Caleidoscope Crandalls: South Carolina in May

At the beginning of May, Daphne and I flew to South Carolina to see Kristen, Abby, Aidan, and Eli. Initially the plan had been to go keep them company as Spencer was deployed, while Dan was away for a military training. Well, the training got cancelled, so Dan spend 10 days as a bachelor at home, but it was sure worth the trip and a great way to use up my vacation before I quit my job!

The flight there was a nightmare- 2 hour flight, layover, 5 hour flight...all with an inconsolable baby with a double ear infection and rude passengers. It left me quite on edge the first few days in South Carolina as well as we neared coming home. I teased Kristen that I might just never leave. I wish I would have been better at shaking off the experience, but all in all, it was a great learning experience for me filled with tiny miracles in between like the sweet grandpa, who I didn't even know, who took turns holding Daphne for me when I just couldn't do it for one more minute. I learned an invaluable lesson from it all, Heavenly Father never leaves us alone. When I thought I couldn't handle it anymore, he always sent an angel my way. Despite the miserable flight there, it was so worth it to have such quality time with Kristen and for Daphne to get to know her Aunt and cousins!

For the most part, we just spent the week living their daily life. Kids had school; Kristen had work. It was nice to just live their life and be there to help break things up for a bit for them while daddy was away. Plus, it was awesome once the kids went to bed and Kristen and I got to sew and chat into the wee hours of the night. Daphne and Eli got to play lots while the the other kiddos were at school.

The week was filled with bubbles....

Shutting "doggie Eli" in his cage

Story-time with Abby

Lots of new obsessions, such as Eli's chair
(she lived in that thing), their doggie, and Eli himself:)

Another obsession: open the sliding glass door,
step out, close it, open it again, step back in,
close it, and repeat for hours on end.

New best friends. Daph enjoyed having a doggie to
feed and well, let's just say Chief was sad to see her go, he had
never had so much table scraps in his life:)

Trying a snow cone for the first time at Abby's softball game

Having fun at the playground with Eli. I had
to chase Daph through this tunnel about a thousand
times to try and catch her before she went down
the slide by herself! What a workout.

We couldn't go to South Carolina without going to my favorite place on earth, a.k.a, the beach. First attempt was a bust! Windy, rainy, etc. Best part of it all though? It made for a memorable experience and all the kids passed out for the two hour drive home.

We brought a picnic lunch. All the kiddos picked out their
favorite types of chips. Aidan was quite proud of himself
that Daphne thought his extreme fire chips were the
best ones there. Unfortunately Kristen's couch got to pay for it
later when Daphne's tummy couldn't handle the chips
Aidan kept on sneaking to her all day ;)

Kristen was awesome enough to make the 2 plus hour drive again back to the beach just so I could feel satisfied and Daphne could really experience it for the first time. We went one morning while the kiddos were at school. We dropped them off at 7:30, drove to the beach with a screaming Daphne and a car-sick Eli, hauled all our gear to the beach, played for less time than it took to drive there, hauled all our gear back to the car, and drove home all in time to pick the kids up from school. It was a whirlwind trip but priceless! Daph loved eating the sand, she shoveled it in and showed no interest in the sandwiches, cookies, and chips we brought for lunch. Apparently, the sand tasted much better.

Kristen and I also took one day and got a babysitter for Eli and Daphne while the kids were in school and went to Charleston to go on a walking tour. I will admit, if I could pick any other time period and type of person to live as, I would be a Southern Belle. Yes, it would be a major adjustment for my "low maintenance- daily pony tail" personality but there is something about the houses, magnolia trees, and the lifestyle in general that makes me a little giddy. That being said, I loved the tour! I wish I lived someplace I could plant a magnolia tree. I fell in love with them when we lived in Louisiana and still dream about having one in my yard to this day.

Church Pews- Kristen and I both agreed our church building
should seriously consider having ones like these. It would sure make
containing Daphne to our row lots easier (because let's be honest,
our social bug finds a way to visit every row within a mile
around us multiple times each Sunday).