Last night we had Trent's co-worker and good friend Dave, and his wife Iris over for dinner. They had us over their house in Summerville for Lowcounty Shrimp and Grits when we first moved here over two years ago and I'm ashamed to say that we finally got around to reciprocating. It's especially shameful considering Dave actually got Trent the job here in Charleston. We tried to make up for it with fondue which is always a really fun time... dipping, cooking, dunking, chatting, laughing, eating and drinking. Good people. Good times.
Mimi and Papi came and spent Thanksgiving week with us. We kicked off their visit with a little birthday celebration for Mimi. Currier planned the party hence the Spongebob Squarepants Cupcakes.
It was so nice to see Currier and Rya spending time and sharing laughs with their grandparents. Such sweet moments!
We had a quiet and relaxing Thanksgiving. We all played a role in the making of Thanksgiving. Trent cooked the turkey, Mimi made the stuffing and jello mold, I made the green bean casserole and 
Mimi and I woke up at 3AM on Black Friday and stood in line with the rest of the lunatics at Kohls. We also hit Target and Bed, Bath and Beyond all before 7AM! We found some good deals that got our adrenaline pumping. It was my first Black Friday shopping experience and will probably be the last. It was fun and now I can say been there done that but typically I like to leave the masses for the asses and I like my sleep. 
On Saturday we decorated the house for Christmas and put up the tree. We never have the opportunity to spend Christmas with Mimi and Papi so we had our own little celebration with a few gifts. Now that the tree is up, click here to see how I feel about it... I could seriously drive Trent crazy! 
In keeping with the holiday spirit, Mimi bought gingerbread men for Currier to decorate. He loved this yummy little project.
On Sunday we went into Charleston to walk through the market and eat lunch. We went to the Noisy Oyster for steamed oysters, fried green tomatoes, seafood platters and beer. After lunch we went to the Pavilion Rooftop Bar for a cocktail and enjoyed the view of Charleston.
Before heading back to Florida, Mimi shared a recipe for Kalachi (Croatian Christmas Bread) that has been in the Balent Family for generations. I'm not allowed to share the recipe with you but I am allowed to tell you that it is so good! Ha ha! 
We babysat Max for a few days while Carrie and Hilde attended a wedding in Savannah Georgia. Max got along famously with Bruco and Paolo and was adored by Currier and Rya. After the wedding, Carrie and Hilde spent a few nights with us. One evening they introduced us to a dessert that I can almost guarantee is not endorsed by Weight Watchers—Grilled Krispy Kreme Donut Ala Mode. Sure it sounds a little redneck but it's truly the stuff that dreams are made of so don't judge until you try it. Carrie and Hilde were a big help with feedings, laundry, cleaning and cooking. They also read to, played with and loved on the kids. They headed back to Tennessee this morning and we miss them (and their creative desserts) already.
Last night we had some friends over for fondue. 
If you don't know this already, Trent and I are the fondue masters!
We ate and ate and ate and laughed and laughed and laughed.
It was a serious good time!
And a serious silly time! 
For Memorial Day Weekend we went to Florida to visit Mimi and Papi. After an 8 hour drive (including 2 bathroom breaks and 1 dinner stop at Hooters), we arrived at 2AM on Thursday. We spent Thursday relaxing, recuperating and reacquainting Currier and Rya with their grandparents. On Friday Papi and Trent went golfing while Mimi and I took the kids to Uncle Donald's Farm.
This place was great. We took a hay ride, milked a goat, pet a pig, held a bunny, and fed every farm animal imaginable. 
Of course Mimi and Papi fell in love with Rya—and she with them!
On Saturday we met my Aunt Joanie (my dad's sister) and Uncle Ricky at the happiest place on earth. Joanie and Ricky both work at Disney and got us in for free, were the BEST tour guides and were a big help with the kids. 
We did/saw way more than we thought we would. In addition to shopping, eating lunch and meeting characters we did the Swiss Family Tree House, The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, The Country Bear Jamboree, Pirates of the Caribbean, Minnie's Country House, Mickey's Country House, The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm, and Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin. The day was packed with fun, happiness, smiles, excitement and not one temper tantrum or breakdown! It truly is the happiest place on earth! Thank you Aunt Joanie and Uncle Ricky for giving us such a happy memory!
