the beach house (2017)

This is it… the last of the beach posts! (Are you all breathing a sigh of relief? These have been going on forever, I know, but I have actually loved reliving this time with my little family!)

About one month before we knew Michael would be able to take some time off work, I found a great deal on this little beach house, and it was available for an entire week, which was a longer stay than we had ever had in Myrtle Beach thus far. The girls were so excited and asked to see pictures of it constantly before we headed down there. There was a cute little living room, where we watched a couple of movies at night (Trolls and The Secret Life of Pets)!A dining area (and it became very clear to me that I will never, ever, have a glass tabletop, especially with kids)! It had a little red kitchen! That’s what always seals the deal for me… wherever we stay has to have a kitchen, because there is no way we’d want to eat out for every meal. We cooked and had leftovers for several nights, and bought supplies for breakfast and lunch at the house. We all love our routines, so we were happy eating muffins for breakfast, and salads and sandwiches for lunch, just like at home. This house actually had three bedrooms, but we ended up just using two, since the third one was on the opposite side of the living room, and I didn’t want to put Nella in there all on her own. She slept in the pack ‘n play in our room, and it worked out just fine.
These beds were king-sized, and when Kaya and Kaelyn overheard us saying that, they thought we meant that real kings sleep in them. It was the funniest idea to me, so I went along with their imaginations for the rest of the week. They thought that kings must have owned the beach house, and we were sleeping in their beds. They were also a little concerned that the kings would come back while we were still there. It was pretty adorable.
Kaya and Kaelyn shared this bed (and had plenty of room for Daddy to read to them or Mommy to snuggle in the middle)! On the last morning, we headed out to the beach at sunrise to take our traditional family picture. It’s always so hard to get up and out that early (these were taken around 6:20 am), but it’s always worth it to remember our trip. It’s never too early to be silly!
Goodbye beach!

a rainy day at the beach (2017)

On the second to last day of our trip, there was a high chance of rain, so we wanted to do an activity that would be easy to come and go from, and that would be low-cost (what’s worse than paying to do something and then getting rained out?).

We drove past this local playground a few times during our stay, and we knew our girls would just love it, so we figured it’d be the perfect morning activity.I’ll tell you what, this type of tire swing was my very favorite thing to do at the playground we went to when I was little, but I hopped on it with Kaya, and as an adult, it’s a little too crazy! I get that I’m bigger now and thus there’s more centrifugal force, etc., but it made me so crazy dizzy and a little nauseous. I’m glad the girls enjoyed it, though (without me on it)!
There was a rock wall that Kaelyn climbed over and over, constantly saying, “Watch me, Mama!” Michael and I had a little too much fun playing, too. On our way out, we found a carousel horse statue! We actually spotted a few of these around town on this trip, and I’m sad to say we had never noticed any on our previous vacations. Apparently, they were all created for a benefit auction back in 2003, but they are now very difficult to find due to various businesses and individuals owning them. It’s a fun treasure hunt to see how many you can discover! This one was out in front of the public library. (If you’re curious, there’s more about their history here!) After nap time, we headed down to Broadway at the Beach, which, crazily enough, was literally just down the street from our beach house this year. We had promised Kaya and Kaelyn that they could ride a real carousel (or, as Kaelyn called it, a “carouslide!”) before we left. This one was just beautiful! We bought just enough tickets for them to go on three rides, so they chose these little motorboats next (which were extra cool, since they were in real water)!
We finished it all off with a “hot air balloon” ride! This one actually lifted into the air, and I wasn’t sure how excited Kaelyn would be once that happened, but she ended up loving it.Kaya actually did a pretty good job of spinning it for them! We walked around the boardwalk for a bit more before heading home. We saw Kaelyn’s beloved “Blue Kitty” on the wall, so I had to get a picture of her with it. She sure loves her Beanie Babies!

mini golf, mini golf, and more mini golf!

