out to eat on our last night. There's a BI-LO right across the street and a fresh seafood market nearby too.

Our first evening on the beach and the only family picture we got! Our time in Greenville was so fun, but also so packed trying to see all our friends and get some future plans lined up. So by the time we got to the coast we were ready to relax! We spent the early mornings on the beach, went back to the condo for lunch and naps and then came back late afternoon and stayed until after sunset. We'd pack the children a picnic supper and then wash them off with the hose and put on pajamas before we left the beach area. That way we could put them straight on the pull out sofa bed. They watched Nick Jr (we don't have cable at home so this was a huge treat) and we'd cook shrimp for our supper. We could sit on the patio and eat in peace while they snoozed away in the living room. We both love to cook (I only eat shrimp if it's fresh and I can smell the ocean) and cooking in was way less stressful than going out to eat with two tired toddlers.













The kids' pool at this resort was so fun! And we didn't show them the pool until halfway through the week because I wanted them to like the beach before they remembered the pool and how fun it was!





















































I wasn't sure about going to the beach at 34 weeks pregnant. At one point I was waddling up the steps to the beach with Caroline. Two older ladies were behind us and complaining about how hard it was to be old at the beach. I turned around and said it wasn't much fun to be 8 months pregnant at the beach either. They both laughed and declared they'd rather be old than pregnant again!



It's always hard to leave the beach, but we were so excited to get to spend the night in Lexington with the O'Neals. Residency friendships are deep and these people quickly became family to us! They are expecting baby #2 at the first of the year and it was so fun to celebrate in person.







A fun morning at the racetrack and then breakfast at the kitchen there. We were home by mid-afternoon and glad to sleep in our own beds!

Reunited and it feels so good...our week in Greenville

We spent a little over two weeks traveling in May and spent our first week in Greenville. It was so good to be back and felt like no time at all had passed. One thing that really surprised me about our time in Greenville was how little of what I consider our "routines" that Ryan really hadn't done. He'd never been to the splash pad downtown or storytime on a Saturday morning at the bookstore. We had a fabulous morning with our friends Heather and Shoe and their children and he asked me later when exactly we'd all become such close friends. When he had time off in residency we tended to do just things with the four of us or tackle our never ending to-do list with the house and yard.




We stayed at a great Air BNB close to our old house that allowed dogs. We had supper the first evening with our former neighbors Peggy & Don. And the next morning it was off to our favorite park with the Beams and Edwards.

Ollie and Caroline picked right up where they left off a year ago. And so did their mamas...



The airplane park was the first place I ever took Duncan to use his walker. So it was so fun to see him use it so much better than 15 months ago!




We played tourists in the afternoon and got ice cream at Spill the Beans and then walked around Falls Park. We were on the lookout for our ducks that got "lost" in the park. We found the brown one! Sadly, the one-eyed white one was no where to be found. We had supper that evening on the patio at Sassafras - my favorite patio in Greenville!















On Wednesday Ryan spent the day with the allergy clinic and the children and I had a fun morning re-visiting our favorite places! We walked the Swamp Rabbit Trail from downtown to the Swamp Rabbit Café and played on the playground. We went back to our place for lunch and naps and then hit up the air plane park again while waiting on Ryan to finish up. Julia & Eric had us for supper and we had a fabulous time visiting and learning about all their plans to move to New Orleans later this summer. Also, baby Bankert is coming around Christmas and we are OVER THE MOON excited for them! Eric and Ryan became friends when Eric volunteered to cover for him when Caroline was born. Eric says he wondered how in the world a resident could not know in advance he'd need paternity leave:-)















The next morning we were back at Swamp Rabbit with Shoe and her boys.



We had breakfast, played on the playground (why do I think we'll be recreating this picture when they are 16?) and then headed downtown to meet the Beams at the splash pad.















After a good nap, we headed back down for music at Noma Square where we ran into Lizzie - Duncan's early interventionist who came to our house every Monday from the time he was five months old until we moved when he was just over two years old. During those two years, I spent more facetime with her therapists than any other adult. They all became dear friends!



Friday morning the Heather and Will had us over to see their new house and play on the slip 'n slide. So fun!







And that evening Ryan and I had a dinner with the Apex Allergy folks at Jianna. It was delicious!



Saturday was our last full day and we packed in all the fun. Downtown Market, storytime at M. Judson's, lunch at the Greek Festival, putt putt at McPherson Park and the pizza at Mellow Mushroom and a Greenville Drive game with the Bankerts.

Pace and I arranged to meet up at the market. It was so great to meet Grady!





Greek Fest is my favorite festival in Greenville. This was the first year C and D were big enough to do any of the rides.

Duncan got to be the conductor!















Sunday morning we loaded up to head to the coast but first met the Crosby family for breakfast at Biscuit Head.



Our sweet neighbors Peggy and Don kept Scout while we headed to the beach.