Vacation - Chapter 1

We had a wonderful vacation - filled with lots of relaxing by the pool and on the beach, eating tons of good food, and spending quality time with family. I could probably write a book on all of our funny little experiences, so I'll try to limit them to a few days worth of blogs instead of one HUGE one!

And, I did take TONS of pictures, but I took them with my good ole 35 mm camera, since the quality is much better. Problem with that is that it will probably be a few days before I get them back and upload them... stay tuned.

The trip to the beach was not bad at all. We left at about 4:30 on Saturday, July 5 (our 5 year anniversary, I must add). Of course, Bailey was wide awake and way too excited to go back to sleep, so she was up the entire trip. Yes... the entire trip. But, I can't complain. She was wonderful. She watched her shows and snacked on various junkies. Jake was also wonderful. He slept on and off throughout the trip. By the third (of at least six stops), he had grown tired of getting in and out of the car and threw terrible temper tantrums when we put him back in the car seat. It was understandable though. He doesn't love TV the way Bailey does and he's not quite as used to traveling as Bailey has always been. All in all, it wasn't bad. We arrived at Myrtle Beach at about 4:30 that evening.

We were greeted by the rest of the family when we arrived. The boys - Eian, Braden, and Gage - were all anxiously awaiting our arrival and helped us unpack the luggage rack quite quickly. :) It was very exciting, especially for the kids. They probably felt like royalty. We spent the evening in the lazy river downstairs, eating pizza with the kids, and enjoying the view of the beach. Bailey finally crashed at about 10 that night. Long hours for such a little girl, but she couldn't miss a thing.

Sunday morning... Bailey was the first one up at about 7 a.m. No sleeping in on our vacations... at least not yet. Later in the morning, we headed out to the pool and beach. Bailey was all geared up and ready to go. She and Jake absolutely loved the pools - there were baby pools, big pools, indoor and outdoor. Their favorite though was the lazy river. With their arm swimmies on, they could easily just float through the lazy river without any effort. Both of them absolutely loved it. We walked out to the beach, but didn't really get in the water on Sunday. Jake wasn't sure about the sand... you know that stuff really sticks to your hands and he's not big on getting his hands dirty. He must take after his daddy. :) Eventually, he would get used to it.

Unfortunately, my dad and brother had to head back for work that evening. We only had a few hours at the pool and beach with them before they left. It was sad for me to see them both go. Cory is the closest thing I have to a sister (who else would tell me I look fat in certain outfits without making me mad?!). And, as I explained to my husband a few weeks ago, most of my favorite vacation memories as a kid are spending time with my dad. Maybe it was because he worked so hard, that it was great to have his undivided attention on our vacations. I happen to think that my dad and I have a special bond when it comes to the beach. For some reason, it's always been a love of ours - the rolling waves, evening storms, breezy winds... It's just something that I know my dad admires as much as I do. So, being there with everyone but him and Cory made it a little less than perfect. BUT... we still had a great time.

More to come... as a teaser - Jake becomes hell on wheels... Bailey crashes... the boys attempt a take over without Cory (don't worry, we win)... and a Walmart cashier makes me feel like I'm really young.