Skytop 2021
We were excited to take our annual trip up to Skytop to pick apples this year. We took advantage of Ava’s fall break and went on a Monday morning. It was amazingly not crowded at all when we got there, which was so nice. We had heard that the orchards didn’t have as many apples this year due to a late freeze in the spring so we prepped the girls on the fact that we may not be able to pick apples. Well, we decided to get our donuts first thing and while we were waiting in line for them to open up we watched an employee erase the chalkboard that had info about pick your own apples. A few minutes later, a lady came to the board and started writing a note that u-pick was closed for the season. Thankfully, they had plenty of apples in the fruit stand so we were able to enjoy our donuts, apple cider and bring home a big bag of Pink Lady apples. We also enjoyed playing on the playground, walking around the orchard, going through the bamboo forest and seeing the animals. We especially loved the gorgeous peacocks. It was a fun day in the mountains!
Biltmore Visit
Fall is always a super busy time for me with portrait sessions. So, on our last free weekend before the busy season started, we decided to go to Biltmore for the day. We stayed in the winery area and the girls loved playing on the playground, seeing the stickworks maze, checking out the animals and watching a sheepdog demonstration. It was a fun day away together before my Saturdays are booked with portrait sessions.
A Girls’ Night Away
Tiffany and I planned a fun girls’ night away for us and our big girls. We took Ava and Grace to Charlotte for the night and spent 2 days shopping and enjoying time together. We met up at the Southpark Mall for lunch and then spent a couple hours in the American Girl store. Then we walked around the mall and let the girls shop (and of course the moms had to pick some stores to check out as well). We sent a picture to the dads of the girls in front of Tiffany’s saying we were taking them for a fun shopping experience…they didn’t appreciate that. We enjoyed supper at Cheesecake Factory before heading to our hotel for a fun surprise for the girls. Thanks to DJ’s hotel points, we were able to book the special American Girl package for them complete with beds and robes for the dolls to take home, robes for the girls to use while there, special hot pink linens, cookies and strawberry milk, and breakfast the next morning. They were in shock when they walked in and saw the goodies! The next day, we had breakfast at the hotel, let the girls play in the hotel pool and then spent a few hours (mainly for the moms) at Ikea. It was such a fun couple of days with our girls!
Summer Camps 2021
This summer was our first summer venturing into summer camps. Both girls did 2 camps each over the summer. Both of their camps were local, no overnights yet, and they both had a blast.
Ava did 2 different art camps at Christ Church Episcopal School. The first one was a beach themed art camp and the second one was a magic themed art camp. She loved her camps and came home with lots of really awesome crafts. We were super proud of her for going to a brand new school where she didn’t know anyone and being super brave. She even made friends each week and loved it. Unfortunately, I do not have any pictures of her time at camp.
Zoe did 2 different dance camps at her dance studio. The first one was a Princess themed camp and the second one was a Moana themed camp. At the end of each camp, they did little performances for the parents and she did great. They danced every day and made fun crafts but Zoe’s favorite part was snack time. This was Zoe’s first time being away from us for 3 hours (other than with a grandmother babysitter) and she did so well! I do have some pictures from Zoe’s camps, thanks to the studio, so you can see our cute little dancer!
Charleston - Day 4
We ended our beach vacation on Ava’s birthday. Unfortunately, most of her birthday was spent in the car riding home. But, we made the most of our chances to celebrate her that day. We started with a special breakfast in downtown Charleston. Ava got to enjoy some yummy pancakes for her birthday. Then, we walked a different route back to the battery and got to see some more amazing houses. We walked back along the water and said our goodbyes to this gorgeous city. Once we got home, we celebrated the birthday girl with her presents. It was such a special trip to FINALLY be back at the beach as a family, to let Zoe FINALLY see the ocean and collect as many shells as she wanted and to celebrate our big 9 year old!
Charleston - Day 2
Our 2nd day in Charleston involved a morning spent at the beach and an afternoon spent in downtown Charleston. The girls played in the sand and water and hunted for shells for hours! Ava couldn’t wait to splash in the waves. Zoe was a little hesitant but finally came out and loved it! That is, until we took her out a little farther and she had a wave crash in her face. She was done with the water after that. But, walking along the beach collecting as many shells as she wanted was a huge hit!
After we cleaned up at the hotel, we headed into downtown Charleston. We walked to the pineapple fountain park and then to the market. It was definitely a different experience going to the market with the girls and explaining the history to them. Zoe isn’t old enough to understand the significance of the Market but Ava does. It is eye opening to look at that historical place through the eyes of a brown skinned person and realize how significant it is to her history. The girls loved shopping in the market and checking out all the amazing items. Of course, they each left with a sweetgrass rose…can’t go to Charleston without getting one of those. It was a fun day together!
Charleston - Day 1
We FINALLY made it to the beach!! Zoe’s dream of seeing the beach finally came true this summer! I realized after the fact, that the last time we were at the beach was the first week of April 2017…when Zoe was born and we didn’t even know it! We spent 4 days in Charleston/Mt. Pleasant/Isle of Palms in July. We timed this trip to be there for Ava’s birthday, which ended up being a super fun way to celebrate her birthday.
They were calling for rain the day we were arriving (thanks to Hurricane Elsa) so we made plans to head straight to the aquarium. The girls really enjoyed the aquarium and seeing the sea turtle hospital. Once we finished there, we headed to our hotel to check in and eat supper. After supper, we surprised the girls and headed to the beach to walk around and let Zoe see the ocean for the very first time. We thought we’d just walk along the sand and put our toes in the water…but as you can see from the pictures the girls (especially Zoe) had different ideas. Zoe ended up completely soaked but it was worth it to see the joy on her face!
Spring Break 2021 - Day 2
We took it easy this morning and then headed to one of my favorite spots for a picnic…Greenbrier. My family would always come to this exact spot (and I was always upset if it wasn’t available) for picnics. It was so nice because it was never crowded and had plenty of area to play in the water. I was so excited when I walked up to it from the parking lot and saw it empty. We spent the morning here enjoying our lunch, playing in the creek (although it was super cold) and collecting rocks (mostly Zoe).
That afternoon, we headed to Pigeon Forge for gem mining. The girls were super excited about this adventure because they both love collecting gems and crystals. They had a blast mining and it was fun to go to another place I went as a kid with my friends, Betsy and Katie, who we always camped with. I told the girls about the time that our dads tricked us all by sneaking fools gold into our buckets and made us all believe we found gold.
