Living a Dream: Myrtle Beach 2011

Last time we took Luke and Madison to the beach they were 5 months old! (Click here for that post.) Schedules just didn't work out last summer for us to go. This year we were SO excited that my family was able to get a week off to head to Ocean Lakes. We really missed my brother, Ryan, who was unable to get off work :( We had a GREAT time with plenty of laughs, lots of sand in crazy places, and tons of good pictures :)

Luke and Madison thought they were big stuff drinking out of their own water bottle. They were soaked by the end!

This golf cart was the ticket!! If the kids were getting anxious before dinner or just having 'a moment' as we like to call it we would pile them up and go for a golf cart ride! We wore the battery out every day! Thanks Papa Jackie!!!

Ty and Jackie with Parker and Dylan

My sister french braided Madison's hair!! It was really cute! I still need to learn. Madison sat so still!!

Austin and Luke colored while the girls were playing with hair

She loved the ocean and sand a lot the first day then the next couple days she just enjoyed walking around saying hey to everyone. Such a funny little girl!

Precious beach feet

This picture will always make me laugh! We took her down to the beach in a regular diaper and I needed to switch her to a swimming diaper. When I took off her bathing suit and regular diaper she was covered in sand already so I told her we needed to rinse off before I could put the swimming diaper and bathing suit back on. She just took off like she owned the place towards the ocean!!! We were all just dying laughing. No shame! I could squeeze those cheeks! Please do yourself a favor and click on the picture to see it bigger!

Daddy and Luke working on a sandcastle

They both loved for us to hold their hands and let them jump over the waves!

We buried them and you can tell who wasn't a big fan!

Sweet Parker!! They went out to the ocean one day with us but I didn't get a picture!! My sister took a ton so check her FB :)

Dylan...too cute for words!

The Hawkins

One night we went to Broadway on the Beach....along with the rest of Myrtle Beach! There were a ton of people out there but we had a lot of fun walking around!!

Papa and Gabby with their 5 grandkids

The Clayton Crew

Austin got an awesome dragon tattoo :)

Gabby and Madison (this is Madison's new fake smile...ha)

Gabby and Papa bought all the kids light up swords. We kept thinking we were getting pulled over on the way home with all the flashing lights!

One morning we went to Huntington Beach were Ty was fishing. They have a place where you can view alligators! It was so fun! Some of them got a little to close for comfort!

I love this picture of Papa and Luke!!

AHHHH!!!

Just another day on the beach :) Cousin buddies! I love how Madison was hugging Austin and Luke was trying to get away! They had so much fun being together!

It was interesting trying to keep up with 3 really brave kids! Luke had NO FEAR and loved it when the waves would knock him over! He was our water boy for sure!!!!

Chasing the birds

Madison, Jennifer, and Austin

Beach bunnies :)

Trying to get the sand out of strange places!!!

My BEAUTIFUL sister and her husband Ty (quite handsome himself)

One night we got all the kids to bed and Jonathan and I went out to dinner with Jennifer and Ty. It was SO nice to get away and eat yummy seafood! The funny thing was when we got in the car Jennifer and I looked at each other and both said we could just go to sleep! Thank you Gabby and Papa for giving us that night!!

Luke watching Austin and Ty ride bikes from the golf cart....maybe next year, little man!

The pool at Ocean Lakes is great! They have a really neat kids area! Austin and Luke liked squirting the water gun. It was not working great and squirting back at you...Luke thought it was hilarious!!