January 9, 2010 at 10:30 pm (Family Time, Graham, Greenville, Out and About, Surae)
Graham and Surae were lucky enough to be invited to a birthday party at the Children’s Museum of the Upstate a month or so ago. The museum opened up this summer, but we had not gone yet. Part of this was due to our busy lives, but part of this was also due to the fact that I wasn’t sure it would be worth the $48 it would cost to get all 4 of us through the door ($12 per person 2 and up). Boy was I wrong! It is a steep price for a museum, but the kids had an amazing time. We were there for over 4 hours and could have easily stayed longer, so for an experience that is going to last that long, the price didn’t seem quite so bad. There is so much to do there and so much to learn as well. The set up is great and there were plenty of things that kept both 3-year-old Surae and 5-year-old Graham engaged. They definitely were not ready to go when we left. The museum has mostly regular exhibits, but also rotating special exhibits. The birthday party we were at started in one of these special exhibits which was a walk through various fairy tales. The kids were able to dress up as the characters in the fairy tales and interact in the scenes. They loved that. I mean what little girl doesn’t want to sit in Cinderella’s coach?
The main exhibits are really well thought out. Highlights for the kids included the market area where they could buy their own groceries and check each other out:
A place where you can create all types of music. Michael of course loved that one as well. Graham even got to play the theremin.
A place to make your own stop motion movies and to become a tv anchor for the day:
A place to race cars:
And a place to rock climb:
There are even lots of things that are fun for parents to do as well like milking cows!
Overall, we were super impressed with the Children’s Museum of the Upstate. It kept the kids engaged the entire time and they are already asking about going back. Graham was actually able to go back thanks to his Nana and Poppy. He loved it all over again. We will all be back soon I hope!
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January 9, 2010 at 9:57 pm (Family Time, Graham, Holidays, Surae)
We had a fabulous Christmas!! Graham and Surae have to be 2 of the luckiest kids on the planet. They got everything they wanted and more from Santa and their grandparents. Our living room was overflowing with toys. It was a great day and we are truly such a lucky family!!
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December 19, 2009 at 4:56 pm (Family Time, Graham, Holidays, Surae)
Graham and Surae are extremely excited about Christmas. 5 and 3 are great ages to really get into all the joy and wonder of this time of year. We have been having fun lately riding the merry-go-round downtown, going to the Festival of Trees with our FCC friends, decorating the tree, and visiting Santa. Good times!
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November 30, 2009 at 1:50 am (Family Time, Holidays)
Happy Thanksgiving everyone! We had a great day and the kids had a blast playing together as always. There are now 8 kids on the Lewis side of the family, so holiday gatherings are never dull. They are all so close in age that they really do enjoy being together and it is so much fun watching them all grow and change. I am certainly thankful for my amazing family.
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November 8, 2009 at 4:57 pm (Birthdays, Surae)
Surae turned 3 on October 27. This was the day before we brought her home 2 years ago. Hard to believe we have had our sweet, funny, independent little girl home for that long. In the past 2 years, she has grown from a quiet, shy Surae to a little girl who bursts with humor and spunk. We are so in love! Happy Birthday Sweet Surae.
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November 4, 2009 at 7:50 pm (Camping, Family, Family Time, Graham, Pop Up Camper, Road Trips, Surae, Vacations, Weddings)
Michael’s cousin Tish recently got married in St. Simon’s Island which gave us a wonderful opportunity to visit Jekyll Island. Jekyll is a barrier island off the coast of Georgia and is only about 7 miles long and 1 1/2 miles wide. There are biking trails all around the island, so we spent a lot of time biking which was great. You can bike along the ocean, marsh, and in the historic district. We got there Thursday afternoon after about a 6 hour drive from Greenville. The campground is fairly packed in and nothing too great, but nice enough for being able to stay right across from the beach. There are live oaks throughout the campground and the bathrooms were some of the cleanest I have ever seen at a campground, so that’s always a bonus!
We spent Friday on the beach and biking around town. The biking really was fantastic. It would be great if every town had so many biking trails that get you everywhere you need to go without ever having to get in a car. The beaches were really beautiful too. We went to some sections that were covered in some of the biggest pieces of driftwood that I had ever seen. The kids loved climbing on them.
At night, we went to eat at Crabdaddy’s Seafood Grill with Michael’s parents. It was absolutely delicious!
On Saturday, we biked again back into the historic district. The historic district houses the Jekyll Island Club Hotel which was built in 1886. It seriously feels like one has entered lifestyles of the rich and famous when you step foot in this area with old men and women dressed in white playing croquet on the manicured lawn. Ridiculous! It’s a gorgeous area though and you do get the sense that you have stepped back in time.
The historic district also houses the new Sea Turtle Center where they were having a Halloween Party. It was lots of fun and we got to see all of the sea turtles that were being rehabilitated.
Saturday night, we went to the wedding in St. Simon’s Island. The ceremony was held overlooking the ocean and it was really breathtaking- beautiful weather, gorgeous bride, so fun! Graham and Surae had a blast at their first real wedding. It was a great night.
We headed back home on Sunday with everyone exhausted from a busy few days. We definitely plan on returning and experiencing even more of the region next time.
