Myrtle Beach Vacation

June 21-25: Mommy, Collin, and Olivia drove all day to North Myrtle Beach (Crescent Beach) to meet up with Grampy, ShaSha, and Auntie Sarah at the oceanfront family timeshare. We arrived a little after 9:00 on Tuesday night after stopping at a Pizza Hut for dinner, which Collin loved because it was buffet style. He was jumping off the walls, literally, when we finally got to our destination, so happy to see his family in the flesh rather than on the computer, phone, or via imagination.

This was his first night away from home since his upgrade to a twin bed back in October. He did great (minus falling out of bed the first night)! He even gave up his cherished paci (not planned but a pleasant surprise). Early mornings were spent seashelling with ShaSha (he can tell you all the names of the shells in his collection), late mornings were spent braving the ocean waves with Grampy, and the rest of the time was spent making forts and cuddling with Auntie. Collin also got to fly his first kite, an activity that proved to look much easier than it actually is. You have to be strong in that seaside wind as well as patient, two qualities that the Collin Monster does not possess as of yet. All six of us checked out Le Cirque's "Adrenaline" show one afternoon. The mime did not make a very good first impression with Collin as he snatched Grampy away for a few laughs. Luckily Auntie Sarah and Sammy Cat were there to comfort the little guy, and by the end of the show when the stunt motorcycles were out and zooming around the "big blue fing" as he called the featured attraction, he was loving the entertainment. This was his first circus and also his first taste of Dippin' Dots, an obvious hit due to the close resemblance to ice cream.

So what can I say about Olivia? She had never been to the ocean or felt sand before, so it was exciting to see how she'd react. She of course had to taste-test the sand but soon decided it wasn't really for eating and opted for her food-based snacks instead (good girl). Olivia is definitely a water/beach baby, as she was happy to sit either at the water's edge or on the beach blanket and just take it all in. A simple water bottle occupied her for 30 minutes at one point. Content she was to people watch, feel the ocean breeze in her face, and let the salty sea lap at her toes and thighs.

Was it worth the 12+ hour drive (with stops for the potty trainer and to feed/change the baby) alone with the two kids to spend time with my beloved fam in North Myrtle Beach? ABSOLUTELY! Would I do again without an adult companion in the car? Probably not. Lol! That was a looonnnng time in the car even though the kids were pretty well-behaved. Driving through the night is THE way to travel if you are going anywhere with young children farther than six hours away -- they don't need to eat, which means they don't need to use the bathroom or be changed (as much), and they are either sleeping or zoning out because it's 3am. You can actually make it close to the estimated GPS time. We will be heading up to NH at the end of July, and you bet we're leaving VA at 7:00pm so that we can arrive in NH at 4:30am. Who knew it would take longer to get to Myrtle than it does to get to NH?