Hilton Head & Savannah, GA

With our last free weekend, before Saturday soccer season, we found a good last minute deal to Hilton Head with the intention of taking a day to explore Savannah, GA.

We left for Hilton Head after work on Friday and arrived just before dark. The kids were ready for the beach bright and early the next morning.

The weather was chilly so we mostly played in the sand & searched for shells.

It's amazing how long these little people can be entertained by just sand and water.

The kids insisted we go to the pool but unfortunately it wasn't heated. They considered this a challenge and jumped in anyway.

But not without a hot tub nearby to warm up quickly.

We also did some relaxing back at the condo. The kids were happy playing games and Pokemon. Addy was happy reading her book series and playing with her PHONE to text friends and take pictures.

It wouldn't be vacation if we didn't play at least one game of mini-golf. Addy and Aaron play with Josh and I while Jackson keeps score and Benny scopes out the next hole.

In the evening we made one last visit to the beach and shops.

And here we are the next morning in bed watching TV. Blessed with boys!!!

We left early to go to Savannah. This is the amazing bridge we crossed from South Carolina into Georgia.

1st stop was Fort Pulaski National Monument. The holes in the wall are from cannon balls during battle.

Here's the old jail.

The boys LOVED exploring all the little tunnels and passage ways. There was even a moat and draw bridge leading into the fort.

Here's the gorgeous view of the ocean from the top.

Such a neat place for picture taking. We all agreed this was our favorite site of the trip.

Next stop was the Bonaventure Cemetery. Pretty place but not much to do there.

A quick stop at the iconic fountain in Forsyth Park. A balloon guy made the kids fun balloons.

Then we went downtown and ate lunch at the Mellow Mushroom. Pizza!!! And walked to the art museum.

I wasn't a big fan of this particular art museum and such a bummer that it was expensive too.

We walked down to the river to see the boats.

On our last day in Hilton Head we stopped by one of our favorite places on the way home, Pinckney Island Wildlife Refuge.

Jackson got very stuck in the mud and we didn't even see any alligators! But it was still worth the trip.

Here's Aaron collecting materials for his tiki hut. He didn't bring them home but we did take bamboo and sand dollars with us.

We stopped by Diary Queen for lunch on the way home. Fun. Fun. Fun. Quality time together.

Caesars Head State Park, SC

Josh and I took an adults only hike to see Raven Cliff Falls, a 420 ft series of waterfalls and the largest in South Carolina. The hike to the viewpoint was about 2 miles but the view was way too far away. This picture is zoomed in.

After the viewpoint, we continued to hike the entire 8.5 mile loop to reach a suspension bridge that crosses the top of the falls. Here's the pretty place we stopped for lunch.

This rock wall is called the cathedral, it was dripping after being frozen overnight.

Very neat to see everything covered in a thin layer of ice. We had to watch out for falling icicles!

Near the beginning of the trail this sign was posted.

It was indeed the toughest trail I've ever hiked. Even my hands were dirty after leaning over to brace the ground on the steep parts. Several ladders were installed to help with the trickier spots.

Yay!!! We made it to the suspension bridge.

The mini falls behind us were nice.

It was a very steep drop down the front of the 1st section of the falls. We couldn't see the biggest part though. Josh is determined to go back again and make our own way down to the bottom.

We began our hike on the top of the mountain off in the distance. We could even see the overlook for the falls from here.

Classic. Love being with this guy and thankful we enjoy the same kind of fun.

The hike got LONG by the end. I was ready for some BBQ! We stopped at Daddy Joe's Beach House BBQ & Grill on the way home. The #1 restaurant in Gaffney, SC according to trip advisor. Many thanks to Joyce for watching the kids for us ALL day.

Last week I went with Aaron's class on a field trip to Discovery Place, the science museum uptown. When my child invites me to go I always say YES!

Aaron on a bed of nails.

I was in charge of 4 boys from Aaron's class. Luckily only 1 was a runner.

Fun day had by all. I like going to get to know the parents better.

Rare March snow. Glad they didn't cancel church because of it.

All of the snow was completely melted and the sun was shining a few hours later. Amazing!!!

Our neighbor friends 3 doors down had a party a few weekends ago. The gal in the middle is Lori, one of the hosts.

Here's another neighbor Eric and the oldest son of the hosts, Christian.

The Spence's fancy new wine cellar! It's in their basement and was recently completed.

This is Bob, the other host. He's such an amazing & nice guy. The Spence's also go to our church.

Nathan!!! Our 5th child and their son.

Josh and I spent most of our evening playing pool on this lovely table. It took me the entire weekend to recover from our 2am bedtime.