Jeff wanted to run a 1/2 marathon at the end of October in Myrtle Beach. So we used it as an excuse to take a long weekend beach vaca!
We started out thinking we would leave the kiddo's with anyone who would take them :-) And then decided that Rhyan would love the beach, even if it was a little cool, so we tacked her on. But i couldnt take Rhyan and not Mack! So we tacked him on. And then we remembered how great it was last year when we went to the beach with Jeff's mom and dad and so we just made a big family vaca out of it!
We even rode in our new van! As in, everyone. 4 adults and 2 kids. A little "Griswold-ish" of us, right?! But it was GREAT! The kids were really fantastic on the ride there and back, minus one small 5 min melt down by Rhyan. "Gran" and lorna doone cookies saved the day :-) The drive took about 6.5 hours to get there and 6 hours to get back (thanks to some improved directions from Aunt Gaye!)
We left from our house (well, Archer HS where jeff had left his wallet) around 11:15am on Friday and got there around 6pm. I didnt get any good pics of the condo we stayed in but it was HUGE. Like, bigger than our 1st house huge. 3 full bedrooms and 3 full baths. We realized pretty quickly that we could have gotten a 2 bed b/c each bathroom AND closet was HUGE and way big enough for a pack and play. Oh well. It was beautiful and we really enjoyed being able to spread out.
We ordered pizza and the boys picked it up while us girls got unpacked. (pics are coming soon, i promise). We ate and put the kiddo's to bed. Rhyan's room had 2 twin beds and we had not brought a pack and play for her (no room plus she's sleeping in a toddler bed already so we thought it would be fine). We pushed the beds together (one was a little higher than the other which made for a good "rail" for one side) and put a suitcase on the other side so she would feel it and realize it was the edge. We thought it was a decent plan. We were wrong.
I woke up around 3am to the sound of Rhyan crying. She had knocked over the suitcase and it had scared her. Make a long story short... I ended up "sleeping" on the other twin bed the rest of the night. I use the term "sleeping" loosely b/c every few minutes she would lean over to me and whisper "mommy... " and then whatever ridiculous thing she could come up with to say. For example: "mommy... onna go outside and go poopie". Yeah. So that was a great nights sleep :-)
Jeff, however, was relieved I'm sure... we were sharing a double bed. We didnt try that twice! And according to him, Mack woke around 4:30 crying but went back to sleep and then woke at 6am.
The upside to babies waking you super early? You get to see THIS!
We even saw DOLPHINS! Rhyan loved this!
We took advantage of the beautiful weather and headed out to walk on the beach! We got some great pics! (ps Grandad and Mack stayed inside...)
When we came back in, we found Mack reading his favorite novel to Grandad ;-)
The grounds at the Kingston Plantation were beautiful! There was a really cool splash park area that would be SO fun in the hot summer! Jeff helped out Aunt Gaye's company by participating in their volleyball tournament... he helped them pull a win!
That night, Aunt Gaye invited all of us to join her at her company's dinner provided by vendors. Our little crew is ready to go!
The food was great. Unfortunately, Mack was in his "i dont want to nap so i scream all day" mode :-( So jeff took him back to the room while the rest of us danced the night away. Grandad thought he'd get out of hitting the dance floor, but Rhyan made sure he joined in the fun!
Rhyan is quite the dancer and was showing us all how to get it done!
Our second night, Jeff and i decided it was best for our marriage if we slept in different beds. We shored up Rhyan's beds and she and Mack slept great! Jeff got up early to get ready for his 1/2er and I was hoping both kids might sleep in. Keep dreaming, right? I slept great until around 6:45am when Mack woke. Not bad, though, really! When i went to the kitchen i smelled something foul and assumed that Jeff had stunk up the bathroom before heading out for his run. I was wrong.
Rhyan had gotten an upset stomach and filled her diaper to the point of overload. She came out of her room and said "mommy, change iaper prease". So sad. She sounded pitiful.
And the whole condo stunk. Eww.
Poor mack had to wait to eat while i got rhyan cleaned up enough to get in a bath of clean water, hoping we could keep it from breaking her out. What a start to the day!
We decided to take advantage of the indoor heated pool that day!
Jeff dunked little Mack. About gave me a heart attack. But I guess Mack liked it cause he came up smiling! What a trooper!
That night, Aunt Gaye wanted us all to go to the Sea Captains House for dinner. Jeff and I were hoping it was good b/c we were wanting an all you can eat buffet (yes, we're redneck enough to love a good seafood buffet!). We were skeptical, but i left a changed woman... i have NEVER in my life had shrimp and grits or crabcakes quite as good! Mmmm.
Unfortunately, Rhyan was a little booger at dinner and Mack was sleepy from all of his "i'm not gonna sleep no matter what" so we looked like one of those crazy families trying to do anything to keep our kids under control that you feel bad for/wish they would have stayed home so they didnt ruin everyone else's dinner. :-) But the view was beautiful and food... scrumptious!
Jeff and Rhyan spent more time outside than they did in :-(