You would think we would go home and pass out after a whole day at Disney in the hot sun, but we Balents are rockstars! We went straight to Trent's sister Kathy's house in Winter Springs for an authentic Paella dinner with all the cousins. 
After dinner we swam in the pool, drank LOTS of beer and celebrated Currier's 3rd birthday with an ice cream cake. When we finally put Currier to bed at midnight, Trent and I declared that we had just had one of the best days of our lives. 
On Sunday the adults woke to hangovers and eight kids screaming to go swimming. We spent a majority of the day in the pool before heading back to Mimi and Papi's for our final night in Florida.
Back at Mimi's house, she had a delicious Colombian dish called Ajiaco Bogotano ready for us and yet another birthday cake/celebration for Currier (Seriously, this kid is spoiled and is going to think that birthdays last for weeks!). This time Lolita (Mimi and Papi's yellow-headed parrot) sang happy birthday to him—so special.
Just when we thought the weekend couldn't possibly get any better, Aunt Carrie shows up from Tennessee to partake in the good times!
And then we headed home but not without stopping to buy a bushel of Florida oranges to take back to South Carolina with us. You can't go to Florida and not buy some! So it's fresh orange juice for us all week. Life is so good! 
Uncle PJ and his girlfriend Eliza arrived late Thursday evening for a quick weekend visit. We stayed up late Thursday night talking and laughing and didn't go to bed until every beer in the house was gone!
Friday we nursed our hangovers at the pool all day and then rushed home to prepare for Currier's 3rd birthday party at the Mount Pleasant Fire Station that evening (we celebrated 2 weeks early because the fire station was booked for his actual birthday).
It was great to have PJ and Eliza here for the party. They were a big help—Eliza with holding Rya during the entire party and PJ with catering. The menu included Cajun Crab Stuffed Peppers, Green Bean Shrimp and Feta Salad, Chick-Fil-A Chicken Nuggets, Boursin Cheese Stuffed Cherry Tomatoes, and a Fruit, Cheese and Cracker Tray. Pretty fancy fare for a 3-year-old's birthday party!
The kids had a great time. They crawled all over the fire truck and squirted the fire hose. The Mount Pleasant Firemen have the patience of saints and were wonderful with the kids. Currier said that it was the best day of his life—Aawww.
On Saturday we headed downtown Charleston for some shopping, sightseeing and lunch at the Charleston Crab House where we ate fried green tomatoes, crab cakes, raw oysters and crab legs. 
Saturday evening we ordered pizza from Mellow Mushroom and lounged on the couch with the dogs and watched Madagascar 2.
After a long Mother's Day thunderstorm nap (the best kind of nap!), PJ cooked a fantastic gourmet dinner that I can't stop thinking about! PJ and Eliza left early Monday morning and we miss them already. 
This week has been full of eggstra activities. Our neighbors put on a big Easter egg hunt in their yard for all the neighborhood children. 
We dyed and painted Easter eggs. 
We decorated foam Easter eggs to adorn our windows.
And we decorated Easter egg cookies. Phew... I'm eggshausted. 
Manuela has returned! She and her husband were sent back to Naples indefinitely but now they're back in America indefinitely. She called last week with the good news. They'll stay in Charleston until December for sure and then her husband will find out if his contract will be renewed or not. We're keeping our fingers crossed that she'll get to stay another year.
Since Manuela is from Naples, where pizza was invented, we celebrated her return by making authentic Naples-style pizza and it turned out soooo delizioso! Grazie for the lesson Manuela! 
After a week of camp in Tennessee with Aunt Carrie, Currier's cousins Amanda, Clayton and Jonathan came and spent the night with us on their way back to Florida.
After some serious hell-raising we managed to get the kids to sit down for some burgers and hot dogs that Trent cooked on his shiny new grill that he got for Father's Day. 
After dinner the kids decorated cupcakes in honor of Flag Day (any excuse for cupcakes!). 
As a thank you for bringing all these cousins to our house, Currier planted one on Aunt Carrie. 
We had air mattresses all set up upstairs but the kids thought it best to all sleep together in the living room in front of the television. Being the push over that I am, I obliged and no one had a good night of sleep.
We woke up early (6:30AM) on Sunday morning and ate Dunkin Donuts on the Isle of Palms, searched for sand dollars and didn't find any, played in the surf and drove along Ocean Boulevard admiring the mansions. It was a good time and we look forward to more visits. 