One of the main attractions for us down in Myrtle Beach is the array of themed mini golf courses! These little girls could never get enough, and I think they’d play all day long if we let them. We kicked off our putt-putt spree with Jungle Safari Golf! This was the first year that Kaelyn had some idea of how to play, so it made things extra fun. Our big Minnie Mouse fan would always excitedly gasp when we asked her if she wanted to go play, thinking that we were saying, “Minnie Golf!” Maybe that would have been an option if we’d gone down to Disney World! šŸ˜‰ She was always happy to play anyway. Kaya was so glad to be golfing around all these animal statues! Can we just reminisce for a moment about Kaya in this exact spot, 3 years ago? The giraffe looks just as dilapidated, but Kaya has grown so much! I forgot to bring the Ergo on this trip, so we took turns carrying Nella around. If she got the chance, she tried to eat our golf balls! I came within one point of tying with Michael on our first game! That’s unusually good for me! Later in the week, we went to Jurassic Mini Golf! The girls loved the animatronic dinosaurs, although they were actually terrified of this Tyrannosaurus Rex that really blinked and roared! Everyone made their best dinosaur faces for a photo! This course had dinosaur footprints all along the walking path. There were also several waterfalls! Kaelyn adopted what we started calling, the “hockey technique”. To be honest, both the girls cheated a little bit, but they’re still so young that we let it go. In a couple years though, it’s on! Right up until the end of the trip, the girls kept requesting (and even asking in their morning prayers) for us to go mini golfing one more time. We ended our final evening with 18 holes at Jungle Lagoon! This course was the most physically challenging with kids. There were two routes, and we chose the one that took us to the very top of the hill in order to see the view. It was a little slippery from all the waterfalls, too. It was a pretty wonderful panorama of the city, though! Sleepy baby! Our trip as a whole wore her out. Kaya struck this pose completely on her own. She is totally my child. We ended it all with a little more “hockey” and some Chinese food. It was the perfect finish to our trip!

on the beach (2017)

I know, I know… two months later and I am still trying to get all my beach trip posts up. Hopefully within the next week, I can finish and call it done, although I’d be mistaken to say that I don’t enjoy reliving these sweet memories and recalling the warmth of the summer during these increasingly chilly fall days. We spent six days down in Myrtle Beach this year, three of which found us on the actual beach.
On the first day, as soon as I set Nella down, she started trying to eat sand. This was a losing battle- she ended up with sand in her diaper for the whole week.
Nevertheless, she was still completely excited and enthusiastic about the time we spent playing on the beach. Twice while we were there, they ended up closing the water to swimmers because the tide was just so rough. I’ve never seen the ocean so tumultuous, but our trip occurred just before all the hurricanes and tropical storms hit, so that definitely would explain it. Kaelyn loved playing in the waves with Daddy! Meanwhile, I still kept trying to prevent Nella from eating sand. On the one day that the waves weren’t too rough, we got to do a little boogie boarding! Michael is a little more experienced than I am, so I liked watching him have fun.Ā Confession- this was actually my first time swimming in the ocean (i.e. I went in further than knee deep). I know, I know! But I only went to the shore once as a kid, and half of the times I’ve been down to Myrtle as an adult, I was pregnant and not looking to go swimming. Anyway, it was so invigorating and refreshing! I loved trying to ride the waves (even in my somewhat inefficient manner). Making sandcastles was definitely on the beach bucket list… (see what I did there?)
This watering can is often an item of contention in our family. Everyone wants a turn with it, all at the same time! Michael helped the girls build up some big fortresses to try and block the waves. He’s really such a fun dad. Meanwhile, I finally wised up in our sand-eating war and tried to keep Nella in the stroller as much as possible. These are the days I will never forget.

michael’s 30th birthday celebration

We celebrated Michael’s big 30th birthday while we were down in Myrtle Beach! What better way to enjoy your birthday than a full week of sunshine, waves, and family time? Okay, so maybe that’s just my dream birthday, but I do think that Michael felt like the solar eclipse was nature’s gift to him that week!

I am awake before him 95% of the time, which made it easy to blow up some surprise balloons. I snuck into the girls’ room to get them to help me, and we would have gone undetected if one hadn’t popped on us in the process. Oops.
Everyone loves surprising Daddy!(forgive my voice, it was first thing in the morning!)Ā 

We got dressed and headed out to brunch at our very favorite eatery down in Myrtle Beach, the Omega Pancake House. Michael ordered something called “The Mac Daddy French Toast”, which was basically a slice of heaven covered in frosting, pecans, bananas, and Nutella. We had to stick the candles in it for a photo! I’d been daydreaming about these pancakes for months, and they were worth the wait! Yes, that’s Nutella drizzled on top. Mmmmm! Kaelyn also ate a lemon while we were there… and loved it! She’s taking after her Uncle Karl…

