Grandma B and Bart Do Charleston!

We were so lucky to have my parents come spend a week with us! We decided to pack as much into our week as possible to give them a taste of the south and to fully experience Charleston!  Of course a decent trip to Charleston starts out with a trip down Market Street!  Mom found a beautiful doily and Dad ended up purchasing a sweetgrass basket.

It's August people, so you know the humidity and the heat are at a MAX! This fountain was the perfect spot to cool off! Sydney went in full force!  Nora was right at home stripping all her clothes off! She really does just run around undressed most days!

Of course we visited Rainbow Row!!

Our next adventure was a trip to Kiawah Beach and we stopped at the famous Angel Oak on the way down.  This tree is so incredible: It's the largest Live Oak tree in North America (if not the whole world) dating at least 400 and up to 1500+ years old.  Standing at 66.5 feet and a trunk circumference of 28 feet!  The branches produce shade that covers 17,200 square feet and it's longest branch measures at 187 feet long. The tree is so incredible!  This picture doesn't even do it any justice!

Mike and I took Mom and Dad out to Blossom for a delicious seafood dinner as a thank you for Dad doing our tax return.  Charleston comes alive at night and it was fun to walk around after dinner and check out Market Street again. 

The main reason for their visit was to be here for Carter's Priesthood Ordination.  I'm so glad they could be here and support Carter and be part of his special day.  Our whole family (minus Nora) spoke in church so it was nice they could be there for that as well. 

The birthday boy gets his birthday present!  A sweet gun from Grandma B and Bart!  Here Dad is giving Carter the safety 101 talk. And then a lesson on tying a proper Double Windsor.

Carter is excited about his new scriptures!

Nora had Bart wrapped around her little finger! Whether it was shoulder rides or exploring trees, these two were peas in a pod.

My BEAUTIFUL mama!

Visiting Drayton Hall Plantation.  We toured this lovely home and got to see it's fine Georgian-Palladian architecture.  This home survived the American Revolution, the Civil War, the earthquake of 1886 (that destroyed many of the other prominent plantation homes here in Charleston) Hurricane Hugo,and still stands today!  We also visited Boone Hall, another plantation, but forgot the camera that day! Boone Hall had a lot of the slave history--it was interesting to visit some of the original slave homes built on these old plantations and learn how they lived--it really boggles my mind that slavery is part of America's history.  I can't even imagine living in that time period. 

I love taking our guests on a bike ride over the Ravenel bridge from Mount Pleasant into downtown Charleston!  I'd never done it with Nora and it was a lot tougher of a ride up the bridge with a passenger! We made it after stopping quite a bit to snap pictures!

Finished lunch at the Fleet Landing and then ready to ride our bikes back across the bridge. Nora was a champ! Loved to ring her little bell at people as we'd pass by.

This might be my favorite picture of their whole visit.  This just captures how cute and fun my parents are.--riding bikes on a busy bridge and stealing a smooch. I love it!

One morning we had a nice kayak ride on the Ashley River.  Mom and I saw a huge gator!  It had been on the bank and we heard it splash into the water ahead of us and we just caught it's tail end going in.  I thought it would stay submerged and that would be the last we'd see of it, but then it surfaced and swam right in front of us across the river! Mom was brave and paddled our kayak really close before he sank back down! He's hard to see in the is picture, but right above mom's hand there's a dark spot before the reeds and that's his head!

One of many game nights! We played LOTS of Tri-ominos, Apples to Apples and Yahtzee!

Come back soon mom and dad!!! We have so much fun when you are here!

fun with family in the summatime

It was seriously Dejavu from last summer!  Sarah and kids got to visit both years and it's so fun to see Nora and Jane together at 4 and 2 months, and 16 and 14 months.  Adorbs! Pics on the left are from 2012, pics on the right are from 2013... all the way down.

Trampoline slumberparties are the best!

The babes... These little cuties were peas in a pod.  Wish they got to hang out more often!

Best friend cousins!

We missed Max this year, but Leatham and Weston got to visit! What fun little boys we have in the family!

Happy in the crib, and not so happy in the crib.

Loving some hammock time.  We missed Clare this year!  And Parker in his classic attire.

Sydney and Grace 2012 and 2013--It was fun to listen to these girls play the piano together, play with their American Girl dolls, paint nails, put on skits, and just giggle!

And would you look who's going on a mission!  Yay Parker! Parker is heading to Toreon, Mexico and he leaves August 7.  It was so lovely to go through the temple with him and have most of the family there.  Parker is going to be a Stellar missionary and I am so proud of him and excited for him.

And a visit to the Dunn's house wouldn't be complete without a little pool-time

Snoqualmie Falls in 2012 and Spot-It for Dayyzzz in 2013

Group shot: 2012 at Snoqualmie Falls, 2013 at the Seattle Temple.

Just goofing around...as usual

I love seeing how much these little beauties have in common.

Ok, these two pics have no similarities whatsoever: Blue Angels in 2012 and Megan and I modeling our long locks, matching shirts and firm buttocks... :)