Charleston, SC

In February, we took a family vacation to Charleston, SC.  Every February during residency, David and I have taken a vacation to somewhere a little warmer.  Two years ago it was to Sedona, AZ; and last year it was to Tulum, Mexico.  Both years we left Eliana with her grandparents for our vacation.  This year we attempted a FAMILY vacation with both kids along for the trip.  Vacation with little ones makes for a not very relaxing vacation.  Eliana and William both got sick a few days before the trip with a cough.  William ended up with a double ear infection and was on an antibiotic which gave him diarrhea and a diaper rash.  Neither child slept very well.  We decided to drive the 10.5 hrs to Charleston, and Eliana is notoriously bad at long car rides.  As I mentioned in a previous post, on the day we left for vacation, we got our nanny's two week notice.  Needless to say after two days of "vacation" I was ready to go home and never leave the house again.  However, we stuck it out (mostly because to return home meant another 10 hr drive - otherwise I seriously might have just turned around and gone home).  I'm so glad we did because we ended up having a really nice trip.  We visited my cousin Amy and her husband Neil in Charleston.  They were such great hosts!  Not only were they willing to open up their home to us and the craziness it is to have two little ones running around; but they also cooked us some amazing meals and traveled around Charleston with us, showing us the sights and sharing the history of this beautiful city.  The first day in Charleston we went to the Children's Museum.  Eliana had a great time!  We spent most of the day there which really tired her out.  She ended up falling asleep in the stroller in the early afternoon, which was perfect, because then David and I could walk around a little and explore places such as the City Market.  The next day we went back to downtown Charleston along with my cousin Amy for a horse and carriage tour of the historic parts of the city.  Eliana was really excited about the horse, but quickly lost interest in the tour.  Luckily we had enough food packed with us to keep her occupied for the hour long tour.  It was a really nice time and we got to see some beautiful old buildings!  There is so much history in that old city that we could have easily spent two weeks there and not seen everything.  The carriage ride was a nice way to get a little overview of the city.  After that we went to the beach.  Our trip was during that time in February when the Arctic air stream was coming down from Canada and setting record lows all across the country.  So our attempt at a warm vacation was not so successful.  Despite the cold, I insisted on treating this trip like a warm weather vacation.  I didn't pack a winter coat, I wore crop pants and sandals, and gosh darn it, I was going to the beach!  That Saturday was the warmest day at 50 some degrees, but the wind on the beach was brutal.  We didn't last there very long.  But Eliana loved it!! She was running all over the place laughing and having fun.  William really did not like the beach.  I think sand was blowing in his eyes and he was really cold.

It was really pretty out and sunny, but cold!

Eliana really wanted to build a sand castle, but it was way too windy.  Plus, we didn't want to go down to the wet sand by the water.

Family vacation 2015!

  While the kids and I went back to Amy and Neil's to relax, David went on some long runs.  He said the 40-50 degree weather is just right for running because you don't get so hot. 

The next day we went to mass with Amy, and then went to Charleston Aquarium with both Amy and Neil.  This was a real highlight of the trip!  Both kids really enjoyed the Aquarium.  William loved looking at the fish swim around and around.  There were lots of things for Eliana to do like a play place, a toy boat, and a touch tank. 

The aquarium had a great view of the harbor and bridge.  Eliana is with Amy.

Not excited about being outside.

I'm still refusing to wear a coat.

Neil and his buddy

The first fish tank we saw.  Eliana was captivated!

William with Neil.  He loved it!

Whoa, check out that eel!

Checking William's wing span

The kids in an eagle's nest.

 Overall, I would say this was a very successful vacation.  Not quite as warm and as relaxing as Mexico, but at least we were together as a family.  Our trip home went a little better than the trip out, mostly because we changed Eliana's carseat to forward facing and let her watch DVDs in the van.  We were hoping to make the drive back in one day, driving into the night while the kids slept, but we get hit with a winter storm and 17in of snow in the mountains of Virginia.  After one more night in a hotel, we made it home safe and sound.  My biggest thanks go out to Amy and Neil for being great hosts and for making our vacation such a success!