Oatmeal Picasso

Amelia inherited her daddy's artistic talent. You have to love a girl who isn't afraid to get messy!

Attack of the GIANT Caterpillar

Ashley...Take a trip to Charleston vicariously.

In an attempt to escape the cool winter temps, we drove south to Charleston, South Carolina and Savannah Georgia. The effort was futile, however, as we only had one day of sun. We still had a blast seeing the sights while we dodged the rain puddles and froze our tushies off.

After arriving in Charleston, the first stop was the USS Yorktown, a WWII aircraft carrier.

We enjoyed weaving through the underbelly of this massive ship, that is until Amelia decided she wanted to help daddy take pictures with his new digital camera he got for Christmas. In her excitement she knocked it right out of his hands and it fell through the metal catwalk and down into the depths of the ship. Amelia seemed very pleased with herself. She has no idea how much backed allowance she owes us! Although a few smiles and a little sweet babbling should do the trick for Paul to erase this off her record. Luckily we had another camera to use.

We also had the chance to climb inside this submarine. I am pretty sure I would go crazy soon after submerging. It was very cramped. Paul also came to the conclusion that he would not be hired by the Navy. He is much to tall.

Our next stop was Fort Sumter. We had chilly ferry ride over to the man-made island where the fort stands. On the ride we were able to see a pod of dolphins swimming along. I tell you, dolphins are not easy to photograph.

After a frigid first day, we were happy to wake up to clear skies and warm air the next morning. We took advantage of the warmth and spent the day walking around downtown Charleston.

We visited the history museum and the aquarium (p.s.-- unless you've never seen an aquarium before, it's not worth the admission fee).

Like most of our winter excursions, we really wish we could see Charleston in the spring or summer, but we loved the city nonetheless.

Our next stop was Savannah, Georgia. This is definitely a city to visit in the spring, but it still had a Southern charm that cant be beat.

From cobblestone streets on the river front, to quirky art galleries, to moss-covered trees in manicured squares, Savannah did not disappoint. It didn't hurt to sit down to a meal at Paula Deen's famous Lady and Son's restaurant. I think we ate a weeks worth of calories, but the food was delicious. For you westerners, let me tell you that there is such a thing as delicious grits.

Well we came away from our trip south with an appreciation for architecture, soul food, and dolphins. Hopefully some day we can go back when the air is thick and the flowers are blooming.