Cousin Chris-- The Graduate!

We had great reason to celebrate this weekend!  Cousin Chris graduated with a degree in elementary education.  He's going to be a great elementary school teacher or special educator, but we are going to miss having him around.  It's been so fun to have him around for the past four years.  The kids have basically grown up seeing him fairly regularly.

Since tickets to the main event were limited, we watched from an auditorium nearby:

But the kids didn't quite make it through the 2 hour and 45 minute ceremony, so they took a break to bike, but made it back right when the sun came out and the ceremony was ending:

His family was really proud of him and we were so excited to see everyone!

We'll miss you Chris, but we know you'll make a difference wherever you end up.

And one of the benefits of having a big family event, was getting to spend time with Nana and Grandpa.  Even if for only one night, the kids LOVED having them around.

Newly Inducted Outing Club Members!

Membership has it's privileges!  At this years Outing Club Awards Ceremony, Cally and Hazen got wood cookies with official acknowledgement of their membership to the Outing Club.

They weren't really sure what to think about the whole acknowledgement at first, but now that they have their "plaques" in their room, they are pretty excited about being a part of such a great group of "big kids".

Sun, Sand, Fun, and Family- Hilton Head Part II

We couldn't have asked for more ideal weather for our vacation.  Everyday after Easter the skies were clear and the temperatures were perfect.  We had a lot of beach time:

 

                                          

The beauty of this beach house is that the beach is a baseball throw from the beach, so if you forget something or need to check on a napper, it's just right there:

 

We took bike trips to get ice cream and search for alligator:

We played board games and dominos:

The kids stayed up too late, watching movies and adventuring outside to play with glow in the dark necklaces and sparklers and hear stories about Eight Claws:

 

We even got to spend a morning at Sherry & George's pool:

We held Alligators and snakes:

 

 

We celebrated Zoe Macalister Walker's big 7th Birthday!

We spent quality time with Bumpa & Grandma:

We did art projects:

We played with smoking "snakes"

We spent more time at the beach:

We rode bikes:

We went hunting for shark's teeth:

But mostly, we bonded with family.  There really isn't anything better than the relationships we have with our family.  It wasn't always easy.  The Abbott kids stayed up too late and were sleep deprived and whiney, but they loved being with their cousins.  We loved being with cousins and aunts and uncles and parents and brothers and sisters.  Big meals came together every night.  Bellies were filled, wine was imbibed, and stories were told.  

 

None of this would have been possible without all the behind-the-scenes work from Sherry and George.  Everything from renting bikes, to getting guest passes, to researching activities and supplying the house with pails, shovels, towels, books, puzzles, and more.  It really was a perfect vacation!  Exactly what this family needed!

Easter and Hilton Head Part 1

The anticipation was high for our trip to Hilton Head this year.  We hadn't been in three years, but the kids have seen pictures of past trips.  We purchased flights back in the summer and the kids talked up the plane ride, seeing cousins, spending time at the beach, etc. for months.

We got the 6am flight out of Burlington to Atlanta.  That means that we had to wake up at 4am and leave the house by 4:30.  The kids were great little travelers and the kids even got to sit in the cockpit after Hazen introduced himself to the pilot.

And the best part about leaving so early, is that we arrived at Savannah airport by 10:30 am and were on the beach by noon. It was a gloomy day, but the kids were still fired up to get out on the beach in the spitting drizzle.  And Cal was very fired up for me to take a picture of her (and her cousin) in front of a palm tree:

Uncle George had talked up how great this beach is for teaching kids how to ride a two wheeler.  He was right!  Cally was peddling on her own within minutes of trying!

After that monumental accomplishment, Aunt Sherry organized egg decorating:

The mother of the three lovely ladies on the left, my Grandma Isabel, started the tradition of getting cousins together for weeks at a time over years throughout our childhood.  The relationships she nurtured have sustained themselves over time and this year we had 25 relatives together!

Sunday also started out gloomy, but that didn't stop the Easter Bunny from visiting!

The cloudiness didn't stop these cats from playing at the beach and swimming in the ocean: