2012 Myrtle Beach Trip

We had yet another AWESOME Myrtle Beach trip this year!!  Thank you Susan for continuing to provide us with a yearly trip that always holds so many memories!  Of course, I doubt we'll forget our eventful trip TO the beach.  The last 45 minutes or so, Emma decided she'd had enough and was screaming and crying.  Then, it started pouring!  Then, the window broke and wouldn't go up!  But we got there, we got the window fixed and were able to go on with our trip! LOL  The first night, we took Drew down to the beach while Emma hung out with Grandmom. 

We stayed at the Prince Resort in Cherry Grove.  It was a great choice - which was pure luck.  Chad had found it online!  It had 19 floors, the huge pier right in front of it, a parking garage and more hotel rooms across the street - with another pool and lazy river up on top! 

The next morning Emma got to get her toes wet!  She wasn't too sure about the ocean - she obviously didn't really remember it from the year before. 

The kids got up pretty early, so we were out at the beach before 9am! 

 I had fun hanging out with them and helping them build things in the sand.  Chad was out dealing with the broken window and Grant and Sherry hadn't arrived yet.

Their favorite thing was to dig a hole and fill it with water...and then of course sit in it!  Emma would say, "bath time!"

 And Mr. Dinosaur made it to the beach trip again!  He was Emma's favorite toy at the beach.  She especially liked how you could fill him up with water in the pool and make him spit it out!

As soon as Olivia arrived, we headed back out for more hole digging and mud baths!

Emma loved the mud...and Chad and Drew are checking out the mussels (I think that's what they were?? Every time a wave went over them, they'd wobble around trying to bury themselves in the sand - there were a ton of them!)

Here's the whole crew at the pool!

Family pic at the pool!

Sherry and Owen - he LOVED the water but didn't care for the beach too much!

Cheeseball!

On the first day in the pool, Drew decided to hold his nose and start swimming under water!  I know he's seen other kids at the pool do this, but he'd never tried.  Once he did it, he loved it and did it over and over.  We were pretty impressed!! Yet, another reason to get this boy in swim lessons - he wants to learn so bad!!  (although, when I told him we need to get him in some lessons, he said, "I don't need lessons Mommy - I already know how to swim!" )

Emma loves her Uncle Grant.  If he wasn't around, she'd be saying, "Grant? Uncle Grant?"

The four cousins in their jammies hanging out!

The kids got to try out Grant and Sherry's boogy boards.

Weeee!

Emma liked the ocean some...but would usually say, "Mommy, hold me!!"

Deep in thought...

These three had a lot of fun playing together!

Another family picture in the pool!  We spent a lot of time in this 1 1/2 foot deep pool.  Emma loved being independent in there and Drew loved swimming underwater and playing with his trucks. 

Here's the bait and tackle shop and pier out in front of our hotel.  I think Chad said the pier was over 900 feet - so it was really out there!  It was always busy and crowded all day and into the night. 

We would always get to the pool bright and early (usually by 9am), and then Emma would be getting pretty tired by 11:30 or so.  She was getting tired and wanted to lay like me in this picture!  =)   I can't believe how tan both our kids got - and we always had SPF 30 to 50 on them!

On the last full day we went to the pool and lazy river on the 6th floor of the parking deck.  When you get up there, the view is breaktaking.  There's a railing, and all you see is ocean and blue skies!  You don't see the road and other stuff unless you get right up to the railing.  Here's a picture of the other building, where we stayed.

Chad and I

Sherry with Owen and Olivia, and Grant in the background.  Drew loved the lazy river!  We put swimmies on him and  he swam around and around and around!  (Emma was napping in the room with Grandmom when we went over here.)

Drew is very in to music, so he absolutely loved playing the guitar with his Uncle Grant!

We went to Calabash to eat on the last night there. Here's Susan and Alan after dinner.

And the whole crew!!

Drew took a picture!

And here's the four of us.

It wouldn't be a beach trip without some putt putt!

Just when we got there to play, Emma exploded in her diaper.  We were limited on wipes and had NO extra clothes in the car with us...so it was an interesting situation!  But luckily Sherry had a sweatshirt of Olivia's!

Drew and Olivia!  =)

On the last night, we finally made it out onto the pier.  Here's Emma and I out at the very end w/ our hotel way in the background.

And the guys did a little late night fishing!

And one last family picture before it was time to pack up the car and head home!  We had so much fun on this trip!  Every year it gets more and more fun as the kids get older and more in to it!  Thanks again Susan and Alan for a great trip!!