This morning we woke around 7.30am and as I walked towards the bathroom I noticed that Benjamin wasn't in the bed next to Jake...I walked to the side of the bed and guess who was laying on the pile of pillows and blankets I had left there for this eventuality...? We haven't got a clue what time he fell out of bed. Jakey went to the loo sometime before 6.30am and thought Benjamin had got in with us because he wasn't in their bed! Needless to say, it didn't appear to wake him! Tonight we are in a hotel where the beds are at least 4 foot off the ground, so we have made Benjamin a little nest on the floor between the 2 beds, we are taking no chances!

Jakey was very excited for today, we had promised him that we would visit Magi Quest since I first came across it on the internet some months ago...even our hotel had been booked with the sole purpose of being just a few blocks away from the entertainment complex where it was located...we pulled into the parking lot at 9.10am to discover that it didn't open until 10am (we weren't the only early risers hanging around outside hopefully!). So we went for a walk along the bridge across the lake, where Jakey noticed a large fish swimming across the top of the water...

We stopped to look at the fish and looking down we were greeted by a dozen or so open-mouthed catfish right underneath where we were stood. At first we couldn't believe our eyes...until I took a quick glance around and spotted the bubble-gum type dispensers of fish food and realised that the fish were used to being fed by humans standing on the bridge! A couple of quarters later we felt we had done our duty to feed the poor catfish and we pottered off to feed ourselves before Magi Quest opened.

We went to a local diner serving a traditional American breakfast where the server asked 'Now where y'all from you guys, that accent is so darn cute!' in a southern accent which could only be described as 'so darn cute!'. Pancakes and toast devoured we went to pay and the cashier asked where we were from and then - and I SWEAR she wasn't trying to be funny when she said this - she asked 'So y'all going to the wedding?' talking about the royal wedding next week!!! I think this pips the 'aren't american's funny' stakes marginally from 'England? is that in London?' which we have been asked on several occasions before!!!
*apologises profusely to my American friends and friends with American spouses but I am sure you can back me up on this one!*

Anyway, I digress...Magi Quest! Leaving the toddler with his daddy Jakey and I headed in to the 'completely interactive magic quest game' purchasing wands and wand toppers and learning how to cast spells on the way in.

A magical mahem of puzzle solving and spell casting ensued - our game allowed us 90 minutes for the princely sum of $90!!! (maybe we should be going to the wedding, for surely we have more money than sense!) but Jakey came out elated at his adventures and proud of his quest acheivements so what more could I ask for?

After our magical adventures we hit the road for the 100 mile trip to the historical town of Charleston, South Carolina and boy is it hot down here! Hot and humid, with some fantastic thunderstorms to show for it.

Our destination of choice this afternoon, which again we have been waiting for in anticpation since we found out it was here a few months ago...Bubba Gumps restaurant, where Dad and (big) Lad ate ribs:

And Mum and Son ate shrimp:

Before making a dash through the rain back to the hotel, having a bath, and snuggling down in a special bed, made just for one small boy...