Beach Vacation - Day 1

The day finally arrived for us to leave for our annual beach vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC.  We love taking our kids to Myrtle because there is just so much for kids to do there.  While I love a more laid back and less crowded beach more than anything, I know that right now it is more important for my kids to have a good time.  I have fond memories of vacations at Myrtle when I was a child so I am happy to pass those memories on.  Every year, we try to do something really special.  Last year, we took Evan to see Dolly Parton's new dinner show, Pirate's Voyage.  It used to be the Dixie Stampede, but she decided it was time for a change.  That show was definitely a lot of fun, and Evan enjoyed getting dressed up like a pirate for the show.  This year, we decided to make it a "knightly" affair, but I'll tell you more about that later.  As I've already written, we got a later start than planned on Friday afternoon so we didn't arrive at our resort until almost 10:00 p.m.  The kids were tired of being in the car for so long.  We have stayed at this resort for the past three years because of all its amenities for kids.  It has a huge indoor water park complete with four water slides, lazy rivers inside and out, and a bunch of splash pool areas in two buildings as well as the outside pools.  We could probably spend our entire vacation at our resort and have plenty of fun.  For anyone who is interested, the resort is called Dunes Village.  One part of the resort that Evan loves is a little sheltered putt putt area.  While Daddy checked us in, we waited for him in this area.  Brody woke up and wanted to get down and play a little too.  For some reason, all the pictures I took of Evan on this night turned out blurry.  I have to work on my skills using the camera at night.  Ha!

Brody is introduced to putt putt. 

It was so funny that of all the flags he could have pulled and carried around, he chose the #1 flag since that is his age!  

The next morning, we got up and ate breakfast in the hotel's restaurant that has a breakfast buffet.  After this day, we went to the grocery store and purchased food for breakfast and lunch and only went out to eat for dinner.  We then hit the beach from about 10:00 to 1:00 when we came in for lunch.

The camera still had a little fog here, but I just love this picture showing Brody's instantaneous love of the ocean.  

He loved it all!

He loved playing in the "mud." 

The face says it all.

A new love of boogie boarding.

He looked like a champ riding the waves. 

He was having a blast!

Riding one in. 

I just love this sweet shot of my big baby!

Buried in the waves.

This baby wasn't scared at all.  We had to hold onto him to keep him from jumping in!

We don't know why he does this shoulder shrugging grin all the time, but we think it is so cute. 

I just love this happy baby so much!

And he's off!

Discovering a love for sand too.

He loved his shovel and pail. 

Showing off his shovel. 

Checking it out. 

A face of sheer determination and concentration.

"Hey, what's in here?"

Dig dig dig

Love some sandy toes. 

"I need to try a different spot 'cause there's nothing here but sand." 

WATER PARK!

A ride on the lazy river.  Kids love these dolphin cars.

A ride with my two little men. 

We lost a passenger.

He just decided he wanted to ride by himself.

But he still hung out with us. 

Brody looks so serious, but he was clapping for joy. 

Love his pucker lips. 

My silly big boy

Evan's favorite past time.  He waved on the way down.

He loved the water slides!

Love his happy face as he made a big splash. 

My big boy

Love that face!

Down he goes.  He did this dozens of times. 

This baby just loves water any way he can get it.  He absolutely must touch it!

That face says it all. 

Not scared a bit. 

Serious baby face. 

He found another love...basketball!

Score!  He clapped for himself every time. 

The ball was a little big for the goal so he had to push it through. 

Big brother could not get enough!

After playing at the beach in the morning, eating lunch, and then playing in the water park in the afternoons, we would then take baths/showers and get ready for dinner.  On the first night, we headed to Barefoot Landing which is the older boardwalk shopping and restaurant area (the newer one being Broadway at the Beach).  I still love the cozier feel of Barefoot Landing and enjoy strolling along the decks that stretch across the marshland with quaint beach shops and many great restaurants.  We weren't sure which restaurant we were going to visit so we just decided to check the wait times.  With this being the last busy holiday weekend of the summer, most of the wait times were over an hour, but we discovered a place called Fire Island Grille that had very little wait.  I really don't know why this place wasn't busy because the atmosphere was adorable and the food was delicious.  I think that it is partly due to it being at the back of the area and its entrance being at the back of the establishment away from the flow of traffic.  It has a cute Hawaiian tiki theme, and Evan loved the decor.

After getting cleaned up and dressed, he discovered he liked sitting in this drawer. 

Daddy giving Evan some food for the turtles and fish. 

Evan loves feeding the wildlife. 

Watching the food get devoured. 

Turtles were the lucky recipients. 

While Daddy and I were discussing what to eat, he ran over to "ride" this little cow.  

He also rode it last year:

Oh man, I totally didn't realize he wore the same shirt both years!  Ha!

Daddy enjoyed his delicious steak. 

Mommy had some scrumptious grilled shrimp skewers. 

And Brody devoured his hot dog and fries.  He wasn't actually going to eat the fries because we ordered him some mashed potatoes, but after he ate the mashed potatoes, he grabbed one. 

After eating all his hot dog, he then decided he was still hungry and grabbed the bun. 

A NIGHTLY GAME OF PUTT PUTT!

Evan practicing for when we go play a "real" game. 

Brody quickly learned the principle of the game. 

Looking like a big boy going for a stroll. 

Taking his ball to the hole. 

He got a kick out of dropping the ball in the hole and then clapping, of course.   He must do that anytime he is proud of himself.  

Sweet boy.  I remember when big brother wore this outfit on his "first" trip to the beach.  Evan wore it at 2! 

I love how blonde his hair is looking these days and how shaggy it has gotten.  I really hate to cut it!  

The final putt of the night!