My parents just left this morning to drive back to Kansas.  They got here Thursday around lunch time and we packed their days here full.

We went out for lunch Thursday after they arrived.  Followed that up with shopping, flying kites, bubbles and some pizzas on the Big Green Egg.

Friday we woke up early and hit the road.  We drove down to Savannah for the day.  We spent the morning driving through the historic Victorian district before stopping at the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist.  Which was breathtaking.  The outside is so simple and plain but the inside is so colorful and unexpected.


After that we headed down to Bay St for lunch at Moon River Brewing Co.  The weather has been nothing short of perfect lately with low humidity and so we took advantage and sat out on the patio for food and beer.   Then we walked a block over to River Street to walk the river, shop and take some pictures.

Next stop was Tybee Island.  We didn't swim, but we stuck our toes in.  Grace was unsure at first, but eventually grew confident and started kicking around.  She loves being outside, so this was right up her alley. We let the wind fly our kite for awhile and then laid down to relax for a bit.  Rob and I both think we would be okay with a beach house someday.


Eventually Grace got antsy and so we loaded up to head home.  Not before stopping for dinner though.. if you are in the Savannah area you should check out Papa's Bar-B-Que.  I don't think any of us complained about our dinner.. just Grace being done with the adventure.  So home we went.

Saturday everyone slept in.  Including Grace.  When we did finally get going we went to the Ford Mustang show here in town.  Rob and my dad are both big fans.  So it was a nice little walk and there were tons of cars to look at as it was the South East Regional Mustang Car show.. LOTS of entries.  And now I have a husband who is even more set on getting an old mustang to fix up... story.of.my.life.  We stopped for Mexican food on the way home - which hit the spot.


That evening Rob cooked wings on the Big Green Egg and Abby and Nick came over.  We finally used Grace's swimming pool she got almost two weeks ago.  She was a total ham and loved it, of course.  The bubbles came out again too.


Sunday we woke up and drove to Columbia, South Carolina to go to the River Banks Zoo.  It is a small zoo so we were able to walk it in about two and a half hours.  We had two free tickets and bought the other two tickets ahead of time so there were a few bucks cheaper than at the zoo.  This was Grace's first time going - so our first stop was to ride the carousel.  She was a fan for 95% of it before she was ready to be done as the ride was coming to a stop.


After that we fed goats, fed giraffes, posed with statues and saw all the animals we could.  The zoo is under construction right now so it was a little underwhelming.  Would I go again?  Probably.  It was just enough and by the time we left we were robbed of $10 for a small stuffed animal and ready for food.


We met up with my cousin Shelley and her husband David for dinner.  They live about an hour Northwest of Columbia and drove down to see us.  Shelley is due with my "niece" in August and I could NOT be more excited for her and David.  It was good to see them and catch up while my parents are here.


Eventually though Grace was all but done and we parted ways.  We drove through Fort Jackson on the way home and had enough time to watch Wild before calling it a day.

Yesterday Grace was up at her usual time of 8:30 - but everyone else slept till about 9:30/10.  We went and got Steak and Shake and stopped by Walmart for some necessities before heading back home.  Grace took a two and a half hour nap-of which the other four of us probably slept an hour and a half of.  It was a sleepy day that ended with Nick and Abby coming over to spend Memorial Day with us by cooking on the Big Green Egg some chicken cordon bleu, hamburgers and hotdogs, swimming in the pool (among other things...) and remembering those that have gave all to our great country.


So today we put everything back together and started tackling the giant pile of accumulated laundry.  I am so grateful my parents were able to make the trip down to see us.  While we missed my sister, it was a good chance for my parents to be grandparents - spoil the baby with clothing, toys and sugar.  Sneak in cuddles and steal kisses.  And snap almost 900 pictures, thanks Mom.  I have the best parents ever and by default they rock at being grandparents too.


Hope everyone else had an amazing AND SAFE Memorial Day weekend - and I hope you also remembered those who have sacrificed so deeply.



always,
amanda