In planning our vacation this year, we remembered that Matt's previous secretary at his work, and her husband (LOVE them!) had a beach house at Myrtle Beach.
We had talked with them about it before, about possibly renting it one year.
This year it seemed to work out so easily!
We checked out the rates, and noticed that the first week of September was relatively cheaper, and it was even better because Matt would already have a day off for Labor Day Weekend!
We asked around, and it worked out that our friends Justin & Kelly, and their daughter Sydney were able to go with us! Woo hoo!
(They are friends of ours from college. After college, Justin accepted a job for an engineering firm, that soon after transferred him out to Omaha, Nebraska. They met Case as a newborn, right after we came home from the hospital with him, and then moved out west. The year we were pregnant with Rhett, they were pregnant with their first daughter, Sydney! Turns out, Sydney was ready to come early, which ended up making Rhett and Sydney's birthdays only 9 days apart!
Well, just recently, Justin was transferred back home! Not only that, after renting and looking for a house, they found one...literally up the street and around the corner from us!
So excited that they are not only back, but so close to us!)
I have to admit, it was strange seeing July and August pass us by without packing up and heading to the beach. I felt as I was saying Good-bye to summer, and it felt weird to still have a beach vacation coming up!
Especially because we had just started t-ball with Case, and we would be missing Case's first week of Little Blessings Preschool! Don't worry though, I definitely wasn't complaining that we were missing out on anything because we would be at the beach. ;)
So, we packed up. Packed so much stuff. So much.
We all decided to leave at night, and hoped and prayed the little ones would sleep through the night in the trucks.
I was a nervous wreck about it, because my boys do NOT sleep well in the car.
We put Rhett down as normal, and kept Case up late, hoping he would crash eventually in the car.
Then scooped up our babies and took off for the ocean.
Well, they both slept on and off. Neither of them sleeping through the night.
Case started complaining that his back hurt, and at times both of them were just plain mad they were in their car seats.
Can't blame them!
Well after a very long night, we finally saw the sun rising.
Which is always so refreshing I think, especially on a road trip!
Then, finally, that glorious moment came when we were approaching the beach house and saw our first glimpse of that big beautiful ocean!
...
Minutes later, we arrived at our perfect beach house!
It has two living quarters if you will, two bedrooms on each side.
A large living room/ dining room in the middle with the kitchen off the side of the dining room.
It could not have been more perfect for two families!
...
After unpacking the cars, the big boys went to take naps.
Kelly & I quickly child proofed and let the kids run around and get out some energy!
After the Daddy's woke up, Kelly and I found a Kroger, and did the big grocery shopping for the week.
We all agreed that we wanted to head out to a local seafood place the first night, so after a lazy day of lounging and unpacking, we ventured out to a restaurant.
We played peek a boo.
Case played on Daddy's iPhone.
We got very creative in entertaining these three kids while out to dinner! Hee!
I even tried crab that night!
It was okay. ;)
I ordered my calamari though, so I have definitely branched out over the years.
After dinner, Kelly and I found a guy making balloon animals.
We tipped him way too much, especially since the balloon animals literally didn't even survive the trip home.
So seeing as we had told our children that we were going to the beach, there was no way we couldn't go see that ocean the first day there.
We went straight to the ocean after dinner, clothes and all.
The following day was of course, a beach day!
I only took a few pictures that day, too busy playing!
...
That evening, Kelly and I caught the sweetest pictures of the little ones while Matt & Justin were grilling.
Oh, and here is what we were looking at from the back deck...
Gorgeous!
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Monday morning we headed to the aquarium.
Then walked around, looked around at the shops, and had lunch before heading home for naps.
We stopped at the grocery before heading home, just for a few minutes.
This isn't a big story or anything, but while waiting, the boys were cracking themselves up.
We bought Case a really loud, obnoxious gun from the Aquarium gift shop, and Rhett was taking his turn.
Rhett would shoot him, and Case would laugh, and then they got themselves giggling and CRACKING up.
Which made Mama crack up...just a sweet moment I want to remember always. :)
...
Tuesday, the big boys went golfing,
so Kelly & I took the kids to their local Children's Museum and out to pizza!
We had fun!
