Myrtle Beach

We  had the best vacation this week! We rented a condo at Myrtle Beach with my parents and Gracie and we had a blast! If you ever go out there I highly recommend Kingston Plantation. It's a group of hotels and condos with a few pools, a lazy river and a water park right on the beach. It's a perfect place for kids...tons of stuff to do, great food and lots of free entertainment. The only problem was we didn't stay long enough! I think I said that last year too. Next time we go it will be for three nights...I think that would be perfect. It's just a long drive for only two nights. 

Anyway...the kids were awesome on the drive. We got to Myrtle Beach just in time for lunch and decided to hit up Johnny Rockets. The girls love when the waiters dance to the music! :) The rest of the day we spent on the beach or at the water park. That's kinda what we did the next day too. It was awesome! 

 Mom and Gracie enjoying the lazy river. We didn't spend too much time there because the girls just didn't understand the concept of relaxing! :)

 Heidi was so cute at the beach! She loved the sand and the waves. Last year they were so scared of the ocean but this year they loved it. We did have one scare with Heidi though. I was playing with the girls and my Dad called me to help him with the umbrella. Literally less than 2 min and when I turned around Heidi was gone. Daddy went one way and I went the other searching the beach for Heidi. I was okay, figuring I would just see her and bring her back but then I started to panic when I couldn't find her and I looked back to Mom who was with Natalie and saw that she was still searching for her and I looked at my Dad and he was still searching for her. Thats when I stopped looking on the sand and started searching the ocean. Seriously the worst feeling ever! I finally looked back at my dad and saw that he found her and I took of running toward her. Two men were walking on each side of her, not touching her just keeping her safe really. When my dad got to her they still didn't leave her side till I got there. I have no idea how she got so far so fast. She said she was looking for her daddy who was in the ocean with Gracie in the opposite direction. Anyway...we had a talk with both girls after that about how they can't leave the grownups for anything without asking first. Needless to say...I was done with the beach after that! The next day was much better...the girls asked every time they wanted to go anywhere! I think I scared them a little bit with my sobbing and overall freaked out look. :)
So here is my tip for taking kids to the beach...1.) Dress them in VERY bright bathing suits. Anything pale just blends into the sand and you can't see it. 2.) Make sure you have a talk with them about not going ANYWHERE without asking first. The girls just figured it was like a playground where they could run where ever they wanted but the beach is WAY too big for that. If they left the beach towels they had to ask me first! 

  

 Natalie was so cute this time at the beach! Last year she seriously wouldn't go near the ocean. This year she went into the waves and didn't care when they knocked her over or splashed her in the face. She was very brave!

 The water park was so great! They wouldn't let Heidi go down the slide by herself because she was 3 so the next day we told them she was 4. She was fearless and loved the whole waterpark. Natalie liked getting splashed this time. There are all sorts of levers to pull, making the water splash in different ways. Natalie couldn't reach a rope so she asked me to pull it for her. I did and it sent a waterfall of water down on her head. Very funny. :) 

 Loving the water park!

 Natalie trying to catch Heidi on the water slide

 I wanted to go down too but the girls were so independent I had to tell Heidi to go with me so I wouldn't be too scared. :)

 Natalie and my Dad

 So these are super funny! Shane didn't hold on to Nat and she flew off his lap going around the turn.

 No more fear! I totally laughed when this wave hit her! I know...bad Mom. :)

 Love these of the girls

 Heidi "heard" a wave coming and went running. Her face is priceless!

 It was so nice having some down time with the hubby! 

 Trying to take "artistic" pictures with Gracie. :)

The best dinner ever! If you are in Myrtle Beach...you have to try this place!

Happy 4th of July!

What a fun night! Shane and I had our 3rd annual 4th of July party again this year. Let me just say...we have awesome parties! and...I am soo tired right now! I was cooking all day long even though I really didn't have that much to do. I have no idea how it happened! We invited a ton of people and had a ton of food. My dad made pulled pork, I made baked beans, Colie made cole slaw, Dane made a corn salad and my friend Sarah made macaroni and cheese. Seriously...tons of food! And that's not counting all the dessert! There were a million kids running around, jumping on the trampoline in the crazy heat/humidity. We did our annual watermelon seed spitting contest. If you don't do this every year for the 4th, you should make a note to start. It is so much fun! It's fun to spit and it's fun to watch everyone else too. They have a huge firework show at the park by our house and you can see the fireworks from our back yard. You can see them MUCH better from our neighbors backyard (they are up the hill) so we...and all the people we invite to our party...head over to their backyard every year. It really is so so nice of them to let us take over their yard! This year they weren't even there so we just took our train of people through their gate and made ourselves at home. :) The fireworks were awesome as usual. I don't know what was with the girls but they weren't really into it this year. I'm guessing they were both just tired but they really didn't care. It took every mommy trick I know to get them to sit and watch the fireworks!

 So now we just cleaned up all the food that was left over and put our house back together...and I'm ready for bed! I hope you all had a wonderful 4th of July and that you take the time to remember just how lucky we are that people we don't even know, died so that we can be free! 

 Thank you pinterest. :) 

 My version of patriotic cupcakes. I tried a yummy marshmallow frosting that turned out really good. The marshmallow kind of mellows out the sweetness of the cupcake. I'll have to post the recipe! 

The table of treats. Chocolate covered pretzels, cupcakes, oatmeal chocolate chip cookies and redvines. :)

 Dane and Gracie

 Shane trying to show the kids how to spit the watermelon seeds

 The spectators

 Last years winner

 Colie and Gracie

 Daddy did pretty well too

 This years winner

 Very impressive!

  My sweet girl. Seriously...she needs to stop growing!!

 Me and Heidi Bear

 She literally went around the room to take a picture with everyone. :) Here she is with Grandma...

 And Colie...

 And Dane :)

 Me and Shane

Natalie and Shane

Swim. Eat. Sleep. Repeat.

We have been swimming a ton lately! Really! Heidi is swimming now too. Just yesterday she swam from the shallow end to the deep end. Shane was throwing her into the deep end and she would swim back to him. She was so excited! She is still a beginner. Her swimming style is pretty slow and very splashy, for lack of a better word. :) But she has no fear and really loves being in the water. Natalie is turning into a very graceful swimmer. She glides along under water picking up her diving rings or trying to do do somersaults. Shane has been working on her diving too. They started out as belly flops but now she is getting her head in first. It's been a lot of fun watching them learn so quickly!

 Natalie helping Heidi float.

 Matthew, Natalie, Luke, Heidi and Gracie

 Love these pictures of Shane and Heidi

 Shane and the girls having a "tea party" underwater :)