Beach Trip Photos

Ready for a recount of our beach trip according to my phone? Which is essentially only pictures of my children. This is why you read my blog, right??

^^Not a beach pic. And it's blurry. But he's so cute.^^

We Shufflers come alive at the beach. And in the mountains. Don't be fooled - I am not outdoorsy, but I like to be in these places. Sitting. Watching. 

Ana Claire had just about the best time a two-year-old can have. So much ice cream. A constant wet bathing suit. A non-existent bedtime. Driving the golf cart with daddy. And so many cousins to play with.

And little Mac just relaxed and enjoyed many LONG naps that he is unable to take at home with his sister's busy library-storytime-music-class-playdates schedule.

We are refreshed and happy to have had some much-needed quality time together and with extended family. 

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Snapshots from the Beach

Sun, sand, and pimiento cheese can do wonders for the soul. We are back from a short but lovely trip to the beach in South Carolina and we are ready to go back! Here are some snapshots from our weekend (see how big Mac has gotten??):

Our trailer park is situated on a canal and at dusk, the egrets swoop in and settle into the trees for the night. It's quite the sight and a great excuse to get out for a post-dinner walk. This evening, AC was already in pajamas but that didn't stop us:

"Look, Tibi! A BIRD!!!" Tibi is Carter's mom. In the real world she is known as Janet. She makes the World's Best Pimiento Cheese TM.

We are relaxed and ready to get our summer going...here's to counting down the 8ish weeks until we're back at the beach for a whole week.

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Shuffler Lowcountry Boil

Every year, right around my birthday, we host what we like to think of as our signature event as a family - the Shuffler Lowcountry Boil. It's always mid-late October so the weather is usually perfect for being out the in the backyard with great food, drinks, a fire pit, family and friends.

This year we marked our 6th Lowcountry Boil and my friend Crystal brought her camera! And when Crystal has her camera there are delightful results so I have some fun pictures to share of this year's event.

The spread of goodies and disposable tableware:

All photos by Crystal Downs

The cook (Carter does all the cooking! It's great!):

The main event - shrimp, potatoes, sausage and corn boiled up with some Old Bay and served with cornbread and cocktail sauce:

My friend Lauren has a bounce house. And Ana Claire can't get enough of it:

More Ana Claire, in her smocked scarecrow suit:

Lots of adorable children:

And, finally, Paige (Crystal's daughter) and Ana Claire eating cupcakes:

These little nuggets have known each other since Day 1:

They were born one week apart. I can't take the cuteness.

A hearty thanks to Carter who pulls the majority of this event off! This year was one of the best yet...hope you enjoyed the pictures!

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It's a...

Break out the baby bow ties and mini seersucker blazers, we're having a boy!

Now, let me tell you I'm good at knowing these things. Or maybe I've just been on the right side of my 50% odds each time...but with Ana Claire I knew it was a girl. I didn't need any ultrasounds to confirm it - pink lamps were bought a couple weeks after I found out I was pregnant.

This little guy did have me guessing for a week or two but almost immediately, my radar flipped to boy. Carter's did too. And I'm a big believer in the universe giving you signs and, boy (no pun intended), were there signs. Like this little balloon left over from a baby shower at work that KEPT FOLLOWING ME. It would bounce around the office and always end up under my desk.

So finding out was fun for the confirmation factor...and we are just tickled that our family will now have a little boy. I'm so curious to know how Baby Boy Shuffler will be different from his sister. And how they will be alike.

This is such a lovely adventure...

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A Weekend with Friends

On the list of things that I cherish most, my girlfriends are quite high. These women build me up, make me laugh, give me advice, educate me and tell me when I need lipstick. They are magical creatures.

As busy lives go, we rarely get a chance to travel together but this past 4th of July weekend, we made it happen. Kids and husbands included.

My girls - Katie, Katie, Katy, Lauren, Julianne. Did you catch all the Katies? We were down two, Michele and Tyler, that we sorely missed...we are a tight group of 8. All Wahoos.

Thursday afternoon, we packed our bags and headed to the mountains of western Virginia...a tiny place called Millboro where the views are stunning. We rented a bananas beautiful house that was nestled in the most stunning of locations and just...relaxed.

We took in lots of views:

We woke to the mountain sunlight hitting our golden locks:

We ate A LOT:

We took lots of selfies:

We even made a quick visit to The Homestead which was about 30 minutes from where we were staying:

^^ How most pictures turn out ^^

We had a great time making some wonderful memories that none of us will soon forget. Here's to celebrating friendship and spending quality time with those you love.

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