Charleston, SC

Kaden gets center stage and shows us a few of his moves during the concert @ children's museum
Keith & Kaden heading aboard the USS Yorktown in Patriot's Point

Kaden & Kendall shop @ the children's museum

Keith & Kendall @ Jestine's Kitchen

Fountain @ Freshfields Village

Enjoying Ice Cream Cones @ Ben and Jerry's in Isle of Palms

Myself w/ Kaden & Kendall strolling on Isle of Palms Beach after dinner

The last week in May after my birthday was spent in our favorite vacation spot... Charleston, SC. We visit at least three times a year and the city is always surprising us. We find something new to enjoy each and every time... whether its a new beach, restaurant, hotel, golf, attraction or shopping. Our plan was to stay at the Sanctuary in Kiawah Island, but with Kendall's ear infection and high fever we had to leave a couple days later than originally planned and didn't want to do the beach with her not feeling 100% so we stayed in the city at the Renaissance. I think it is the 6th or 7th hotel we have tried out (still looking for the perfect place to lay our heads in Charleston :) The hotel was ok, but the pool was a little disappointing.
We revisited the Children's museum on Ann St., which has a tiny kids grocery store that was a hit for both Kaden and Kendall this time. Kaden also loves the hands on kid size shrimp boat. We even took in a kid friendly folk concert in the museum's garden this visit.
Also a must for me every visit is to get in a little bit of shopping on the world renowned King Street. It is the perfect mix of shops both unique and name brand....love it! I usually start out at Bruegger's Bagels( 347 King) for a quick bite in the morning and then its off to the shops before it gets too crowded.
We just so happened to be in town during the Spoleto festival once again, which is an annual art festival held in Charleston. So one afternoon I packed up the kids and visited the arts and crafts section in Marion Square. I purchased a beautiful photograph of iron work to hang in my red and black bathroom and some too cute hair bows for Kendall.
We tried a couple of new restaurants this visit. Two establishments will definitely be on our must stop list from now on.

Jim N Nicks BBQ: After a long day of shopping it is the perfect place to stop in for lunch or dinner. Located at 288 King Street. The BBQ Pork Sandwich melted in my mouth! Jestine's Kitchen: Down home southern vegetables and fried chicken. I will forever remember the pineapple bread pudding for dessert. Keith said the shrimp poboy wasn't half bad either. (side note: If there is fried shrimp or shrimp poboy on the menu that is what Keith will order EVERY time) Jestine's is located at 251 Meeting Street, but also keep in mind that during the week you can also try Jestine's Sweet Shop which is just around corner at 54 Wentworth. Good stop for a pastry as you head out in the morning or to refuel w/ sweets as I like to do.

New shopping: Southern Belles in Mt. Pleasant. I will go so far as to say this is the absolute best children's clothing store I have ever stepped into....and this speaks volumes as I love to shop for my kids and HAVE TO stop at every kids clothing boutique that I see! They were having a huge sale so I stocked up on some baby Zutano for Kendall and my new favorite brand for Kaden, Vineyard Vines. I bought him the cutest pair of pink seersucker shorts to wear for Kendall's birthday.
Attraction: Keith and Kaden loved visiting the USS Yorktown (aircraft carrier) & USS Clamagore (submarine) at Patriot's Point in Mt. Pleasant . We tried to take the tour boat from the aquarium wharf to visit Ft. Sumter and Patriot's Point but had just missed the last boat of the day...good thing seeing it was like a 3 hour boat ride...Kendall would have lost her mind! It was a little too hot and too much military history for Kendall and I. But it was well worth the look of awe on Kaden's face to suffer through the heat and boredom on my part!

We drove over to the Isle of Palms on Saturday night and went for dinner at Coconut Joe's (1120 Ocean Blvd). It is your typical beachy restaurant, but we have visited several times and their tropical wrap and cold margarita always does the trick if you can stand the crowds in season and the drunks on the rooftop :) After dinner we took the kids for a stroll on the beach and then to Ben & Jerry's for ice cream. It was the perfect way to enjoy the last night of our trip.

Next time we visit we will definitely be staying at the beach in Kiawah Island. Mainly b/c we couldn't get our deposit back and have to use it within a year or forfeit it!!! In preparation for our next visit the kids and I took a drive down to Freshfields Village on Sunday,which is located right where John's, Seabrook and Kiawah Island meet. It is the most charming cove of shops, almost like a little old fashioned town. We can't wait to revisit Indigo Books (very kid friendly book store) and Vincent's Drug Store for an old fashioned malt and grilled cheese...yummy!