Family Vacation

Since 7:00 AM is prime playtime at our house, I have become an even more avid fan of Good Morning America in the past 6 months.  As much as I love the show though, their recent series on "Staycations" has annoyed me -- not because I have anything against having fun at home, but because the term "Staycation" grates on my nerves.

That said, Jason, Charlie and I had the best Staycation ever this weekend!  We had originally hoped to spend the long weekend in El Paso for Charlie's first visit to Grandma and Grandpa's house, but my ongoing job uncertainty made the investment a bit irresponsible right now.  Next, we talked about boating up the Cooper River and splitting a cabin on the lake with some friends, but when that didn't pan out we had a 3 day weekend with seas too large for off-shore fishing and no plans!

At first we didn't know what to do, but slowly the days and evenings filled up with the most relaxing and fun activities I could imagine.

We kicked off Friday night with dinner at home with our friends Chris & Sophie.  They're little boy, Calvin, is 14 months older than Charlie, so we were able to swap tales and hear about all sorts of upcoming adventures we can expect -- plus we shared some out-of-this world chocolate-raspberry cupcakes.

Due to poor planning on Jason's and my part, Saturday morning ended up being just the 4 of us on the boat -- and it was so much fun!  We ran up the Cooper River until the GPS map ended (come to find out we were only 6 miles from the lake) and slowly boated back home.  Charlie & Otis loved the day on the water, and I even remembered to bring our lunch (unlike last weekend).  That evening, after Goodnight Moon, prayers and kisses, Jason and I shared a fabulous steak dinner on the porch.

Sunday we went to church, swung by KFC to pick up lunch, and headed back to the water, this time with Chad, Corrisa and Vicki (no Otis -- he was still recovering from Saturday's trip).   We headed out through the Wappoo Cut and anchored at a sandbar where Charlie went skinny dipping for the first time!

Two boat trips by the Peninsula put me in the mood for an afternoon downtown, so I convinced Jason that Monday would be the perfect day to head into Charleston.  After a fabulous lunch at the new Taco Boy, we parked on King Street and explored all our favorite haunts, including of course Ye Olde Ice Cream Shoppe.  Charlie has yet to try rice cereal, but he loves vanilla icecream with strawberry swirls.

Next we took Charlie to Waterfront park for the first time where Mom made him cry when I sprayed him in the eye by putting his feet in the fountain (oops!), and Dad saved him just in time when we thought it would be a great idea to get a picture of him sitting by himself on the swing (oops again!).  Luckily, our Charlie is a very solid and very forgiving little boy. 

Finally, we capped off our weekend with a fabulous dinner at Basil with Chad & Corrisa, whom we'd run into between shops.

I honestly can't imagine a more perfect weekend with my boys, so while the term is still grating, I have to say that GMA is on the right track with their "Staycations".

The good life...

     Such a sweet little tushy....

The fountain in the background...

 The perfect vacation picture...