Myrtle Beach, Part 2

We made the absolute most of our BEACH vacation and spent lots of time at the beach.  It was just a few miles from our resort and parking was a breeze (surprise!).  Each morning we packed a lunch and headed to the water by 10:00.  The beach was beautiful - smooth white sand, picture perfect waves, and not too many people.  The kids loved everything about it - the sand, the waves, boogie boarding, and the activities. I think we bought three more bottles of sunscreen while we were there, but it was well worth it.  The kids had an absolute blast (and so did the rest of us!).  

The last (and first for the boys) time we went to the beach, we were on the gulf coast.  It was beautiful and we had a great time, but the waves were pretty much non-existence.  The waves at Surfside were exactly what I picture when I think about the ocean - big (but not too big) and loud.  The boys loved the chance to ride the waves (especially with their new boogie board) and we all enjoyed spending time past the breaking point, just floating in the water.  

Mazzie thought it was best to keep her boogie boarding on the sand.  

I love this shot of Grandma Pat - she was having a blast out there!

GiGi, the boys and I decided to go on adventure - parasailing!  I nonchalantly mentioned it to the boys, thinking neither one would have the nerve to join me 300 feet in the air.  You can imagine my excitement when they both expressed a desire to give it a try.  Although we loved parasailing, I think we may have liked the banana boat ride out to the parasail even more.  The bumpy waves and splashing in our faces were so.much.fun!  The sailing was great too - we got an awesome view of the coast, got to feel the ocean breeze from 300 feet in the air, and got to witness the boys' excitement firsthand.  The experience was definitely one that will be remembered for a long time.

Jon took the boys on their own little adventure - jet skiing in the ocean.  Both boys thought the experience was AWESOME.  The waves made for a pretty bumpy ride, but they loved every minute of it.  Jon said Alec kept asking him to go faster and Kade was content going 18 mph.  :-)  Two very different personalities, but both very fun (and growing more adventurous by the day, which we love!).

Everyone loved the water, but we also spent a lot of time playing in the sand.  We were lucky because it wasn't too hot to hang out on the beach.  The kids built sand castles and moats, buried one another in the sand, and had a blast getting dirty.

No beach vacation is complete without burying someone in the sand!

A few years ago my parents gave us this (giant!) umbrella for Christmas.  We laughed and thought, 'when would we ever need to use this thing???'  Answer = the beach!  It was a lifesaver - it provided tons of shade.  Enough for a few chairs and a play space for the kids to dig in the sand.  Thank goodness GiGi and Papa drove to South Carolina so they could bring it for us!