Magnolia Plantation or On the Various Uses of a Garden Path

The second weekend in April, we spent a day in the gardens at Magnolia Plantation. These are the oldest unrestored gardens in the country; some parts of the gardens are over 325 years old. (Owen actually would have been happy spending all of his time in the admission line, where he met dozens of new friends. He is very friendly.) Before we entered the gardens, Owen had his first encounter with a peacock. This peacock, it seemed, had jumped the petting zoo fence and was exploring life on the outside. He was at some points practically touching us, and I was going crazy over it. This photo perfectly captures Owen's reaction:
Meh.

Owen loved the gardens. He liked walking the paths (read: trying to eat every piece of gravel he could get his hands on) and finding the small signs that explained what things were (read: pretending to read them before trying to pull them out of the ground). The azaleas were all in bloom:
There were dozens of picturesque bridges that looked like they were straight out of a Japanese woodblock. Here are Bill, Owen, and Bruno crossing one such bridge.
***FOR ANYONE WHO IS EASILY GROSSED OUT, STOP READING NOW. THE END.***

You might wonder how Bruno fared at the gardens. He was tickled pink to be invited along on the family outing, but let's just say he didn't put his best foot forward. And by "didn't put his best foot forward," I mean that two days prior he had "gotten into the trash" and, as a result, right in the middle of these beautiful, historic gardens, he suddenly "vomited" all over the path. Bill and Bruno were up ahead when this "happened," and Owen and I were studying something near the edge of the pond, when all of a sudden I heard Bill call out, "LAR, I NEED YOU TO PLEASE COME HERE NOW," in the way that meant trouble was afoot. I picked up Owen and caught up with Bill, who handed me Bruno's leash and began to quickly "take care of the situation." (My gratuitous use of quotes is assisting me in sparing you the gory details. Just know that every item in quotations is a drastic euphemism.)

When all was said and done and no evidence remained and I continued to be overcome with both horror and laughter, I asked Bill incredulously, "Did anyone see that happen?"

Bill: "Yeah, this guy was standing right next to us."

Me: "Did he say anything?!? I mean, what did he do??"

Bill: "Nothing. He didn't say anything. I don't think they really cover that one in Emily Post."

THE END for real this time.

Inaugural Easter Egg Hunt

Easter weekend brought Owen's first Easter Egg hunt, and the torch was officially passed. Owen inherited the Hunt Family Easter Egg basket, which has been used by Dad, Marcia, me, and Alex (spacing children between 8 to 10 years apart helps with this tradition). And I inherited the honorable position of Easter egg hider. I thought of Papa (my Papa, Norman Hunt) the whole time and about all the Easter eggs he hid for me in all the best places. Some easy; some hard.

We started with an easy one:
And we worked up to the harder ones (yellow egg, bottom right-hand corner):
Bruno helped Owen to gather all of his eggs:
Owen took numerous egg inventories:
Considering Easter: "Let me get this straight...a BUNNY brings EGGS? Weird."
Further consideration:
Happy day! (And many thanks to Pooh and PapaRuss for the Easter eggs!)

Made by Hand

A surprise package came in the mail a few weeks ago addressed to Owen. It was from my Uncle Kenneth, and this is what was inside:
A truck and two race cars. That he MADE. BY HAND. I was blown away.

They have become some of Owen's favorite toys. Indeed, Owen was already a truck and car enthusiast, but these toys are especially fun to play with because they are so beautifully crafted.
Note the drool-soaked shirt in the photo above...the poor thing had FOUR molars come in all at once. But some fun new toys seemed to take the edge right off...

Thank you, sweet Uncle Kenneth! xoxo

Hands Up

With the sky getting ready to open up and getting darker by the minute, Jean and Owen and I took our chances and ventured out onto the Pitt Street Pier.

Getting ready to rain? Wave your hands in the air like you just don't care...

Old Times, New Times

Before our little boys joined us in this life, we enjoyed many years of being young, coupled, and carefree twenty-somethings with our dear friends Seth and Anne. We would spend as much time as possible together cooking delicious dinners, mixing cocktails, playing Euchre, learning to scuba dive, going to the movies, taking trips, making fabulously witty and ironic remarks, celebrating New Year's Eves, celebrating each other's birthdays and engagements and weddings, and, in general, celebrating and enjoying and inspiring and consoling and entertaining one another. In 2006, we got puppies. And in 2008, we had babies. And while Owen and Daniel bring immeasurable joy to our lives and all that (Bruno and Stanley, you bring us joy, too. Most of the time.), they REALLY put a damper on our time together.

