Happy Friday, Summerville!

Our newest little guy is almost two weeks old, and life at our house right now is mostly feedings, naps (his, not ours), and two big brothers figuring out how to share us but also absolutely adoring their baby brother!

This Sunday, November 15th, is the widely anticipated annual Summerville Italian Feast in downtown Summerville! There will be over 100 vendors serving pizza, pasta, cannolis, and other delicious Italian delicacies along with wine and beer. The event is from 11am-5pm in Hutchinson Square with road closures happening in downtown Summerville from 7am-7pm.

This week we give you our personal thoughts on Cypress Gardens (don’t miss: their emergency vehicle day and free admission day are this Saturday), a few fun hands on activities happening for kids this week, and a review of the Hall’s bar seating for a date night.

Enjoy!!

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We’ve mentioned Cypress Gardens before, but this is the first time our family actually got to experience it. And by “our family,” I mean my parents took the boys, since I’m still recovering postpartum! I’ve wanted to take the boys for a long time, and now is the perfect window for it. The weather has finally cooled off enough that you’re not pouring sweat the second you step outside.

My parents had never been, and they loved taking the boys. One of the things they appreciated most is how everything the kids would want is right up front in the main area (see the map below). The playground, the Swamparium, the butterfly house, the bird house, all of the best attractions are clustered near the entrance. For a family like ours, that made it an easy couple-hour morning outing that still felt like something really special, without a big hike to get to the good stuff.

The highlight, hands down, was the boat ride. The self-guided boat trip takes you out through the beautiful blackwater with cypress trees growing up all around you. If it looks familiar, it’s because this is where the famous boat scene from The Notebook was filmed. One fair warning though: there’s a heavy emphasis on the “self-guided” part. It was the perfect adventure for my parents and the boys, but it does require everyone to be comfortable paddling a canoe. They had a blast ducking under the low bridges and spotting wildlife along the way.

Cypress Gardens is at 3030 Cypress Gardens Road, Moncks Corner, about 30-40 minutes from Summerville. It’s open daily 9am–5pm with last admission at 4pm. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for kids ages 6–17, and free for children 5 and under, and the self-guided boat ride is included. One tip: on busy days the boat line can get long, so go early and sign up for a boat before you explore the rest of the park.

Mark your calendar: Cypress Gardens is hosting its annual Berkeley County Emergency Services Day on Saturday, November 14, from 10am–2pm. Families can meet and interact with Berkeley County first responders and state agency representatives, see live demonstrations and emergency vehicles on display, and pick up preparedness information. It coincides with the park’s Free Saturday for Berkeley County residents (proof of residency required for free admission), and there will be food trucks and craft vendors on site. The park is open its usual 9am–5pm that day, with last admission at 4pm.

One of our favorite holiday traditions is back again this year on Saturday, December 5th! Enjoy festive pancakes with the Grinch between 10:30am-12:30pm and shop local holiday vendors. Our sons love this event and getting to interact with the Grinch is one of their holiday highlights. No tickets required for the event— just show up ready to fill your bellies and have some fun compliments of Ernest Govan, The Dream Maker Agent.

There’s three different options for some hands on learning and creativity this week, all for different age kids!

November Kids Club: Honoring Our Veterans — Summerville Museum
Saturday, November 14 | 10:30 AM
Summerville Museum, 100 East Doty Ave, Summerville
$5 fee | Registration required

The Summerville Museum’s monthly Kids Club turns its focus to Veterans Day this month. Young historians will enjoy a meaningful, hands-on activity as they learn about the importance of Veterans Day, recognize the sacrifices of our military heroes, and celebrate the spirit of patriotism. It’s a great way to help kids connect with the meaning behind the holiday. There’s a $5 fee, and registration is required, so reserve your child’s spot by emailing [email protected].

Turkey Tot Picnic
Thursday, November 19 | 10–10:45am | Rollins Edwards Community Center, 301 N. Hickory St. | $10

Summerville Parks & Rec is hosting a little Thanksgiving picnic for toddlers. The $10 covers a picnic bag with snacks and drinks for your little one, and there's an iced coffee station for the grown-ups, which I appreciate more than I can say right now. Bring a blanket or towel to spread out on. The price also includes open play in the gym from 8:30am to 1pm, so you can come early and let them run first. The town is taking registrations until it fills. One heads-up: because the picnic is on a Thursday, the town says there won't be the usual Friday open play on November 20.

Spin Into Science: DIY Fidget Spinner Workshop
Saturday, November 21 | 1–3pm | Rollins Edwards Community Center, 301 N. Hickory St. | $20

This one is for the older kids. Messy Masterpieces Art Club is leading a hands-on workshop where kids learn about friction and balance while building two fidget spinners from scratch: a "Gravity Spinner" made from upcycled cardboard and weighted marbles, and a "Pro-Fidgeter" built from Perler beads with a real metal ball bearing. All materials are included. The listing doesn't give an age range, but between the marbles, the ball bearings, and the two-hour run time, I'd save this for school-age kids and leave little siblings at home.¹

Written by: Luanne Berk

My husband and I go to Halls Chophouse in Nexton on a regular basis…for many reasons.

