Matthaidess Wanderlust: Charleston Vacation

Well...I've finally decided to sit down and write about our trip to Charleston, South Carolina. We had a ton of fun. So...I'd better start because I've downloaded a ton of pictures!

During our stay in Charleston, Ed took take to Fort Moultrie while I stayed behind in our hotel room. Oh, I must say that I LOVED our hotel room. For anyone who may go to Charleston for vacation, make sure that you bookmark The Restoration on King. It had a full kitchen and a place where I could wash and dry clothes, which is needed with two small children. It was fabulous!

We also decided to tour The Citadel.

Tate had a great time running around on the grounds.

Why is it that their floors in the barracks have a checkered pattern?

We also spent an afternoon on The Battery. Tate loved running around.

While I sat with Colt and watched Tate and Ed play (I also had to feed Colt while we were on The Battery).

We also visited Fort Sumter. Fort Sumter is on an island and we had to take a boat to it in order to tour it.

While we were on the boat, I decided to channel Colt by wearing his sunglasses.

Tate, on the other hand, decided to be adventurous and trapped himself between two tables. And yes, he's crying in this picture, but being his parent, I found this to be hilarious. And yes, he was "saved" in the end.

Here's Tate inspecting a cannon -- he did that often on our trip.

Here's our family picture out by the fort.

This is what Colt thought about the fort.

Here's a view of Charleston from Fort Sumter. Quite impressive. I really like this picture.

Colt woke up and we looked outside while we rode back from Fort Sumter.

Here's Tate and I walking along in Charleston. He loves pushing the stroller around.

While we were in Charleston, we visited the only tea plantation in the US, the Charleston Tea Plantation. It was very interesting. Did you know that black, green, and oolong tea come from the same tea plant? The only difference between the three is the amount of time the leaf oxidizes.

Tate loved shopping at the tea plantation. Haha! He loved getting a basket and loading it up with the tea boxes.

Colt even found the tea plantation to be interesting. And yes, he stayed awake for this tour (unlike the fort tour -- haha!).

Still at the plantation, getting ready for our trolley tour.

Tate enjoyed the tour as well.

Tate and Colt at the plantation waiting to get their diapers changed. I like to try to change their diapers at the same time so that I'm not constantly having to wash my hands -- Diaper changing can make your hands so dry!

Here we are taking a pedicab to our nice dinner at McCrady's where the chef is a James Beard Award Winner. The kids are in the pedicab as well, but Ed could only fit us into the picture.

Of course at the restaurant, Tate decided to eat only bread. Oh, and he also decided that he wanted to leave OFTEN. Ed or I had to run after him OFTEN. Good thing we ate near the bar or else we would've been buying dinner for everyone in the dining room. It was so frustrating, but the food was excellent.

I included this picture because Ed really liked it. Lately, Colt has figured out how to exposed his feet while still being in the swaddle.

I love Colt's new sunglasses! People thought that he was hilarious and they were surprised that he kept them on. Of course, he doesn't have the coordination to take them off yet.

We went to the South Carolina Aquarium on Charleston Harbor where Tate was trapped in the shark cage.

For some reason, the scuba diver really freaked Tate out. When Tate saw him, he started to cry uncontrollably and we had to leave in order for him to calm down.

Here's the aftermath. You can still see the tears. Oh, I forgot to add earlier in the post -- Tate decided it would be in his best interest to get his two-year molars during our trip. So...his hands were in his mouth A LOT. Fortunately, he's a trooper and was only cranky from time to time (usually when he was most tired).