Once I got to 80 pictures, I decided maybe this year desereved 2 posts. Theese are straight chronological, so there are some random food photos thrown in between actually intentional sessions between pool photos between snapshots.

Waiting for cookies, because there is ALWAYS something baking at the beach house.

I hate when people wander wander into my beach photos. Obvious I should get the WHOLE BEACH to myself.

My college roommate and I (we went to college here in Charleston) took our girls into the city for “shopping and lunch’…but mostly to take pictures. You can tell, because I bought them matching dresses for pictures.

This is the fence for the church where I got married.

This is the theater across from the church. I havea beautiful painting of it in the entryway of my house.

Our church.

Chocolate cake for breakfast, because vacation.

Erin and I took the boys to the Angel Oak for their photo opp. It was SO crowded, even at 9 am. It’s a miracle there aren’t tourists in every single photo.

He’s winking, in case you couldn’t tell what that face was.

We take turns cooking at the beach, usually the same menu every year (because we’ve almost perfected cooking for 13) but Erin added these AMAZING shrimp and grits this year. They’re extra good because the local shrimp came from a only *slightly* sketchy cooler at the farm stand down the street.

We went through 6 pounds of strawberries in 5 days.  Also, these babies think they are big kids who can sit on stools. Next year we’ll have actual babies again (mine PLUS another!) for a total of 8 children, so maybe it’s ok that these toddlers will be a little more self-sufficient.

Part 2 will include both our first, mostly failed family photo session and our second, much better photo session. Our stupid photographer (me) messed up her settings on the first one with a stupid rookie mistake. Thank goodness the weather cooperated for a do-over.

I miss you already, Kiawah.

Oh, today isn’t Sunday? I have no idea. I’m at the beach and all I can keep track of is “can I eat another piece of cake right now?” When I started looking through my photos for the week I got confused that the first part of the week was in some strange, boring, non-professionally decorated place that didn’t have constant cake. I don’t want to go back there.

Sunday:

Watermelon on the porch = summer

Shirtless naps = summer

Happy, peaceful children = almost never

Monday:

IT’S THE FINAL COUNTDOOOOOOOWN

Skeptical baby is skeptical

Taking pictures like mommy

Tuesday:

Important vacation prep

I suppose cleaning is also important

This is Linc’s favorite game: Face-Smash Selfie

Wednesday:

Sunrise in the car – we’d already been driving for 3 hours

In and out and in and out

Bedtime stories with Mormor

Thursday:

Absolutely worth the 2 days of driving

Basically a private beach

There are NINE decorative pillows on this bed

Friday:

There’s pineapple shrimp, lemon shrimp, coconut shrimp, pepper shrimp, shrimp soup, shrimp stew…

There was also shrimp in the low country boil I made for dinner

Oh ok, that’s perfect

Saturday:

A very french baby breakfast

Would you like some bait with your frozen pie?

That’s a virgin Pina Colada in a shot glass

Now I’m going to go work on the second thousand pictures I’ve taken so far (not an exaggeration). The first thousand have been edited so I’ll have a ridiculous photo post up probably tonight. If I can get out of the pool long enough.

A Cake Off you say? Don’t mind if I do.

When it comes to Team Cake vs Team Pie, I am Team Why Can’t I Have Both? There’s no such thing as too much dessert. When I was looking for inspiration for a cake to submit for this contest, I searched Pinterest for cake and might have ended up eating half a box of cookies because it made me so hungry. This is why I am not a food blogger.

Half way through mixing the batter I realized I needed 3 9-inch cake pans but all I had in my cabinet was 1 9-inch cake pan and 2 8-inch cake pans. I thought really hard about how to make that work before giving up and sending my husband to the store to get the right pans. Be smarter than me and make sure you have the cake pans you need BEFORE you’ve already separated all the eggs and have the mixer going. This recipe has kind of a lot of steps, but I promise it’s worth it for the results: moist but light cake with an amazing flavor and super light frosting with exactly the right amount of sweet.

