June 21, 2009
Our most recent trip to Hilton Head was a blast! Dan stayed behind this year because he had law school classes and was clerking for a local judge. So it was just me, the two kiddos, and my mom. It was Veronica's third trip to the island, but Warren's first trip to the beach. He absolutely loved the ocean, but was not too fond of the sand sticking to his feet and hands. There's lots of pictures of the kiddos on Flickr, follow the path on the right to see them.
As promised to our friends that are also traveling to HHI this summer, here's a short list of some of things we enjoyed during our most recent trip (but also check out HHI's informational website):
Fun
Gregg Russell under the Liberty Tree in Harbour Town. He plays every night (except Saturdays) starting at 8 PM. Plan to get here around 7 PM for a good parking spot and seat. He's great for kids of all ages, and even adults will find his stand-up-comedian style hilarious. He's not the typical warm-and-fuzz-guitar-playing-singing kind of guy, but the kids and parents love him.
Harbour Town Lighthouse: you can actually go up into the lighthouse.
Bike rentals are available all over the island. The island has wonderful bike trails all over as well, and it's really easy (and ok) to bike on the beach (just some advice from me to you...stay on the hard sand ;-). The island is 12 miles along the coastal side, so it's an enjoyable bike ride. Most bikes rent for around $28 for the week, and come with a helmet. You can request baby seats if you need them. Dan and I rented bikes on one of our trips, but we didn't ask what kind of bikes they were and we got bikes similar to Lexington's yellow downtown bikes; however, I saw other rental places that had better bikes.
Island Playground is a great place for kids that need a break from the sun. It's similar to our local Bounce U but with a tropical feel. Remember to bring socks for the kids and yourself!
The Sandbox was a fun outing for our two little ones. It's an interactive museum that is similar to our local Children Science Museum in Louisville. Be prepared to wait a bit outside if they weather is not perfect outside, as it is a popular spot for families with small children looking for something to do indoors to escape the heat or rain!
There are three put put golfing venues: Adventure Cove, Pirate's Island and Legendary Golf. Adventure Cove and Legendary Golf are around $9 for adults and $6 for children under 13; however Pirate's Island has the same prices, but is free for children under 4.
Food
Here is a list of our favorite local places to eat and their websites (if they have one):
The Crazy Crab
Fat Baby Pizza
Marleys Island Grill
The Old Oyster Factory
Pino Gelato
The Sea Shack: no website and not fancy, but be prepared to wait an hour outside just to get in as it's a popular place and worth the wait!
Signe's Heaven Bound Bakery & Cafe
Smokehouse BBQ
TJ's Take and Bake Pizza
Shopping
Coligny Plaza is right on the beach and is a great mix of beach shops, souvenir shops, local boutiques, toy shops, and food. My personal favorite was Island Girl and Fresh Produce; both are really cute girly boutiques.
Harbour Town is right on Hilton Head's Island, and is a great place to shop for typical and unique souvenirs for home. Harbour Town has lots of great places to eat!
Shelter Cove is a collection of fun shopping stores, and has a small mall with some big name department stores.
Off the island
Savannah, which is only about 40 minutes away, is a neat place to visit. If you do go, make sure to either eat at Mrs. Wilkes (only open for lunch) or Lady and Sons, and walk the shops along the river. Charleston is about two hours if you're looking for another day trip.
June 8, 2009
This may describe what I’ve been trying to do with Veronica, now that she’s ‘old enough to know better:’
Those of you who don’t have perfect children will find this familiar: Just as I was withdrawing money in a bank lobby, my 5-year-old daughter chose to throw a temper tantrum, screaming and writhing on the floor while a couple of elderly ladies looked on in disgust. (Their children, apparently, had been perfect.) I gave Dorothy a disappointed look and said, “That argument won’t work, sweetheart. It isn’t pathetic enough.”
How to Teach a Child to Argue
June 5, 2009
That's V doing her penny work during the last week of her first year of Montessori. While we still can't believe that Veronica has just finished her first year of preschool, we are more in awe (and proud) of her accomplishments this year. She started school this year at a very young 2 years and 11 months, not even turning three until a full month after school began. Her first few weeks of school were rocky, with lots of crying and clinging and many unfortunate potty accidents, not to mention the very memorable incident on the first day of school with the admissions director. However, as the year went on, Veronica began to become more confident in school. I was able to come into her classroom and spend a few minutes with her, and then leave without upsetting her. I could pass her in the hall, and give her a quick hug before sending her on her way. She looked forward to her hug after her library special and we usually shared a quick lapsit story together, and then when it was time to go to art class she would give me a hug and kiss and take off.
Veronica also knows all of her letters on sight, can count to twenty (and then up to hundred by tens), she can spell her name (and write some of it..hey, it's a long name ;-), she can spell and write mommy's name, knows all of her friend's letters, and is developing her father's knack for making up songs to tunes. She loves to practice running fast, and she spends hours working on art projects. And she still does all this while holding on to her little plastic toys (some things haven't changed ;-)
I was particularly impressed with Veronica this past week. Regular class (school) was out for summer, but she was still coming to school with me and hanging out with the other faculty children. I was worried that the lack of structure and no nap days would take a toll on her; however, she seemed to enjoy her days of romping through the school with her buddies. She would pop in the library to say hello to me while I was working, but then she would prefer to go back to the other teacher's kids. I was very proud of her independence that was so evident this week, and how she has really blossomed from a cute toddler into a really neat little kid! School's out now and with my work at school is almost done, we are ready enjoy what the summer has in store for us!
