Happy Birthday, Brett!

No surprise party this year for Brett (fun to think back to though)! But the girls and I did have a few surprises up our sleeves for him. Corinne painted a Happy Birthday sign and the girls decorated it with stickers and pictures, and then we stuck it in the ground in the front yard as a surprise for him when he drove home from work! We also had a sign on the door and balloons on the mailbox...I think it's safe to say the neighbors all knew it was Brett's birthday. We had a great family dinner out at a fun new spot and followed that with ice cream (at a fun old spot). 

Hilton Head 2013

We did Hilton Head with the Schatz side immediately following our vacation on Kiawah Island with my family. We've decided that vacation should be two weeks long every year! However, after 16 days away we were ready to return home. Here's all 18 Schatzes in front of the house we all shared. Always great memories!

Lawton Stables Hilton Head, SC

By these pictures I know it's hard to imagine that we were actually on Hilton Head Island, SC but it's true! We found a place called Lawton Stables on the island and took advantage of a good morning to ride some ponies and pet some animals. Corinne rode a real pony and Ellen opted for the safer version: a quarter operated one!

Christmas in July

 

When there are 10 grand kids sharing a beach house for a week you have enough people to put on the Christmas Story! (Well...almost...until everyone wants to be angels and no one wants to be wise men...enter Brett) Sharon brought costumes and the kids had fun doing their own rendition of the Christmas Story. Too funny. That's Ellen on top as Mary.  Later Brett stepped up to be Joseph when Mary was played by Corinne in another showing.

Beach Bums

We.Love.The.Beach. And now our girls do, too! This year in Kiawah was the first time all three girls really enjoyed playing on the beach. In the past E & S were still kind of tentative about it all, but this year was a huge change and it made for a great vacation. We quickly found a good groove (once the weather started cooperating mid-week!) and spent our mornings on the beach, about 3 hours of jumping waves, playing and digging in the sand, looking for shells and yes, even doing relay races and running on the "track" Brett made in the sand. We made camp each day at one of the large tide pools on the beach (think: glorified puddle/swimming hole that sometimes was waist high for the girls). This equaled the perfect little spot for us. We even met another family who did the same thing and quickly became friends since we shared the same tide pool and of course passed sand toys back and forth! Throw in Aunt Laura and Aunt Marcey (and occasionally Mimi and Mr. Bill) for a little extra fun for the girls and it was the perfect formula for a great time on the beach.

Rain, Rain, Go Away!

This became our chant the first half of the week. We got caught in the rain a few too many times on the beach and holed up under an umbrella for chunks of time while the rain poured.

On one of our rainy days we went to nearby Charleston to the Aquarium and enjoyed a morning looking at all the fish. Of course we got some Southern Bar-B-Que for lunch afterwards. Charleston is such a beautiful southern city!

July 4th

We were in Kiawah on July 4th so there was a huge family friendly celebration on the island and a (very small) parade to kick off the festivities. We took the kids and they got to make some crafts and play some fun games. C was eager to get her face painted and E & S were content just to get some tattoos. It was hot! But I'll choose the heat over rain. Apparently Cincinnati was nothing but wet on July 4th.

Entertainment

Not great pictures, but you get the idea. We went to a show geared for kids & families one evening...a guy who sings crazy songs and gets kids to dance. I think "Kazoobie" was somehow in the name of the show and kazoos were definitely involved (but it all seemed a little silly to me). Corinne finally got Ellen to go up in front with her and dance just before it was time for the show to end.

Kiawah Island Beach Vacation 2013

Stay tuned for more photos. But here is a start, at least! The girls rode in the wagon to the beach each day across the boardwalk pictured above (Sophie in purple stripes, E in pink). Corinne loved riding her bike to and from the beach. One of my favorite things about Kiawah is how peaceful and quiet it is--deliberately protected from commercialization and the hustle and bustle of  normal life. It has quickly become a favorite spot of ours the last few years, as much for the people we spend time with as the beautiful vacation spot that it is.

Mom & Sister Time

One of the benefits of vacationing together as the Schatzes, Paynes and Grigsbys is a little time away for an evening, just us "big girls".