The guys left Friday night to start their drive. They hauled all of the baby gear and our stuff. Ashley and I flew with the babies. It was a nerve wracking experience, but we survived. Getting through security, 2 flights and 2 very tired babies later we arrived in Myrtle Beach around 8pm or so. Lucky for us, Blake and Drew unloaded and put away everything in the condo. They even did the grocery shopping for the week. (Us girls made a detailed list and I armed them with my coupons!)
We spent our mornings at the beach. Caleb loved playing in the sand, splashing in the waves and chasing the seagulls and birds. Then we walked back to the pool to rinse off. The condo complex was very nice and had several pools to enjoy. We spent most of our pool time in the baby pool. Caleb was able to walk and play on his own while I sat nearby. He made friends with some other kids and enjoyed playing with their toys too! Caleb and Brayden had a rough start to their week together. Caleb is a squealer when he is happy or excited and this scared Brayden. So Brayden would cry and Caleb would scream/squeal louder and laugh. Caleb is also learning how to share toys and books so he frequently stole from Brayden. By the 2nd day, they were coexisting much better and by the end of the week they were best buds.
We ate most of our meals at the condo, but were able to go out for dinner three evenings. Thankfully Caleb and Brayden are happy little eaters and did well at the restaurants. We revisited Dick's Last Resort one night and walked around Barefoot Landing. Ashley and I took the boys on the carousel. Thanks to Ashley's people skills we found a great park to spend the evenings at. After dinner pretty much every evening, we walked to the park for the boys to play. It had swings, a slide, tunnels and teeter-totters all the perfect size for our toddling boys. There was also a pond filled with hungry turtles and ducks. We took bread and fed them all. Caleb just sat and watched the turtles swim around. He could have spent hours there.
After we put Caleb down for the night, the four of us enjoyed playing games and cards well into the night. We ate lots of snacks and enjoyed some adult beverages too! Ashley and I were able to go shopping at the outlets by ourselves thanks to our wonderful husbands offering to watch the boys. It was nice to try clothes on and be baby free for a few hours! Of course, we spent most of our money at Carter's on fall clothing for Caleb and Brayden! The next day we returned the favor and the dads did their own shopping. They both came back with new clothes for the boys from Oskosh! Blake and I took Caleb to the Ripley's Aquarium one morning. There were many amazing creatures to see. Caleb seemed to like it, but Blake and I agreed that the Newport Aquarium is much nicer.
Saturday flying home was a little scary. We arrived at the airport in plenty of time and were told our flight was delayed. The guys went ahead and left to start their drive home. A little while later we learned our flight was actually cancelled!! We were already stressed traveling alone with 2 fussy, tired toddlers. The boys were missing all of their naps.
Luckily, we were able to get a direct flight out of Charleston. Delta paid for the 2 hour cab ride to Charleston, provided a carseat for each baby, and gave us a total of $42 in meal vouchers. I was thankful for the accomodations, but that did not take away the emotions we were both feeling. The taxi ride was fine, we ate in Charleston and finally boarded our plane home. Caleb was beyond tired. We read books, ate snacks and talked to the lady across the aisle to help pass the time. He loved playing with some ice that the lady gave him. At that point, anything to keep him occupied was fine with me! I am not sure I will ever fly alone with a toddler again, but am proud to say that I survived.One of my favorite things about vacation was all of the time spent with Blake and Caleb. With no schedule or places to be it was nice to just play and relax. Watching Caleb's face light up each time he saw the ocean and his big smiles while swinging filled my heart with joy. I am so glad he had a fun time. We are so blessed to have the means to go on nice vacations, good friends to vacation with, and a healthy little boy.
1 comment:
We had so much fun, and I know it was hard at times, but so glad that we were able to spend the time together! We will always have our memories to look back and laugh at, especially me crying like a maniac through the airport! :)
Post a Comment