We spent the rest of the day at Ripley’s Aquarium (which will have to be another blog post, because there are a lot of pictures), and then had pizza and picked up a cake, because I definitely didn’t bring all my baking supplies to the beach! Those candles just keep reappearing. We asked Kaya if 30 is old, and she told us it’s not old, it’s not young, it’s “nothing”. Good answer! Haha. I hope the girls still get this excited about birthdays when we’re 60.
Happy Birthday Buddy! Even though you’re in a whole different decade than me (for now), I still think you’re pretty cool. šŸ˜‰

seeing the solar eclipse (2017)

The solar eclipse fell on the same week as Michael’s available vacation time off of work, and Myrtle Beach was only about an hour away from the totality zone, so of course, we had to go on a family vacation! I’d been throwing around the idea of a family beach trip all summer long, so I was excited that Michael was enthusiastic enough about the eclipse for us to make the drive down there. He ordered our eclipse glasses over a month in advance, and we were ready for the big day. Everyone was pretty pumped!

On the morning of the eclipse, we drove from our beach house to Georgetown, SC, which took about an hour and fifteen minutes due to heavy traffic. The weather was not looking good. There were clouds, intermittent thunderstorms, and pouring rain, but we headed down anyway, hoping it would clear up in time for us to see this natural phenomenon.

We actually went to an LDS church, since we figured the members there might have some kind of event going on and the building might be open. We were right, and it was nice to have access to air conditioning, bathrooms, and somewhere to nurse the baby while we waited for totality. We had packed our lunches, and had a little picnic in the Primary room.The clouds kept moving, and at times, the sun wasn’t visible at all. The rain had stopped, at least, but we were hoping it would be clear at the most important moment!

I have to be honest, I was a little nervous about the whole thing, because I had seen too many “warning posts” online that insinuated that eye injury was inevitable, and how people shouldn’t let their kids watch it at all. We were careful, and talked to the girls about how we never ever stare at the sun on any day. We explained that if they wanted to look at the eclipse, they had to wear their glasses. They actually did really well (and Nella had no idea what was going on, never looked up, and I kept her facing away from the sun, so she was fine).Just minutes before we reached totality, temperatures dropped noticeably. Can you see how odd the lighting is in this photo? It was the weirdest natural light I’ve ever seen, and as a photographer, I’m glad I don’t ever have to deal with these odd shadows when doing a session for someone! We watched through our glasses as the moon moved over the sun, and then, through the lenses, it was completely black. This was the only time it was okay to take them off, and when I did so, I was surprised not to see complete darkness where the sun once was, but a glowing, beautiful orb. It reminded me of a diamond, and there are no pictures online that even come close to portraying how amazing an eclipse actually is. I think I’ll never forget that moment of beauty. We had a full minute and 21 seconds of totality, and it went by so quickly that I’m glad I didn’t waste any of it by attempting to take pictures. I soaked it in with my family, which was what Michael and I both wanted.Michael used this app to time the entire thing, which ended up being great for counting down to it, and for knowing when to put our glasses back on as totality neared its end.

Kaelyn was completely obsessed with the entire experience. We actually rubberbanded her glasses together to keep them on her head, which turned out to be a great idea. She stared and stared in wonder, and I’m glad we were able to give all the girls the chance to see this. Kaya was nervous it was going to get very dark outside, so she was a little hesitant, but it was actually never as dark as we all expected it to be.

We ended the day with some Krispy Kreme “eclipse” donuts!Michael had the best time of all, and he’s so excited about eclipses now that he’s already looking forward to the one in 2024!

dragon’s lair mini golf & the skywheel

On our last full day at the beach, we headed down to Broadway at the Beach to walk around for a bit. Mini golf was on our must-do list, so when we saw “Dragon’s Lair Fantasy Golf”, we knew we had to try it!_MG_7664Who wouldn’t want to golf inside a castle?_MG_7661 Kaya was SO excited about golfing (maybe she remembered last year?), and was big enough for her own club this time. She was persistent and made it through 14 of the 18 holes before she was just too tired to keep going._MG_7649 Cutest little putter I ever did see!_MG_7652 _MG_7651Kaelyn and Caroline were troopers in the heat and enjoyed just watching from the stroller!_MG_7658 Kaelyn’s entertainment was trying to takeĀ her hat off the entire time…_MG_7655 After naps and some more time at the beach, we headed down to the boardwalk to get some dinner. We passed a place called “New York Pizza” and stopped in. It reminded me of this little pizzeria we had in the town I grew up in, so I was hoping the pizza would be just as good. Well… it was amazing. And HUGE. And I didn’t take a picture of it because we were too busy stuffing it into our mouths…_MG_7667Afterward, we headed further down the boardwalk to ride the SkyWheel._MG_7669 Normally, I’m terrified of ferris wheels, since the cars usually seem rickety and about to fall off the hinges. The SkyWheel was all enclosed and didn’t rock at all, so I loved it. It was so beautiful to see the whole city from up there!_MG_7672Question: How many crazy people can you fit in one ferris wheel car?IMG_20150521_210253_1And that’s the last of the beach posts. It’s time to go back so I have something elseĀ interesting to write about, right?

on the beach

There’s just something magical about the beach that makes me never want to leave.