So, in mid-March, when Seth, Anne, and Daniel made their maiden voyage to Charleston, we welcomed them with open arms and full hearts. The old gang was back together! And with two more (very charming, very smart, and very easy on the eyes) members to boot.

On Friday, we took Owen and Daniel to the South Carolina Aquarium. All the sea life is interesting and all, but the concrete stairs outside the aquarium are TO DIE FOR:
This gentleman was loitering outside the Aquarium:
Sweet family:
On Saturday, we ventured out to Sullivan's Island. Just like his mama, here is Owen's permanent mood while at the beach:
Owen and Daniel contemplating tidal patterns (actually, I think Daniel was contemplating tidal patterns and Owen was contemplating going for a swim):Contemplating one another (these two are thinkers, I tell you):
Hugs!:
The views are best enjoyed from on high:
Dada, you are HYSTERICAL!:
Just like old times:
The very best new times:
Love you, friends. Please come again soon.

Fair-Weather Friends (a.k.a. Cracker Diggers)

In early March, Mom, Owen, and I got in the car and headed out to Folly Beach to put our feet in the sand. After running around on the beach for a while, Owen was ready for a snack.

It all started with one cracker. And one seagull, who just HAPPENED to land nearby during Owen's leisurely consumption of said cracker:
Two other seagulls ALSO HAPPENED to land nearby soon after the first. We were so delighted! Hey, look Owen! Seagulls!
Several more landed, and we still weren't sure exactly what was going on...is there food somewhere? we wondered...
Food: check. Right in Owen's hot little hand. Those seagulls are VERY PERCEPTIVE. This photo is taken shortly after the company-wide memo was sent out: "SHORELINE: 10AM. CRACKER! CRACKER! CRACKER!"
Mom thought we should share the crackers so she crushed a few up and offered them to the masses. Then all the seagulls' long-lost relatives and casual acquaintances came out of the woodwork to join in the fun.
Once the crackers were polished off, the seagulls hung around chatting us up, waiting for another course. They were just as niiiice as you please. A little pushy maybe, but turning on every ounce of charm they could muster.
Then they started to get huffy. Owen did an excellent job diffusing the palpable tension in the air. He calmly explained that there were only a few crackers left and that he planned to eat the rest for his snack (and by "explained," I mean that he walked toward the seagulls saying, "Ma!").
Finally, one seagull said, "Let's blow this joint," and another one was like, "Yeah, man, this place is SO five minutes ago," and then they all took off. Just like that. And there we were again, just how we started.
Cracker-digging seagulls may come and go, but family is forever.

Cousins

Megan and Monty came to spend the weekend with us in mid-February (I am a little behind on posting), and, as usual, we made sure that Owen and Monty were wearing contrasting colors at all times:
(Kidding. We can barely both get showered and out of the house, which is why it's so much fun being together because WHO CARES. We'll be dirty and late, but TOGETHER and having fun always.)

Here are the two cousins:
And here is sweet Aunt Megan reading Owen a story:
And here is Monty:
And then here is Monty climbing into the toy cabinet (sweet as sugar one moment and mischievous in the next, just like his mom):
Piled onto the swing at Waterfront Park:
Smiles all around:
Prior to this visit, Owen had decided that he was done with sippy cups. Done. But then he saw Monty's blue and orange sippy cup and decided it had to be his. With the perseverance of Sisyphus, he coveted it all weekend and finally secured his object of desire. He then proceeded to drink about 10 cups of water out of sheer delight (his diapers could not keep up). Here he is tickled pink about his conquest (all of this is very UNlike his mom - I have no idea where he gets this kind of behavior):
Despite my protests, Megan didn't have the heart to reclaim Monty's sippy cup, so it is now Owen's. Thank you for a hydrating, pants-wetting good time.

At the Playground with Aunt Jean

"At the playground, you know / That's where I saw this cutie / This girl was swinging / And she looked so fly

On the monkey bars / We climbed up to the top / And she touched my hand / That's when I fell in love"

p.s. If you're not familiar with Another Bad Creation, then...well...that needs to be dealt with. Check out Iesha. Stat.