South Carolina Trip

Wow! What a trip! Christina & Carter had a fantastic time visiting their southern roots in South Carolina for a whole five days. It was a super special time because all 5 of the Habel girls were able to come out together, as well as our Aunt Cindy, Brooke and Emma, and the two little boys. We were quite the group!

Of course it was Carter's first time on a plane, and he actually did surprising well. He slept mostly on the way over since our plane left around 6 am, and on the way back he was pretty good, but he was a bit of a wiggle worm. That wasn't a big deal when we were all sitting together, but for two legs of the journey we were all separated so we became really friendly with our neighbors. :-)

It was super fun for Sarah and Christina to show off their "twin" boys. Jared and Carter also became pretty good buds by the time we were coming home. Hopefully this trip is the beginning of a strong friendship.

Well, we all know what the best thing is about visiting our relatives in South Carolina, and that is the FOOD!!! We all ate so much delicious, lip-smacking good Southern cooking that we literally grew together...at least by a couple of pound! ;-) The best of the best though is Grandma's spaghetti! That is what was waiting for us as our 3 car caravan pulled into Uncle Jimmy's house. What a perfect welcoming!

Uncle Jimmy's house is beautiful! This is where we enjoyed our vacation. You wish you were there, right?
Jimmy's house sits in a private community on the edge of Edisto lake. Unfortunately we didn't get the time to go out on the boat, but one morning Carter and Christina walked down to see his shiny red boat.

Of course we had to take this special opportunity to take tons of pictures of the "twins".

who is who?

At first glance, it might be hard to tell Jared and Carter apart, but Carter was usually the one crying when someone else held him or he was the one that always had his tongue sticking out!

The tongue thing started because Carter got a cold sore on his lip and tongue. He would just look at people and stick out his tongue, so Grandma thought he needed some of his own medicine. :-)

One thing they both didn't like though was the grass. Too funny!

This is a fun video of the boys crawling together.

Everyday we'd take turns to stay home and be with Grandma. It was a special time for us, and Sarah and Christina took advantage of it on Monday when the rest of the group went to Charleston to tour and play in the ocean. We made Grandma work hard though because we went on a long walk outside.

We loved seeing Carter & Jared with her. She loved them immediately.




The day before we left we packed in everything! First, we went to the mall for lunch with Jimmy's daughter, Erin, and then almost all of us rode the carousel - even Grandma did it.

The ones that Carter got along with the best were half the age of anyone else around! The little boy and girl are Erin's children and they absolutely loved the boys. In the picture, Carter is trying to give him a kiss.
Then after being exhausted after the mall, a group went home to prepare the house and food for the family dinner that night, and then the rest of us when to Congaree Swamp National Park. It was fun! Luckily we are early enough in the season that the mosquitoes were not bad at all.

Unfortunately we didn't have a ton of time so we didn't get to explore everything. One of the walkways was even flooded because there had been a lot of rain, but it was beautiful.

After speed walking back to our cars so that we wouldn't get locked in the park we drove the hour+ back to Jimmy's for a Fish Fry night! It was yummy!! Jimmy made fried fish, shrimp, and catfish stew. The stew was absolutely amazing and Carter loved it as well. We have quite the family group out in South Carolina so it was wonderful to see them all again.

We were even joined by our brother Nathan and his family from Nebraska. Their little Abby is not so little. She loved playing with the boys.

We loved seeing our parents again. They are truly loving the South Carolina life, and staying plenty busy.

It was so wonderful to see Carter with his Great-Grandma Edwards. I know that he won't remember this time together, but I will cherish it always. She has been such a blessing and strength in my life. I was blessed to grow up with her in my home during my high school years. She taught me so many things, and loved me unconditionally. She had a great influence on who I am today and she has left quite the legacy. We love you Grandma!!