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October 31, 2009 at 12:24 pm (Camping, Family Time, Graham, Music, Out and About, Pop Up Camper, Road Trips, Surae, Vacations)
The Lewis family has been having a really, really busy month of October. We’ve been squeezing in quite a bit of fall camping which has been so fun. In mid October, we made our annual pilgrimage to the LEAF Festival in Black Mt, NC. Boy, were we happy to have that pop-up! It was a cold, cold weekend, but luckily fairly rain free. We arrived on Thursday and were actually able to get electricity in the camping lot, so we had lights and heat all weekend. The Weiser’s camped right next to us in their pop-up, so we had a great set up with both of our pop-ups and Halloween lights and decorations strung about the site.
Musical highlights of the weekend were the Secret B Sides in the barn. They are out of Asheville and super funky. They played Friday night and the barn tuned into a huge dance party. It was so fun. The Cowboy Junkies played Saturday night and that was incredible. I spent many a night in college listening to the Cowboy Junkies, so this was a serious treat for me. The lead singer’s voice was perfectly heart wrenching. Great show! And then on Sunday, Arrested Development played again. They played at the last Fall LEAF and it was certainly my favorite at that fest and they did not disappoint. Their energy is amazing and that was another huge dance party. So fun!
Graham also sold at the Kid’s Village for the first time this year since he is now 5. Michael came up with the idea for him to make record bowls which was a great idea since they are easy to make and we were able to get the records for free. He sold them for $5 a piece to start and then marked them down to $3 on Sunday. They were a big LEAF hit and he ended up making about $150! He doesn’t really even have any concept of how much money he made, but he was able to buy several ice creams at the fest for he and Surae.
The kids both had a great time as always. They both marched in the kid’s parade on Saturday which is always a blast.
LEAF has become part of our family tradition and one that everyone looks forward to and I am sure we will be back in the Spring!
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September 19, 2009 at 5:08 pm (Camping, Family Time, Graham, Pop Up Camper, Road Trips, Surae, Vacations)
Over Labor Day weekend, the family took a trip to Edisto State Park. My dad and Michael’s brother’s family joined us, so we had a big group which was so fun! This was our first time camping at Edisto, but it will not be our last. We booked kind of late and ended up in the Live Oak area instead of the beach camping area. I was worried about bugs, but they really weren’t bad at all. The Live Oak area is really gorgeous and the shading helps so much with the midday heat. The campsite bordered the marsh area and Graham loved getting in there looking for crabs and covering himself in pluff mud. The camping area is also connected with all of the biking trails, so that was convenient. The biking trails are wonderful and easy for kids to ride on. The peace that overcomes you riding past live oaks and over marsh boardwalks is something to experience. Even though I had a long week at work and was very stressed when I left town, riding my bike through those trails really helped to alleviate all of my worries!
When we arrived into town, we had lunch at McConkey’s Jungle Shack and it was delicious!! Michael and I split a fish tacos and homemade fries and it was more than enough food.
http://www.goedisto.com/restaurants/mcconkeysjungleshack.html
Once at camp, Michael immediately set out fixing up the camp and hanging up our ever growing collection of party lights. It is a sight to see at night!
The next day, everyone else arrived and we all hit the beach. The kids love the beach and they had a great time swimming and building sand castles. That night, we all feasted on seafood from Flower’s Market in Edisto. We had lobster tails, scallops, and red snapper. Yum!
On Saturday, we all decided to check out Botany Bay, a newly opened nature preserve in Edisto.
“The centuries-old farm is a vista of hardwoods and pine stands, crop fields, salt marshes, hummock islands and a maritime forest beach with its own “boneyard” — a ghost forest of dead trees in the frothy surf. The spread includes a three-mile motor tour trail past 19th-century brick and tabby structures, 20 more miles of trails for hiking, biking, birding and horseback riding, fishing ponds and a “throw” launch into Osceola Creek for paddle-powered boats.” http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2008/jul/18/almost_magical47916/
It is an amazing beach. I don’t think I have ever seen so many shells in one spot and I love the trees coming out of the water. So beautiful!
As always, Edisto was an amazing time. The kids all had a great time together which was awesome! I really do love the SC Coast and feel so lucky to be able to drive to such an incredible place in just a few hours. Can’t wait to go back. Luckily, I have one more trip to Edisto and then a trip to the GA coast before winter.
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August 30, 2009 at 9:26 pm (Graham, School)
Graham started 5K at Pelham Rd Elementary. He’s had a great couple of weeks and seems to like it so far. Keeping our fingers crossed that he has a good year. He is already starting to read, so we are very excited!
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August 30, 2009 at 3:53 pm (Camping, Family Time, Graham, Out and About, Pop Up Camper, Surae)
A few weeks ago, the family took another camping trip to Table Rock. The weather was great and the kids had a blast as always. They love the new pop up and it sure makes camping easier and more comfortable. Napping is no longer a battle as they can nap in total comfort in an air conditioned bed. Graham is now riding a 2 wheeled bike and way too over confident on it. It’s scary! The boy who was too scared to go down small hills now wants to fly down them. He met some other kids around the campground and biked around with them quite a bit.
Surae got a stroller for doing such a great job using the potty lately and she loves it. She hasn’t replaced her pocket book, but now likes to let the pocket book ride in the stroller. Too funny!
My dad and Roni came up on Friday night to camp with us too. The kids were so excited to see them and Graham immediately asked if he could stay with them instead. He is spoiled by his Pop Pop!! Roni had a birthday coming up the next day, so we all celebrated together. Michael made a super dinner!!
Surae was my little hiking buddy for the weekend. We hiked some of the Table Rock trail and she kept up wonderfully. She loves the outdoors!
It was a great weekend and another super pop up camping experience!
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