Brookgreen Gardens

This baboon was a big hit for Harrison. He kept on asking for more. Thankfully, this baboon's twin was just a few short feet away (that is the object of his pointing in this picture).

Harrison loved the pig. He was tickling it and laughing at it over and over again. The little sign to the left of Harrison says "Eat More Beef." We got a kick out of that.

H was trying to say "cheese" and check out the squirrels behind me at the same time.

Naturally, H wanted to get in all of the water fountains/ponds.

There aren't a ton of things to do with little kiddos in the Pawleys/Murrells Inlet area when it is chilly outside. Obviously, when it is warm, we all head to the beach. It occurred to me the other day that I had never been to Brookgreen Gardens. So, Harrison and I headed out to see what it was all about. It really was unbelievably beautiful. The statues, the gardens, and the zoo are just amazing in their own ways. Harrison loved it because he could just go wide open. The area is kid friendly, but I have my doubts about the other visitors. I'm sure they were thinking they would have a peaceful walk through the gardens, but boy were they wrong. Harrison showed up and ran everywhere, talked (or yelled and laughed) to all of the statues and animals, and wanted to touch everything (which is a big no-no). Before we left, we bought an annual membership so we could go whenever we want (and add an extra element of fun to all of the visitors with our presence).

Fistfuls of Sand

Harrison shoving sand in his mouth
Harrison putting more sand in his mouth

I'm just putting this picture on here because I think it is so beautiful.

This afternoon, Harrison, the pups, and I were out on the beach. Since we moved here, Harrison has seen it necessary and hilarious to shove sand in his mouth. I'm not sure that he is eating it as I don't see it (go in or come out, for that matter). I remember the first time he started eating sand, I desperately wished there was a "non-toxic" label like on the crayons. Soon I realized that the sand wasn't going to hurt him. In fact, I think my father told me, "oh, it's good for him." Sure it is. Tonight, as he was grabbing the sand and squeezing it in his fists, then letting it drip out, it made me think of how fast time is going. I feel like the past 20 months (Harrison is 20 months today), has just slipped through my fingers. I've tried to grab on to as much as I can, but it really is unreal how fast it all goes. Everyone tells you to soak up the moments, and I think we do as much as we can, but I just had no idea time would escape me the way it has with Harrison. So, I sort of feel like the past 20 months have been like fistfuls of sand, I have so many memories that I will find in places that I didn't know that I have. I'm sorry the pictures aren't clearer; I took them with my phone.

Tough Guy

You know when you are watching football games, the announcers will break to a side shot of the football player's class picture? These always crack me up, because there is this tough-guy sitting there posing like a goofball. When I took this picture of Harrison this weekend (we were watching the Clemson game), I had this mental image of this picture flashed up on the screen during a Raycom Sports announcement. My subsequent thought was, "when Harrison plays football one day, this picture is going to come back to haunt him." He doesn't look tough at all. He looks like a little kid you want to cuddle. Let's be real: he is wearing a turtle-neck with a football jersey... seems like a bit of an oxymoron. Anyway, I feel like part of my duty as a mom, is to collect photographs like this, just in case.

Why He Wanted a Boy

Harrison's Favorite Part: the Headlamp

When we found out we were pregnant with Harrison, Adam knew that he wanted to have a boy. I knew that he would have been happy with a boy or girl, but I knew at the bottom of his heart, he wanted a little boy. I really did too. Now that Harrison is getting older and playing with him has become more fun for everyone involved, I can see why Adam wanted a boy. He wanted an "outdoor buddy" that he could teach stuff too. Every week, something comes out of Adam's mouth like, "When Harrison starts to swim well, I am going to teach him how to kayak," or my least favorite, "When Harrison and I go camping, I think I am going to by a pistol." I don't like the last statement for numerous reasons. But that is a whole new topic. Anyway, Adam and Harrison have been setting up the tent recently. Last weekend, I took a couple of pictures, and it is hard to tell who is having more fun. I know that Adam loves having an "excuse" for setting up a tent. We are talking about our first camping adventure right now, and if we are going to take Harrison and the dogs, there is no way our two man tent is going to cut it. Harrison and Marley like to sleep horizontal when everyone else is sleeping vertical!

Blog Worthy

After having to fore go the previously blogged about chicken costume, I had to come up with something on the fly for our trick-or-treating bonanza last night. After we took a couple of pictures of Harrison, Adam noted that they are definitely blog-worthy. I'd have to agree. But, I think every picture of Harrison is blog-worthy. I will say that we took our wagon last night trick or treating, and it was a major hit. It is a must for a toddler if you want the night to be enjoyable (except for the part where Harrison refused to let anyone pull that wagon except himself). We had a great time with some new friends in the neighborhood where we will be living. Yep, we had a contract accepted on a house yesterday.

Pumpkin Carving...er Eating Contest

On Friday night, we decided to carve a pumpkin with Harrison and the dogs. After Harrison went to bed, Adam and I sat out by the fire pit (with what some might call a fire) aftwerwards. I'm pretty confident that we are going to make it a tradition for Halloween Eve. We had such a good time. Harrison was a ton of help at cleaning out the pumpkin and then taking bites of the actual pumpkin. That's right...I said, taking a bite of the pumpkin. Then, he thought he would share with the dogs. It was too funny. There are so many cute pictures. Sorry to put so many on the blog. There are a million more, but I just couldn't put all of them on there.

Sad Chicken

One of our friends in Colorado gave us a chicken outfit for Halloween that her son wore. I was elated to receive it for multiple reasons, the main one being that I didn't have to buy anything (a close second was for comments we would receive about Harrison being a chicken and Adam selling it). Anyway, I'm sure that costume was perfect for Colorado since it is generally frigid on Halloween night. Well, for SC, I'm not so sure it was great. Harrison wore it to his pre-school's Fall Festival Parade and pretty much hated it the whole time. When Joan and I arrived at the school, Harrison was the only kid in his class that wasn't wearing his costume. I inquired about it and his teacher indicated that he wouldn't wear it. So, obviously I tried. I put it on him and as you can tell by the pictures, he wasn't so thrilled with it. When I tried to take it off, it was stuck to him because of the amount he was sweating in the 85 degree weather. I guess it was a rookie mistake. Maybe next year, Harrison will be a lifeguard.