First of all, we LOVE the food, and this time was no exception. We almost always sit at one of the high-top tables, order from the bar menu, and wait for the live music to begin around 6pm.

My favorite menu item is the Steak and Fries. However, since I’ve been cutting back, I got the Halls Chopped salad instead of the fries. I got some A1 steak sauce to go with it and it was perfect!

My husband nearly always orders the Blackened Salmon Salad. He raves about it. The salmon is cooked perfectly and, according to him, it’s just as filling as any item from the main menu.

Secondly, the service at Halls in unmatched. We kind of have our own favorite waiter, Luis. He knows us very well, and almost always gives me a hug when we show up. He’s friendly, attentive, never questions any of my special requests and works extra hard to make sure our experience is amazing! And it nearly always is.

Last, but not least, Halls has live music nearly every night, usually starting around 6pm. It’s the kind of music you would expect to hear in the past: oldies, but with personality. The band this night was called Medium Rare -- a group of guys that you can tell have been doing this for a long time and when they’re playing, they’re in the zone. The music is like second nature, relaxing songs that bring a cool vibe to the atmosphere. After finishing our delicious meal, we sipped our drinks and lingered long enough to feel the vibe.

A note from Courtney: Daniel and I also love opting for the Hall’s Bar for a delicious date night without the price of a full meal at Hall’s. Their beet salad is my favorite salad I’ve ever had, anywhere. And live music for date night is always a plus! Their fried green tomatoes are also out of this world! Here’s the bar menu if you want to take a look. You are also welcome to order regular menu items from the bar.

One piece of parenting advice I've heard from wise, seasoned parents over the years is the importance of becoming a student of your own children. Really taking the time to get to know each of them. Who they are, what makes them tick, how they respond to instruction, what they need when they're having a hard time, and what makes them feel loved and connected. I've heard it described as getting a PhD in your kids, and the more years I spend parenting, the more I understand just how valuable that advice is.

Bringing home our third baby has been a good reminder of this. There is so much about having a newborn that feels familiar this time around. We're certainly not shocked by the sleepless nights, the constant feedings, or the general adjustment of having a tiny baby in the house. But at the same time, there are so many things that are different about this baby compared to his older brothers. He's our first baby to take a pacifier. Our second son never took a bottle, while this little guy is thriving with one. This baby has also been struggling to gain weight, while our older two surpassed their birth weights within just a few days of being born. These are all relatively small things in the grand scheme of parenting, and many of them will pass with time, but they've been such a good reminder that even though all three boys have the same parents and are being raised in the same home, they are already so different from one another.

And I'm seeing those differences more and more with our older boys, too. Our oldest is now five, and it's been so fun watching his personality, interests, and understanding of the world continue to develop. Meanwhile, our two-and-a-half-year-old is becoming more and more of his own little person every day. They have such different personalities, different ways of approaching situations, and different things that excite or frustrate them. Something that works beautifully with one might not work at all with the other. And I imagine those differences will only become more apparent as they get older.

Of course, we're going to have family rules, expectations, and standards that apply to all three of our boys. But I'm realizing that raising them with the same values doesn't necessarily mean parenting them in exactly the same way. One child might need more encouragement, while another needs a little more space to figure things out on his own. One might respond well to a conversation, while another needs us to approach things differently. Even the ways they feel most loved and connected to us might look completely different. And it's our job as their parents to pay attention to those things rather than assume that what worked for one will automatically work for the next.

I think that's where the idea of getting a PhD in our kids really challenges me. It requires us to slow down enough to truly listen to them, observe them, and be willing to adjust our approach as we learn more about who they are. It means making an effort to spend individual time with each of them, asking questions, noticing the little things, and being curious about the people they're becoming. And unlike an actual PhD, I don't think there's ever a point where we've completely mastered the subject. Our kids are constantly growing and changing, which means we have to keep learning right alongside them.

As Daniel and I settle into life with three boys, I know there will be plenty of moments when it's easier to fall back on what we've always done or assume we already know the best way to handle something. But I hope we can keep reminding ourselves that each of our boys is his own person, with his own personality, strengths, challenges, and needs. More than anything, I want them to grow up feeling like their parents don't just love them because they're our kids, but that we genuinely know them, understand them, and delight in who they are as individuals.

So that's one of my goals as we enter this new season of parenting three: to keep working toward that PhD in each of my boys. Not because I expect to get everything right, but because I want to know them well enough to help each of them thrive.

And I'd love to hear from those of you who are further along in parenting, especially parents of multiple children. What are some things you've done to really get to know each of your kids as individuals? How have you found the best ways to connect with them, especially as they've gotten older?

Love,

Courtney, Daniel, and the Berk Boys

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