charleston :: april 2018

warning: photo overload. 

We took another trip to Charleston over Cade's Spring Break (see last year's Charleston trip HERE) just a few days after my mom's birthday (April 3rd). My mom was born at Roper Hospital  in Charleston and lived there for the first ten years of her life while my granddad worked at the Navy shipyard. It's always fun showing the kids where Grami grew up and listening to all of her stories. 

The trip was also so our niece Macy could have another checkup at MUSC for her port wine stain birthmark on her arm. 

You know I never need an excuse to go to Charleston. I'm there. It was a fun girls trip (plus the kiddos) that was much needed. 

After checking into Hyatt House on King (our favorite place to stay because you can walk most places and it's so easy to get in and out of, plus nice big rooms for families) we made our way to Tacoboy for dinner. 

I mean how. cute. is. my. sister. She's wearing the "Mama, Madre" tee from Sugar. Nope, not maternity, she just went a size or two up. She really looks like she's smuggling a basketball under that tee. The cutest!!!

quick drive down the Battery at sunset...nothing finer...

The next morning we loaded up the strollers and walked a couple blocks to take the kids to the Children's Museum of the Lowcountry. It's just down the street from the William Aiken house which is a beautiful shade of yellow, hence these fun pics...

the kids LOVED the museum. It's smaller than our Greenville one, for sure...so don't go if you're claustrophobic and can't take hundreds of screaming kids running around. HA It wasn't TOO terribly crowded when we were there. The kids loved the grocery store area the best and the castle part. There's lots to do outside too!

can you tell Cade was excited? and he's six! I'd say fun for ages 1-8 or so for sure...

Macy is a future retail diva...

After the museum, we knew we wanted a late brunch at Hominy Grill (they serve breakfast until 3pm) so we began our walk. On the way the boys were ecstatic to see a big ol' REAL firetruck backing into the fire department. We had to stop to wait and let them back in and as we passed by the front of the fire department, Cade of course started waving and the firemen waved back and asked if he wanted to come and see the inside of the firetruck. 

Y'all. I wish you could have seen that kid's face...well continue on looking through these pics...

He. was. beside. himself. 

This quick sit and blow of the horn in the real firetruck quickly trumped the excitement of the children's museum, hands down. HAHA Well for the boys anyways...

Such fun! 

the walk was gorgeous, you go right by Sugar...Candy Shop Vintage...all sorts of fun shops. The weather was absolutely PERFECT too.

Finally we arrived at Hominy Grill and after a bit of a wait (which was made so much nicer by Bloody Mary's out in the courtyard) we made our way inside. Starving, to say the least. 

We had fried green tomatoes for an app (OHMYGAHHHH) and then I decided to go for the gusto and get The Big Nasty. Fried chicken in a biscuit smothered in sausage gravy. I mean, just from the description you KNOW that ish is going to be good. And it was! SO. GOOD.

Macy loved it so much too! My sister got this adorable Rainbow Row smocked dress from Kids on King last year!

After brunch around 1pm me and the boys came back for naps and then around 4pm we went over to the Battery again to walk around and take some pics of new inventory for Sugar! After all that we went out to James Island to that Charleston Crab House location since it was less busy to make reservations and we finally got Grami her crab legs. This woman looooves some crab legs! That's all she asked for her birthday. We love spoiling this woman because she certainly spoils us. 

Needless to say we were stuffed after our full day of eating. We'd like to think we walked it off some though...;) **right**

The next morning we checked out of the hotel and made our way to Magnolia Gardens & Plantation on the way home. It's just a 15 minute ride outside of Charleston and soooo worth stopping by if you ever get the chance. There's a fee to get in and another $8 for the tram nature tour or boat nature tour but all very well worth...even with kids...they loved!

I mean...it's just absolutely gorgeous. A little slice of heaven on earth. We just couldn't get over it!

The kids loved seeing all of the animals (you can pet and feed them too!) 

clearly, Macy was thrilled...

We did the tram ride nature tour all around the property where the tour guide gave a ton of SC history. Cade LOVED. There's so many alligators, turtles, blue herons...and again, the perfect 70 degree day!

Tt really was a fun trip full of good food, good weather and good memories. The happiest days spent with our Grami and spent with cousins before we add one more, baby Mack, to the crew very very soon!