Family First - Family Fun

It was so great to have family in town. The one thing we don't like about South Carolina is that we're so far from family. Having them here for a week was a complete blast. Baylie was especially excited to have Lauryn and Clara here to play with. She loves them so much. We had a lot of fun whether we were jumping on trampolines, touring a plantation, hitting the beach, headed to the zoo or just laying around doing nothing. It was really sad to have them go.

The night before the baptism, the girls had relaxing pedicures while I did Baylie's hair.

The divas had matching t-shirts for three different days. This was a favorite.

After the baptism, Baylie opened her presents.

Lauryn fell in love with Artic, Baylie's present from the Ross family.

Baylie was very excited to get a real American Girl doll - Cécile from New Orleans.

Next we headed to Hi-Wire trampoline park. It's a favorite. Cameron spent most of his time shooting hoops.

Clara hung around.

Baylie mastered her back flips.

So did her daddy.

Lauryn prepped for American Ninja Warrior.

Jalen got a new perspective.

Lauryn swung a bit.

David got stuck in the foam pit.

Jalen took a flying leap.

That night we had dinner at Texas Roadhouse. The kids had their own table.

On Monday, we headed to Charleston. My mom and Tiff wanted to see a plantation and we went to Magnolia - my favorite. It's a beautiful place.

It is known for it's peacocks and beautiful gardens.

There were sweet grass baskets for sale. I'm glad I got one 15 years ago when they were affordable. Now they're crazy expensive.

Magnolia has a petting zoo. The kids would have stayed there all day if we let them.

The gardens at Magnolia are beautiful year round. They are peaceful and wild.

The Ashley River runs by the property and was a major transportation and shipping route from the port of Charleston. It was also important in the Revolutionary and Civil wars.

At one time, the marshes were rice patties.

Pictures can't really show the vibrancy of color.

Baby Caiman

Bamboo forest

I love this big white bridge and the way it reflects on the water. It's like a puzzle.

Lilies

It wasn't green, but it was still beautiful.

Spanish moss was everywhere.

Porch on the plantation.

Plantation home.

The huge oaks are amazing. You can read more about the plantation here.

After Magnolia, we headed to Isle of Palms - our favorite beach. It was freezing cold, but the kids still had fun.

Grandad got some sand and water for his collection. (He has sand and water from all over the world.)

Baylie was the biggest fish of them all. She was in the water almost the entire time and we had to make her get out.

Jalen gave up pretty quickly. He bundled up and tried to get warm.

Beach architects.

Clara didn't feel good most of the trip and was freezing at the beach.

Cameron decided to feed the birds. We ended up getting swarmed. The kids loved having the seagulls eat right from their hands.

Baylie spent a lot of time doing cartwheels into the waves.

Grammy kept the sun off her face with a huge sun bonnet.

My under-the-dock selfie.

Afterwards, we ate at a beach side restaurant. It was a perfect day.

On Tuesday, Grammy and Grandad flew back to Utah. They returned to 28 degrees and snow. (Bet they missed South Carolina!) The rest of us headed to the zoo.

Cameron spent most of his time feeding the lorakeets. He's a bird fanatic.

Everyone got to hold the birds.

We got to feed the giraffes. (This is my favorite thing about our zoo.)

Jalen made sure his hands were thoroughly sanitized.

We also fed the new alpaca.

Some of the kids are almost too big to ride the ponies, but thankfully they were all still okay this trip.

Riding the rails.

Jalen threw one of his fits and Aunt Tiffy bribed him out of it with cotton candy. (Aunt Tiffy is nicer than Mommy...)

Baylie made it to the top of the rock wall (so did Clara).

Galapagos tortoises are HUGE.

On Wednesday, the Jennings headed back home, which was really sad for all of us. We wish we got to see family more often, but we are so glad that we were able to spend so much time together. We are counting the days until the family reunion in June.