Hula Hooping Island Fun

Mia won the hula (or is it hoola?) hooping contest on Kiawah Island. I had no idea she was so good! She can even do 2 at a time. In this video she was attempting 3 at a time. Love it! Especially since I was never a good hula hooper...

Boat Ride in Charleston

Two nights ago we enjoyed a high speed boat tour around Charleston and it's surrounding islands. It was so much fun. It was our group (Curt, me, the kids, Curt's sister and nephew) plus some other friends. Here are photos from our journey upon the Thriller boat.

Curt with Ali at the dock where we departed.

Our group on the boat.


2 sights. Morris Island Lighthouse and Fort Sumter.

Mia and T would love to drive the Thriller boat.

More of our group...

Friends at the Beach

My dear, dear friend Kerry drove up to Kiawah Island from Tampa, FL to visit with us for 4 nights. We all had a great time. The kids so enjoyed each other's company. Here's a snap of 2 of her 3 plus our trio on one of the boardwalks...

Lollipop, Lollipop....

For those of you that know Ali and Mia know they both have a sweet tooth. Much more than anyone else in our family. Mia's tooth is the sweetest but Ali is a close 2nd.

In the beautiful Sanctuary Hotel on Kiawah Island, there is a great ice cream shop called Beaches and Cream. We often walked up the beach for some as it was only a 15 min walk from where we were staying. For days the girls eyed these giant lollipops until one day I just gave in. They made great props for some snaps but the girls barely made a dent in them as they were so gigantic... and messy!

WARNING ... this is what you will look like afterwards. Not only was it in her hair but the salt in the air seemed to cling to her. It took about 2 days of bathing before she resumed to her normal cuteness...

Fun at the Pool

I have definitely been a slack blogger since being in the US. We are having so much fun and with so many visitors all the time, getting on the computer to blog is not something I have enough time for. Had to post this fun photo from the pool yesterday. We are still on Kiawah Island but the kids needed a break from the beach. It was fine by us! We decided to do shoulders and chicken fights so here I am with our trio, Terence, Mia and Ali and then our great friends Riley and his sister, Keira. They've been with us since Sunday along with our friends Agnes, Dennis and Margaret. Everyone leaves today - boo hoo... And then we head up north on Saturday - double boo hoo.

This photo was taken at the Sandcastle pool on Kiawah Island. The best thing to come out of this day was that I met a very nice lady who heard we lived in Europe. Dottie and I got to talking as she told me her grandchildren (twin 7 yr old boy / girl) also live in Europe. When I found out more, I found out they are in Paris with their American dad and French mom and they spend 4 weeks every summer in Kiawah!!! Bravo. T and Mia will now have good friends to play with, do tennis camp with, etc next year. And, they can all practice their Francais! Dottie was equally excited so we exchanged contact details.

While we've been here Terence and Mia have been working with a French tudor 2 - 3 days per week. This week they had off as Corinne returned to work (she's a French teacher) and we are surrounded by lots and lots of friends. It was very helpful and she was very good and very strict with them. It seems cruel to not let them have fun during the summer but since we don't speak French and they aren't hearing much of it this summer, it is important. They also worked a lot on their reading, writing and math so I was very happy that their brains' power is not fading in the sun!

Gone Fishing

Yesterday Curt went out and purchased some fishing rods as he thought it was time to take the kids fishing. About 2 years ago he took T but a baby alligator kept stealing their bate in one of the lagoons. This time he thought it was time to try the ocean and see if they had better luck.

We thought it was best to wait until a quiet time on the beach so we went for an early dinner and went out afterwards at about 7pm.

I took quite a few snaps for you to look through. It was a perfect evening!

Ali and I were the spectators. I brought out a good book, The Help, so read, took snaps and sipped on my white wine while Curt fished with T and Mia.

Then suddenly Curt screamed my name! T had caught his first fish only 15 mins after we started!!! It was so exciting! The few people on the beach ran over to see the big fish that he pulled out of the ocean... It's a good thing as Curt had trouble pulling the hook out of the fish. We wanted to throw him back as we had already eaten dinner! T was so disappointed. He wanted to take it home and have me cook it. I'll admit I am an adventurous cook but cleaning a freshly caught fish is still something I haven't yet attempted. Nor, do I plan to anytime soon! Around here there are tons of local fisherman selling already cleaned and filleted fish... Next time maybe we'll take T's catch over. Then, I'll cook him up for dinner.

Can anyone tell me what kind of fish this is?

And the video of it all in action! Look how excited T is!

Mia never managed to catch anything but here she patiently waited by her pole.

