Myrtle Beach - The Excitement

Our family just returned from vacationing at Myrtle Beach. Besides the bazillions of pictures and video clips I have to sort through, there is sand everywhere (How come towels can retain sand even after being washed and dried? And how come ear canals reveal new sand grains after each shower?) and there are tan bodies to prove the time outside was well spent.

A beach getaway with three kids requires lots of excess baggage. Sand toys, snacks, pool toys, snacks, portable crib, snacks, stroller, snacks, diapers, snacks, swim diapers, snacks...! I'm rarely delighted to say I drive a minivan, but when it's time to pack for a trip, I'm actually thrilled to say I drive a minivan.

With gear packed in every nook and cranny we were off and ready for several days at the beach! A short four hour drive seemed like an eternity to me since I was excited to be in the waves and sand, but the boys admitted it was "much, much, much, much [insert several more muches] shorter than driving to Grandma and Grandpa's house." True, very true.

While checking in to our hotel, Micah was greeted by Captain I-Forget-His-Name and his Parrot. Although Grady Lee is my kid that loves animals, he wanted nothing to do with petting or getting near the bird.

After getting to our room and scoping things out, we quickly changed into swimsuits and hightailed it to the pools. Yes, the pools. There were 10 of them, and five more that we had access to at the adjoining hotel. We never mentioned those pools to the boys because it would only mean more work to venture over there. And we never mentioned the bowling alley or arcade that were just a few floors up from our room. What they don't know won't hurt them.

A pirate ship set up as a pool and splash park... an adventure land that had my boys curious and exploring and pretending and swimming for a long time.

Another pool had an island in the center, which of course meant endless jumps and "rescues to get the trapped people off the island before the fire comes!" Don't ask me - your guess is as good as mine. A fire on a concrete island in the center of a wet pool? I've said it before, firemen and their rescues follow us everywhere we go. This was no exception. And I'm sure every other parent around us was slightly paranoid and silently looking over their shoulder every time on of my boys would scream, "Fire! Fire!" at the top of his lungs.

It didn't take long before my boys discovered the lazy river and before I knew it, we were circling around and around and around. Again and again and again.

Our hotel was in a great area and allowed us to walk most everywhere we wanted. The boys counted palm trees and mopeds. Grady did his best to maintain patience every time one of them swung an arm into oncoming people traffic. And Annalyse and I moseyed behind a few steps relishing the quiet.

Evening walks on the beach are my favorite. Not really the calm hand-in-hand walks with my husband that I remember enjoying, but still full of fun and relaxation, just in a different kind of way.

The boys love the water and the waves and the sand. They squeal and laugh when waves hit them and "the sand melts under my toes!" They think each shell they find is "berry, berry beautiful and a special treasure that I need to bring home."

The steady and calm walking along the water with the gentle breeze blowing must have been pretty relaxing for Annalyse...

... because it didn't take much for her little head to bob around and finally rest in sweet sleep.

In fact, the longer we walked and the more we enjoyed the waves...

... the lower her head began to sink. Her neck looked horribly kinked and uncomfortable, but try as I may to change her position she'd tumble back right how she was.

So, while Annalyse napped, the boys played in the water and Grady and I enjoyed some uninterrupted conversation. Peaceful. Relaxing. Memorable.

When Annalyse woke up a while later (or maybe it was Grady that woke her up because he wondered if she was getting air based on the way her neck was crunched and her head was facing), we let her get her toes in the sand for the first time.

She giggled and smiled and seemed to like it...

... until we set her down and then the fun came to a halt. Nope - not a fan of the sand. Or maybe it was just because she was tired and upset her nap was interrupted. Or maybe it was because it was nearing 9:00 pm and she was hungry and it was beyond bedtime.

All I know is that by the time we got back to the hotel and had kids showered, they were asleep - soundly - in a matter or minutes. That's the beach life... play hard and then sleep hard.

The next day came bright and early with two little boys asking to go swimming - asking to go swimming when it wasn't even 8:00 am yet. Um, no. I don't think so. A cartoon in their bedroom kept them occupied while Grady and I tried to ease into the day and gear up for adventures at the beach. But, more about that tomorrow. I've got to sort through all these pictures first...