But you better believe we got a girls day too! ;)
...
More beach days.
They are the best.
We had brought a clear tub, to carry all of our beach stuff in.
Well, Matt & Justin, being the enginerds engineers that they are, quickly dug a hole and made the kids a redneck underground pool for the beach!
Have to admit. It was pretty awesome.
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What was great about going with another family like ours, was we both understand the amazingness (yes I just made up a word) of alone time. Alone time without little crazies I mean. ;)
The big boys and the big girls, would swap times with the kids and times alone at the beach.
We also swapped giving each other date nights.
So much fun!
More perfect beach days...
All the kids were at SUCH fun ages to take to the beach.
Case loved to run up and down the shore, and run away from the waves approaching the beach.
He was a little weary of the big waves, and wouldn't venture out into the ocean more than a few feet.
Which meant we didn't have to watch him like a hawk this year, and Rhett although, pretty much fearless takes cues from his big brother and never walked far into the ocean on his own.
Rhett would stand with his tiny feet in the water, jump, and land on his little tush and crack up.
Over and over again.
Case would run, and splash and play.
They both loved playing in the sand.
Sydney was the same, they all loved the sand, and playing with their toys.
This was Sydney's first trip to the beach! You would have thought she was a pro!
So. Much. Fun.
As our week was coming to an end, we decided to check out the pier on the last day.
Thanks to a sweet fisherman, this is our only picture that we have of the whole crew!
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That evening, we had plans to meet up with Kelli & Chris (Matt's step-sister & her husband)
since they had just moved to Myrtle beach for Chris' job!
Well, a lot of things played into the epic fail of going out to dinner that night.
The kids were WORN out.
It was the last night, and they had a week full of crazy busy, beach filled, playing hard, days.
Kelli & Chris ran into horrible traffic, and were running behind.
The kids were already melting down.
Matt ordered some orange juice concoction, that he chugged.
Case & Rhett were sitting right next to each other. (This is a big no no)
Rhett smacked Case in the face.
Case smacked his own face to show me what Rhett did.
Case cried after each of those because it hurt.
I'm drinking my beer.
Some sweet guy says, you know what you need? You need a sucker.
I then point out to him the half eaten sucker thrown on the floor.
My nachos I ordered came out wrong.
Kids are screaming.
Case's kids meal goes FLYING across the restaurant. Not kidding.
Mommy quickly snatches up her insane wild children and walks outside to have a serious chat with Case.
Kelli & Chris arrive, and tell us we don't have to stick around, they know it's hard with the kids.
We are so sad, because it seriously was just going even further down hill with the children.
I try and hug them, talk to them about her new pregnancy, as I'm swinging Rhett around on my hip and laser beaming the "Don't you dare Mom look" at Case with my eyes.
Kelli orders the same orange juice drink Matt had because she said it sounded awesome.
Turns out that orange drink was an alcoholic drink.
Realize Matt just ordered an $8 drink.
So that meant the pregnant girl just ordered an $8 alcoholic drink.
My kids are crying again.
Aaaaaannnnnnnd we're done.
(SHEW!!!)
We hugged them Good-bye, and apologized over and over again about our dining experience!
Thankfully our waitress, and everyone around us was so sweet and understanding.
So we head home, grab a lot few beers, and high tail it to the beach.
After all it was the last night, and we seriously needed that ocean to improve the mood.
It definitely worked.
How amazing is our God.
Breathtaking.
So, I realize there are entirely too many pictures in this post.
I just can't stop, I seriously have a problem.
But, as much as my hubby pokes fun at me, I know without a doubt that we will
absolutely LOVE looking at these pictures years from now.
Especially when they are moody teenagers and don't want to talk to us.
Hee!
We had an amazing time.
It was such a wonderful week, spending time with friends, and watching our little ones
dive in and love the ocean that their creator made for them.
It was a beautiful week, and for Matt and I so much fun to watch the boys interact with the ocean and compare it to the previous years.
They have changed and grown so much!
Even though a vacation with kids these ages, isn't quite a relaxing vacation...
it was so much fun.
So thankful that we were able to take such a fun trip together,
and experience these special moments with our sweet little ones.
We made irreplaceable memories.
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