Mixed Berry Cake With Lemon Whipped Cream Icing
Adapted from A Latte Food

• 4 eggs, separated
• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 Tbsp vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 1/2 cups flour all purpose flour
• 2 Tbsp cornstarch
• 1 Tbsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1/3 cup greek yogurt
• 1 Tbsp lemon juice, fresh
• 2 tsp vanilla extract

• 2 cups mixed berries (I used raspberries, blackberries, strawberries and blueberries)
• 3/4 cup sugar

• 1 pint heavy whipping cream
• 1 8 oz cream cheese
• 2 Tbsp lemon zest (about the zest of 2 large lemons)
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 tsp lemon juice

 

I have very few complaints about this week, except for a general lack of sleeping that comes from later kid bedtimes due to late sunsets and pregnancy insomnia. I still feel like I can sleep for 18 hours straight if given the opportunity. I will probably feel like that for the next 2 years.

Sunday:

After church coffee hour has the best snacks (if you are 5)

Looking at this picture makes me want to bake another cake

Mother’s Day bubble bath

Monday:

Who care’s about hearing the baby when there are cars to look at?

Kissing Brutus goodnight before naps

My tree has a child infestation

Tuesday:

Merida wears cloth diapers

Linc loves selfies

**PRAISE HANDS**

Wednesday:

Wise choices

He refused to eat those fries because they are shaped like faces

One billion photos were taken

Thursday:

That’s a lighthouse you can almost see, because this is New England

Throwing rocks with friends is the best

He LOVED the sprinkler

Friday:

It turns out bouncing is more fun with friends

Seriously, Mom, can’t we get AIOs? I’m so tired of stuffing diapers.

Your weekly twinsie photo update. They’re getting so big!

Saturday:

Fun fact: bounce houses are really slippery when they get rained on

Hello Long Island!!

FINALLY planting time

Today’s weather feels like March, not May. It’s actually probably a good thing, since the warm, beachy weather was making it REALLY hard for me to keep doing boring stuff like sending the kids to school or enforcing healthy meal choices or going to piano lessons. I have a serious case of End Of The Year Mom and I’m not even sorry. Since it’s too cold for the beach today maybe I’ll actually get some laundry done instead. Maybe.

This week is Spring Break WOOHOO and we have a very full schedule of things to do. Last week I turned 34 fairly uneventfully, but there was cake which is all I need.

Sunday:

Spent 2 hours organizing ALL THIS

We both love naps

She lost count because 34 is a lot of candles

Monday:

“Helping”

Just letting you know, I’m totes going to eat this crayon

The most perfect Tula I’ve ever seen

Tuesday:

He wanted me to put the lid on it

He loved looking at the chicks. Not so much holding them.

Never not reading

Wednesday:

This is not how that toy box was intended to be used

Again, NOT HOW YOU USE CHAIRS

Play-doh on my back. Sure, what could go wrong.

Thursday:

Very interested in Multicultural Night at school

Visiting their lobster friends

I don’t do newborn photos anymore, except when I actually do.

Friday:

I will not steal this baby. I will not steal this baby. I will not…

Front porch sitting

Caroline is a very patient sister

Saturday:

The biggest bag of dirt I’ve ever seen

Grocery store: pregnancy craving edition

Game night = best night

Because I can’t seem to actually write a real pregnancy update: here’s the latest. I’m 21 weeks pregnant today, everything is totally normal, I’m going to do a gender reveal for the kids sometime this week because we know what we’re having but want them to get excited about it too. I’m slightly too pregnant to be totally comfortable anymore, in almost any situation. I need half a dozen pillows to sleep and I could sleep 12 hours a night AND still take a nap. I cannot wait for it to be summer, not because I like being hot but because then I can go float in the lake as much as possible.

If you like my week in iPhone photos and don’t follow me on Instagram, may I gently suggest this is a good time to do so? It’s a beautiful time of year here in New England so most of the photos aren’t the inside of my house anymore.