There was a lot to do when we returned from our trip: namely, laundry, unpacking and getting organized to head back to school. One morning I was, shall we call it, huffing and puffing about how much needed to be done and how frustrated I felt to be the only one doing it. (Everyone pitches in, of course – but it didn’t feel like it in that moment.) Avery came up to give me a hug and tell me, “I”m sorry, Mama. You work really hard. You should get paid for what you do.” She then dug through our coin jar and came back and handed me my earnings: a quarter and a nickel. :)

-M

Some final pics from our trip, including several from our time at Boone Hall Plantation’s annual Strawberry Festival. (As you can see, we kept quite busy during our trip!)

-M

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One of the things that most fascinated the girls about Magnolia Plantation was a large pond that doesn’t look like a pond at all: Due to a major moss covering, the water looks like a beautiful field of grass. Here, Zoe shows her method of testing whether the area was water or grass.

-M

On the last day of our trip to Charleston we went to Magnolia Plantation, the oldest public garden in the United States. It was hands down one of the most beautiful and tranquil places I’ve visited, and I would go back in a second!

As for the girls, they – especially Avery – were not at all excited about going. But they quickly changed their mind when we got there, and seeing an albino peacock and another peacock showing his full feathers was also a treat for them.

-M