BEACH!

"Don't grow up too quickly, lest you forget how much you love the beach.”
-- Michelle Held



We just returned from a WONDERFUL family beach vacation! Ben's Grandparents have a house in North Myrtle Beach, SC, and we were SO happy to have the opportunity to go visit them for a week and enjoy the beach while we were there. Grandma and Granddad Powell spoiled us rotten with home-cooked meals and luxurious accommodations and we are SO thankful for all that they did, and for the time that we got to spend with them. More than anything, we are grateful for the memories that we made during this trip.

We kicked off the trip with a ride on the golf cart to the beach. Here are the kiddos hitting the beach for the first time this trip.



Sydney's first steps on the beach. She was there at 4 months old, but this is her first time truly walking on it!


Owen knows enough to be pretty excited!

Most of the days are a blur of sunshine, beach, naps, yummy food, reading, relaxing, talking, playing and just enjoying our time. A line from the book I was reading said, "like the perfect beach vacation, where when you get home, you can't quite explain to your friends what you did to pass the time, but all you know is that it was good."

Highlights include:

Feeding the turtles off of Grandma and Papa Powell's deck


Visiting with Uncle Scott and Aunt Christy



Hanging out in "the cave" with Papa Powell


Spending a day at the "end" of the beach where there are a bunch of tide pools to explore (forgot my camera that day!)

Having Owen tell me stories under the umbrellas on the beach


A trip to Ripley's Aquarium where we happened upon a "Live Mermaid Dive Show" (Ben and Scott wanted nothing to do with it, but I thought Sydney might enjoy it so we stayed to watch...it was, um, interesting...but a hit with the kids!)


Watching Owen "attack" the waves and gauge how "angry" they were (ones that knocked him down were really mad)


Watching Sydney make the most of the "big sandbox"





On our last night there, we decided to get ice cream and go for a walk on the beach. We should have known that there would be no walking involved! Owen and Sydney could not resist the ocean and we couldn't resist letting them get in one last time. We luckily had Sydney in a swim diaper (I was conserving regular diapers because I wanted to make sure we had enough for our trip home), and Owen just got in in his shorts. They had a blast and so did we!






The trip ended today, and sadly we had to say goodbye to Grandma and Papa Powell, and travel home. Owen and Sydney were such good travelers! Sydney slept most of the flight home, and I had the pleasure of working a crossword with Owen after he took a quick nap on the plane. We're happy to be home, and grateful for a wonderful trip!




And in case that wasn't enough for you, here are the rest of the pictures....


And if that wasn't enough,
here is a link to all of Rhonda's photos: