As confident as I am, I am also very humbled to say that each trip/adventure is a learning experience. Our Myrtle Beach vacation was like no other vacation that I have ever taken. We had already taken the twins to the beach once before (when they were around nine months), but this trip added a new little one to the gang and the twins are busier than ever. New situation=new things to be learned. So, I've decided to make a list of all the wonderful things that I gathered while experiencing our first family vacation as a family of five....hopefully not our last....hehehehe!
1. Rent a U-haul: Yep, you read it right. The Yukon XL that we recently purchased still isn't big enough!!! Thank the Lord that my parents travelled with us, and we were able to throw some things into their vehicle. Let me paint a picture. We were loaded down with three suitcases, beach bags filled with toys, swimsuits, and towels, the baby swing, the bouncy seat, booster seats for the twins to eat lunch and breakfast in, bottles and sippy cups galore, two boxes of size 2 and size 4 diapers (and don't forget the swimmy diapers), cameras, bed rails for the twins, the pack and play for MJ, about 10 bags of groceries, which included all of the twins favorite snacks and MJ's formula, and the list could go on and on. By the time I had packed it all up, I was exhausted. Its' funny. For the first year EVER...I didn't pack 50 million outfits and pairs of shoes for myself. I went with a bare minimum for clothing and ONE swimsuit. MY how things change...hahaha!
This really doesn't paint a great picture. This is Faith and Cam...very TIRED of the riding as you can tell. You can see the swing up to the roof in this pic! For next year's vacation, we are in the market for one of those things you hook to the top of your car for extra storage.....GEEZ!
2. Don't bring toys....the luggage cart will do!: So, I thought that I would bring a FEW toys for the kids to play with in the room. I brought several books (one for each night at bedtime) and one thing for each child. Well, that was a dumb idea....except for the books...we really used those. When we got into the room, the toys were a thing of the past! I turned my back for two seconds, and there THEY were....having a ball on the luggage cart! Those little monkeys!
3. Don't rent an umbrella unless you KNOW that you will use it!: Okay, this was REALLY dumb of us. I recall on our ride to the beach that I said, "If the kids like the beach, we will rent an umbrella." So, why did we rent one before we stayed out there more than fifteen minutes? I do NOT know. We rented the dang thing for three days...a whopping $75!!! The kids liked the beach, but they wanted NO part of the umbrella. They preferred to stay on the "hard" sand right by the water....and that was for a VERY SHORT TIME. Therefore, we wasted our money!!! This is the only evidence that the thing was used. MJ came down for a brief visit, too!
4. Bring two of EVERYTHING. Well, for the most part, I did....just not for the most important thing for playing on the beach....the bucket. In my defense, the toy pack that I bought DID have two buckets. Just not two LARGE buckets. Faith and Cameron both wanted the BIG bucket. It was one of the few things that entertained them on the beach. They fought over it...A...LOT. At least I brought two shovels, though!!! Same size and same color...ha! Notice that Faith loved to drink the salt water.
5. Go to restaurants that have balloons....hey, who said Hooters wasn't kid friendly??? Okay, so I was not THAT enthused that our family dinner would be spent at Hooters. We were trying to find a place that had great hamburgers. When we couldn't find the specific restaurant, my family whipped into Hooters (we had to caravan every night....my family, my parents, and my sister's family). Yep, my children's first trip to Hooters...FINE FAMILY CUISINE. However, by that point, it was late, the kids were hungry, and any place would do! I must say that the kids (well...Faith and Cameron) did not do particularly well at the restaurants. That was strange because they normally do. Our friendly Hooters waitress brought them balloon, however, and their faces lit up! They had a ball!
6. Designate a photographer: So, I didn't get many pictures at the beach. I am extremely disappointed in that. When you have your hands full with three kiddos, you really don't have room to hold onto a camera, too. Therefore, if you are with your family, make sure that you designate SOMEONE to take pictures!!!
7. Only one person on each horse!!!: So, I just HAD to take the kids to the fair! IT WAS A MUST! I didn't care if they could only ride a couple of things. Our first ride was the carousel. The kids were TERRIFIED of the horses at first. So, I hopped on a horse with Faith and Cody hopped on a horse with Cameron. They were okay with that. After the ride got started, however, the ride stopped. We were told to get off the horses and stand beside them. RIDICULOUS! It worked out, though, because they were no longer scared of the horses and they wanted to ride it several times!
The top picture is the first night we rode it, and the second picture is of the second night.
8. You might just need some alcohol. Now, I am not a drinker...AT ALL. This trip, however, might lead a person to drink. I must confess, that I had one! I got SO tickled at Cody. My parents were going to the grocery store for us and he told them, "I might just need some beer for this trip!" So, my parents went right to the store to pick up baby needs and alcohol for Cody....HILARIOUS!!!
9. I need a vacation after our vacation. Yep, you heard me. I'm pooped. Don't take our need for alcohol and our pure exhaustion as an indicator that our vacation was AWFUL. We didn't have a BAD trip. We actually had a good one. I think that it was VERY successful. It was just stressful. I've never been one to go on vacation to rest...that's just NOT me. Vacation, in my book, is a time to do all the things that you don't always get to do. I want to get up early and hit the ground running. I want to stay up late at night. The days need to be filled with FUN things. So, I'm not exhausted from the early mornings and late nights. That was nothing out of the ordinary. It was just the stress of it all. Getting everyone ready for the beach, pool, or evening activities was nothing less than a chore. Getting them and then loading them all in the car was challenging. Keeping everyone happy was impossible. Stress=exhaustion.
10. You'll laugh about it when it's over. It became too funny when every picture I snapped with Cody in it he looked totally disgusted! I'm sure if Cody was the one taking the pictures, my look would have been similar. As mentioned before, the trip, at many times was stressful. We would work SO hard getting ready for the beach, gathering toys, rubbing in lotions, packing bags, etc. Then, we would make the haul there to have the babies be totally unhappy. We would plan a trip to the aquarium with the thought that all would LOVE it to get there and have one scream the majority of the time. It was discouraging. On the way home, however, I asked Cody what he truly thought about the trip. He told me that the trip had been stressful and he was simply exhausted. However, he shared the same thoughts that I did. Seeing the kids faces in the kiddie pool, was priceless. Watching them smile and laugh on the carousel, was priceless. Watching them play on the beach (although brief), was priceless. Although the trip was tiring and stressful, it was well worth it. We had definitely made some great family memories! Those moments that seemed so awful during our stay no longer seem so awful. We are already laughing about them and looking forward to our trip next year!
Other pics of our trip:
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