March 15, 2009
The boy is officially one now, and my has he grown up! Warren had a great birthday with all of his family and friends. We were thrilled (and surprised) when he decided it was time to start walking this week as well. If you haven't seen the video on Flickr, check it out! His went to the doctor for his one year wellness visit. The doc said he was doing great, and was even advanced with some of his skills (but we already knew that because we think he's a genius....but we're his parents, so we're a little biased!). He was slightly above the 50th percentile for all of his height (30 inches), weight (22.9 lbs) and head (48 cm) measurements. He has a head full of light brown hair, the biggest, brown eyes that could melt anyone's heart, and a perfect pretty-boy, sly smile that gets him out of the naughty things he likes to get into these days. Dan and I feel very lucky and blessed to have him as our son, and Veronica thinks he's a neat (if sometimes pesky) little brother. Now back to playing with all of those wonderful birthday toys!
February 28, 2009
This is the week that Warren turns ONE year old! We can't believe how fast time has flown. We'll post more later this week. So stay tuned!
January 29, 2009
But, we're all warm and cozy inside!
We have been a small minority of the lucky to keep our electricity during the ice storm of 2009, unlike our fate during the 2003 ice storm. We have been huddled up here at the house, and surprisingly not a case of cabin fever! Veronica may have even grown closer to her brother, as evidenced by wanting to give Warren his nightly bottle. It's cute that she requests her picture be taken every time she shows affection to her brother. It's like she wants documentation that she IS nice to him some of the time!
January 18, 2009
Winter Aquarium trip 2008...
Winter Aquarium trip 2009...
Our most recent trip was Veronica's third annual winter trip to the Newport Aquarium, but for some odd reason, we didn't take ANY pictures of her first trip. Us not take pictures? Weird isn't it? I couldn't believe it myself, but I checked the archive to make sure. Yup, no pictures. We must have forgotten the camera that day.
January 3, 2009
Dan and I rang in the 2008 year by watching the Jon & Kate plus 8 marathon on TLC. I was 32 weeks pregnant and we had been chasing a toddler around all day, so we were not really up for going out. As we watched the Gosselin family, we were very thankful that I was only carrying one baby and not six! However, as we watched their very chaotic family, Dan and I wondered what our lives would be like in 2008. While we were only adding one child to our family of three, other aspects of our lives were about to change drastically.
As the new year began, we were still waiting to hear if Daniel and Veronica would be accepted into the schools they had applied for. Oddly, both of their acceptance letters came on the same day in February. Veronica got into preschool and Daniel was accepted to UK College of Law. We were very excited, but our excitement would have to wait until August when school actually began for them. In the meantime, I was due to give birth in a matter of weeks. I had made the decision to wait until the birth to find out whether we were adding a son or another daughter to our family. The technician, however, was not sure if I would stick to my decision or not, and wrote down the baby's gender on a sheet of paper and sealed it in an envelope. I remained true to my decision, and on March 4, we found out the gender of our second child the good ol' fashion way...when the doctor announced "It's a BOY!". Warren came home on a warm, sunny March day, however, we had not been home more than 24 hours when a major snow storm hit. Old Man Winter had nice timing! We were snuggled warmly in the house getting to know this little boy of ours.
Time between March and now seems to have flown by. Dan and I both took time staying home with the children, and we both enjoyed our time home with the children immensely. Dan quit his job in July and was supposed to enjoy a couple weeks of vacation, however, we decided to build a patio that consumed his every waking hour for several weeks and left him no time for relaxation. The end of August was here before we knew it, and we all four headed off to school. School went very well for all members of the Hancock family. Three of us headed off every morning to TLS, while Dan headed off to UK. Daniel was a little scarce during November and December due to his exams, but he emerged and on December 19 we all started our holiday break together. We spent the last two weeks of 2008 with our wonderful children, watching them enjoy all the excitement that Christmas brings to a child's life. Frank Sinatra said it best..."It was a very good year!"
December 24, 2008
We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of Santa Claus at our house tonight. Warren has not vocalized his wish list to us, but we're sure Santa will be bringing him some fun toys! Veronica, on the other hand, has written her list for the first time this year and has not budged on what she wants Santa to bring her. For her fourth Christmas, Veronica has asked for three things: a big doll house, three big apples, and a big airplane. We're sure Santa can fulfill this wish list for this little good girl on his list!
Despite what I typed on the littlebots blog (thanks to the readers that noticed), Warren is not shrinking. For Warren's 9 month update, I typed he was 26 and 1/2 inches long; however, at his 6 months appointment he was 27 inches long. No, he is indeed not shrinking. I just didn't realize that I typed the wrong number! He is actually 29 and 1/2 inches long, and growing as quick as a weed. And speaking of quick, he is the quickest crawler we've ever seen and he is into everything.
Looking for more?
If you'd like to read more of Littlebots, you're going to find yourself digging through the archives, which you'll find links for to the right. Categorical archives of links are here. You might also try the search function (also on the right) if there's something specific you're looking for.
