We headed to the beach for our annual family beach trip with all of Matt's extended family. This year, we decided to rent a beach house that was actually on Sunset Beach rather than everyone stay at Matt's grandparents house (packed in like sardines I might add!) on the mainland. I think everyone agreed that the extra space and nearness to the beach itself was well worth the money spent. We will be renting from now on!
The crew consisted of: Matt's parents (Nana & BB), Uncle John & Aunt Dana, Aunt Lynn, cousins Ron, Mamie, & Sid (who is 5), cousins Will & Charity, and us. Oma and Opa (Matt's grandparents) came and went throughout the week. We were also able to visit with Papa (Matt's grandfather) two times while we were at the beach.
The house was just about perfect for our group & had lots of space that we could spread out. There was also lots of outdoor space that we could enjoy, including a big screened in porch, sun deck and an overlook deck on the very top of the house. There was also plenty of space under the house for us to store all of our stuff (and this crew brings the stuff!) I really think the only thing that we didn't have was an extra fridge (there was even an extra sink under the house for cleaning up outside along with a nice outdoor shower!) We all took turns cooking dinner at night (each couple had a night) which worked out wonderfully for everyone!
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| Our view from the parch on top of the house. The beach access was between the 2 houses on the right. |
And the very best thing about the house...we only had to walk across
the street to get to the beach!!! In the past, we have had to load up
the cars with all our beach gear, drive about 1 mile, find a parking
space (which isn't all that easy), unload, and then haul everything out
to the beach. It usually took about 1hr from start to finish every day
to go & then come home from the beach. EXHAUSTING! This year, we
could go and come as we pleased. Hungry? A short walk and you could fix
a sandwich. Hot? A short walk would put you back inside the nice,
cool house.
We started the week (Saturday about 4pm)
with a tornado warning while unpacking the cars. The kids, Nana, Oma,
and I hung out in the very hot, very stuffy storage closets under the
house until the storm had past. After the crazy storm passed, it
continued to rain/storm throughout the rest of the night. Brayden and
Sid had a great time standing on the porch watching cars drive through
the flooded road in front of the house! Unfortunately, the rain
continued on & off through Tuesday but we did get a little beach
time in both days.
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| Lunch on the beach - Lilly and Sid |
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| Brayden and Lilly |
Monday night was fairly clear, so while dinner was being cooked, Mamie
and I took a bike ride to get out of the LOUD house! I had not been on a
bike in about 20 yrs but I didn't fall at all. We road down to the
little market on the island and bought some much needed wine! After
Lilly was in bed, Matt and I took Brayden back over to the beach to fly a
kite. It was VERY windy so we had no problems getting the kite up in
the air! Shortly after we went on the beach, Mamie, Aunt Lynn, and Sid
also come to fly another kite. Then BB, Uncle John, and Aunt Dana
showed up with a soccer ball and wiffle ball/bat. Brayden quickly lost
interest in the kite at that point :)
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| Kite flying |
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On Tuesday, Mamie and I decided to take the boys to the movies to see
Monsters University. Very cute movie! This was Brayden's 1st time in a
theater and I don't know that he really liked it. I warned him that it
would be loud, dark, and that the screen would be huge. He says that
he didn't like the movie, but now that a few weeks has passed, he talks
about the movie some, so I think he actually enjoyed the movie, but
maybe not the theater itself.
Wednesday, after spending the morning/early afternoon on the beach, Matt
and I were able to get away for a few hours & go to the outlets
sans kids! Thank you Nana, BB, Uncle John, Aunt Dana, and whoever else
watched the kids for us to have this time away! We both bought some much
needed new clothing for great prices! The rest of the crew showed up
at the outlets about 2hrs after we did and everyone did a bit more
shopping.
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| The coolest Uncle ever! He "rode" in the plane and bus with them! |
We all then ate in the food court (because that is how we
roll) and then went to a Myrtle Beach Pelicans baseball game. This is
now the 3rd year (I think) that we have gone to the baseball game. It
really is a lot of fun and something different for us to do together as a
family. Brayden was brave and went out on the field with Sid and had
his program signed by 2 players! He decided against running the bases
however. Maybe next year.
My sweet boy in his new Pelicans baseball cap
Splash the Pelican
Silly girl - this is her "say cheese" face right now
Brayden enjoying some time with Aunt Dana
Being entertained with a ticket and pen
Brayden and Uncle John
Charity, Aunt Lynn, Mamie, and Sid
Lilly found Aunt Lynn's sunglasses! | |
Thursday was another beautiful day! We hung out on the beach all day,
had hamburgers/hotdogs for dinner, went for a nice long walk/bike ride
together, and watched fireworks! When we went on our walk, Charity told
us about an isolated part of the beach that she and Will had found at
the end of the island. The tide was fairly high so we didn't have a lot
of sand to walk on for a while, but eventually the beach widened (even
though it had been underwater at high tide) and we had lots of space for
the boys to run. Charity and the boys were on the look out for fish
and/or crabs. They were determined to catch some but the fish were
always too fast! I did find what I think is a large sharks tooth
though.
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| Beautiful sunset - sound side of Sunset Beach |
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| Not sure what that face is all about... look at the wide, empty beach! So wonderful! |
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| Enjoying her wagon ride on our walk |
We spent another day on the beach Friday and then after dinner some of
us went to play putt-putt. Brayden, Sid, Aunt Lynn, Aunt Dana, Uncle
John, Matt, Lilly, and I all played putt-putt at our favorite place.
Every one had a great time, even though Lilly was tired and grumpy most
of the time.
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| Lilly was NOT happy about being in the stroller while the rest of us got to play |
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| Crazy Sid |
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| Aunt Lynn and Lilly |
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| Brayden getting ready to put |
Thanks for the wonderful memories, Sunset Beach! We will be back again soon for more fun in the sun!!
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| It says "Brayden's Field"...he made a football/soccer field in the sand |
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| Such a sweet picture...Daddy and his little girl hand in hand |
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| Sound asleep. She slept like this for about 2 hours on 2 different days! |
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| Brayden asked for a deep tunnel, so Matt and I started digging |
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| The tide pools were wonderful everyday! One day, we built up these walls and made a deeper pool for the kids to play in. They had a blast for several hours before the surf came along and destroyed out handy work. |
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| A new favorite picture of Brayden |
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| Uncle John helping Brayden build a big sandcastle...again, greatest Uncle ever! |
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| and she also sleeps on Daddy at the beach |
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| Stolen from Aunt Dana's FB page...Sweet girl having a snack |
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| Aunt Dana caught a crab...which then pinched her finger! |
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| Aunt Dana and the boys |
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| Aunt Dana and Sid...this photo totally captures both of their personalities :) |