Then, T caught a 2nd fish. Much smaller but still a thrill. He reeled it in all by himself.

After each fish he went and sat by himself in one of our chairs. I finally asked him what he was thinking about. I asked him if he was sad that we didn't keep the fish to cook up. He answered, "No. Not really." thought a bit longer and then answered, "I'm just thinking about how that fish felt when it was out of the water. He probably feels like I do when I am under water." He's always such a deep thinker...

3 Kids on the Beach

This was taken last week when we were walking down the beach (they are on the dunes here) to get ice cream at the Sanctuary Hotel. It's very, very difficult to get a photo of the 3 of them all posing (ie looking at the camera, eyes open, not making silly faces, etc). So, I have to share it as I like it!

Fun Ali videos

Okay - I must admit that Ali's recent progress with swimming has amazed me. At year 1 she had no fear and swam with arm bands on her own. However, at year 2 she developed a fear and I remember spending last summer with her digging her finger nails into my neck and squeezing to hold on every time we got into the pool.

I wasn't sure what to expect this summer as the few times throughout the winter / spring when we swam she wasn't very keen to let go of me - even with her arm bands on. Our summer began with her clinging on again but within a couple of weeks she not only let go, but took off her arm bands and pretty much taught herself to swim! It's very cool. She dives into the waves at the beach and in the pool she is just tall enough to stand in the 3 foot shallow end. Yesterday while we were there she demonstrated swimming and even managed to... well, swim! Sometimes she pretended to swim but her feet didn't leave the ground. This time she swam on her front and back! And she even did the shark swim - kicking and her hands together making a fin above her head... It was fantastic... We are so excited and even happier that she decided to do this completely on her own and without any pushing. It makes mom and dad's lives much easier without her finger nails in our neck and shoulders!

2 Kiawah Videos

Okay - we are having way too much fun... I have had no time to blog as we are non-stop on Kiawah Island. This week we have Curt's family and there are 14 of us swimming, biking, playing tennis, playing in the sand, eating out, etc.

Anyhow, here are 2 great - and very different - videos that I took this week. I will get the photos and more videos up next week when some of our guests leave and I have a bit more down time.

This first one is of our recent bike ride with the kids and Curt's brother, Jerry. Mia, in her fast wild manner, tried overtaking Terence on the bike path and their pedals knocked into each other and she fell over. Her fall wasn't so bad but she did land on her hands and scratch them up pretty well. She was too injured to ride her bike the couple miles back so my superhero hubby took her bike and put it on his handle bars while she rode on the back of his bike (there's a rack there). While riding behind them I got a very shaky video as it was so funny. Everyone who passed us just laughed or shouted out something funny as it is certainly not something you see every day.

Some of the storms here are just amazing. None of them last very long but they are great to watch. This was last night while I was making dinner (shrimp and scallops). It was unbelievable! It came out of no where and we all sat on our apartment balcony just amazed by it's speed and scariness.

Kiawah Fun

No time to post a long message. Just had to share one photo and an update about our whereabouts. We are now on Kiawah Island where we spend every summer. We've caught up with lots of friends and now have Curt's sister, brother, mom and dad. Tonight his sister Julie, brother-in-law Alan and nephew Dan arrive. Tomorrow their sister Paula arrives. We are having so much fun. The kids went to Camp Kiawah 2 days last week and are scheduled to attend 3 days next week (even Ali). Here is a beach shot right outside our villa.

Ali in the Ocean

Our entire family loves the ocean. We enjoy spending our summers in Kiawah Island, South Carolina for several reasons. 1. It's a private beach so it's not overly crowded and much cleaner and safer than a public beach. 2. It has 10 miles of white sand beaches. 3. The ocean is warm, warm, warm. 4. The ocean is relatively safe. Occasionally when a storm is coming or at high tide the waves may get a bit wild but overall they aren't the kind to knock you down and keep you rolling underwater while you say a little prayer. Also, there aren't any hidden dips or valleys under the water for the kids to fall into while walking out. 5. It has fantastic bike paths all over for us to go on long rides with the kids. 6. Camp Kiawah. The kids cannot get enough. Even when friends and family come they still want to go for the day. It's an all-American camp where they learn camp songs, go on treasure and scavenger hunts, tie dye, play tug of war, etc. 7. The food. Great seafood (we especially love the crab cakes). 8. Our favorite restaurant Cassique. 9. A fab spot for catching up with all of our loved ones.

I'll slowly catch you all up on our recent summer holiday photos in Kiawah.

This first set are of little Ali who is not as courageous as she was last summer at the age of 1 1/2 but she did love the sand and playing in the shallow area.

Testing out the boogie board with Dad.


This is what she looks like after she gets salt water in her eyes. Not a happy camper.


Her solution: goggles! Much better.

Hula Hoop Girl

Who ever knew that Mia had this secret talent or desire to be a hoola hoop girl?!

As a child, I could never master the hula hoop like any of my girlfriends. It was a big regret of mine as a child and I had always wished I had learned (I never learned to do a cartwheel either, if I must confess). Fortunately, I grew up in a neighborhood with mostly boys around so I was lucky to be good on a skateboard, throwing a football, kicking a ball, hitting the tennis ball, playing baseball, climbing trees, getting dirty, catching bugs, lighting ants on fire with a magnifying glass, cutting worms in half, catching frogs, skinning my knees, and more fun childhood stuff. However, I never could wiggle my hips fast enough or in the right motion to keep that stupid hoop from hitting the ground after only 1 or 2 rotations.

But, whoever said we can't live vicariously through our kids? My 5 year has become a great hula hoop girl! Who would have thought? I've never even bought her a hula hoop thinking she had the same twist defect as me. Well, she doesn't!

On Kiawah Island in South Carolina at the Wednesday night carnival night, the band laid out hula hoops all over the ground for the kids to twist around to the beat of their music. It was a great idea and Mia got right into it. Fortunately, after 3 weeks and 3 Wednesdays of hula hooping to the band, she became a real pro.

I captured the photos on our first Wednesday night to show you how persistent she was at mastering the skill. I was so proud!







Leave it to Terence to take it to the next level.

Wind in the Hair

I just love this shot of Ali on the beach one evening.

Beach Photos on Kiawah Island

Our Kiawah Island trip is coming to an end and we are all so bummed. However, 3 weeks at the beach filled with loved ones visiting the entire time has been wonderful and fulfilling.

Just wanted to share a few photos with you from our favorite beach. I'm just procrastinating from packing. The big dreaded moment after spreading out all over this house for the last 3 weeks.



I can't believe I got all 3 to sit still for a few snaps.





I love this one below. They were all relaxing and laying down until a small wave came and rolled over them.

Ali's Developments

I really have to find a way to get some conversations with Ali on video. She is incredible and developing so quickly! Since being in the UK and now the US for almost 6 weeks, her English has progressed rapidly. She is now very communicative and puts together sentences and is much happier as she is usually able to express herself to all of us. She's still shy (especially if a stranger strikes up a conversation and asks something like, 'what's your name?' or 'how old are you?') but that doesn't bother me. I'd much rather have a shy kid than one that is too chatty as I'd be afraid that she'd just go off with anyone. I love how Ali runs over to me, grabs my leg and often buries her face into me if someone even looks at her for too long!

As of this week, she has officially entered the WHY stage. I was not prepared and thought this was more in the age 3 category but c'est la vie. The 'why' questions are endless! I can't say anything to get her to stop with the 'why' follow up but that's okay. We'll survive.

As of this week, she's also officially dropped one of her most popular words: 'Hol?' This means 'where' in Hungarian and she used to (it still slips in occasionally) use it at the start of every question whether it was 'where', 'how' or 'when'. Today I just heard her say, "Where are the boats?" instead of "Hol a boats?" like she was saying last week. 5 weeks ago she was saying the entire sentence in Hungarian... It's going to take her a couple of weeks to get her mind back into Hungarian but I'm not worried at all. She'll return to Hungarian nursery school shortly after our return.

Her sentences are now up to about 6 or 7 words so we are really enjoying this time. Sometimes the words are in a different order but she always makes sense. And, we have proof that it's not just us understanding as we've had lots of friends and family (about 27 total) visiting us here at the beach and they all seem to understand her too. It's really fun to listen to her and we are always amazed when she says words that we didn't even know she was familiar with like 'helicopter' - however, she did call it a 'helicopter airplane' which was funny!

More about Ali's developments and the others soon. Must run and figure out dinner and finish a bit more online shopping.

Pucker Up

Ali was trying to give me a kiss and had to capture her puckering up. After she puckered, I asked Terence and Mia to do the same for the camera. Terence had trouble doing it while glued to SpongeBob on the TV. He couldn't even peel his eyes away but tried to do a 1/2 puck so I'd move on to something else. Then, there's Mia who is usually very happy to be photographed and also cooperative (as you can see below).




We are still on Kiawah Island but leaving in 3 days (boo hoo). Still have to post pool and beach photos! I've taken a million so it is hard to decide which to share.