Hot sand on your toes, the clearest blue sky, and the swish-swish of the ocean current. The view of the pier, people laughing, and kids running up and down the beach.

Those things might have something to do with it._MG_7601 Hearing Kaya creep into our bed in the early hours of the morning, whispering “beach beach beach!” added a whole new level of excitement to our trip. There’s nothing like watching your children enjoy the experiences you’re providing for them._MG_7589 We spent our first morning (and second afternoon) on the beach. Poor Kaelyn started to cry the moment I put her in the sand. I definitely wasn’t expecting this reaction from my typically calm, easy-going baby!_MG_7579Baby Caroline was more than happy to just sit in the sand (and attempt to eat seashells)!
_MG_7591 Kaya definitely had the best time of anyone. She had some brand-new beach toys to try out, andĀ everyone helped her build a little moat to play in. She was thrilled!_MG_7599 Kaya’s construction team šŸ™‚ :_MG_7593Everyone took turns walking her down to the water to fill up her bucket…
_MG_7602 _MG_7587 _MG_7596Brittany and I sat our babies on our laps, right at the edge of the water. It was so fun to watch their reactions when the cool waves would wash over our legs!
_MG_7605 Someone was happier after some mommy cuddles and getting a turn to play with the bucket…_MG_7608 These are my favorite days._MG_7622

sleepin’ on the rooftop

Or, you know, the 21st floor. Same thing, right?_MG_7564 We stayed on the 21st floor of the Oceans One Resort when we went down to Myrtle Beach! We had a spectacular view. Just don’t look directly down…Ā you might start to get a bit of vertigo!_MG_7565Seriously… it was so wonderful to read a book out on the balcony and listen to the waves crashing below.
_MG_7566 _MG_7558We enjoyed our own room (and bathroom)! Michael and IĀ took the bed, Kaya camped out on the floor (and didn’t mind one bit, probably because she still chooses to sleep on the floor at home!), and Kaelyn had the pack ‘n play. It was a giant room!_MG_7568We enjoyed some cable TV (mostly HGTV) šŸ™‚ …_MG_7570 … lots of Apple Jacks cereal…_MG_7574 … and cute matching outfits!_MG_7639 Kaelyn enjoyed mostly just sitting around andĀ taking lessons from Caroline on how to crawl._MG_7576 There were several pools and even a lazy river downstairs. Brittany and I got to enjoy some time there just by ourselves after the kids went to bed on the first night! Michael took Kaya through it the next afternoon. We all loved it!_MG_7629 Our view at night was incredible- we could even see the SkyWheel! We enjoyed the city lights and ice cream on the balcony._MG_7636

weekend + home from the beach

We spent last week down at Myrtle Beach with our great friends, Ben and Brittany! We enjoyed so much sun, swimming, and good food. Friday morning, we packed up and headed home… vacation always seems to go by so fast! The beach is one of my favorite places for sure. I’ll definitely be sharing a lot of pictures from our adventuresĀ over this coming week.
_MG_7696 We came back to real life and the most gorgeous spring weather… so naturally, we enjoyed eating outside both on Saturday and Memorial Day! Kaya was so excited for our picnic on Saturday, even though she was insistent on “no grilled cheese [for] Peeky”. She was missing out- sharp cheddar, pesto, and roasted red peppers make a mean sandwich._MG_7746 My littlest cutie is always patiently watching!_MG_7747And she makes a pouty-lip face even she’s happy. Haha._MG_7751Kaya and Daddy goofed off on the playground for a little while. There’s no better way to get your energy out just before bedtime!
_MG_7761Most of my favorite moments are so small and maybe not “blog-worthy” to most, but it’s these little family activities that fill my heart with the most joy. I’m so thankful for all those special, small things that build a lifetime of memories.

Hope everyone had an amazing weekend!