Sweet Sunshines of Mine: MB Take 2

Back to Myrtle Beach shenanigans.

Pier cuddling with Daddy and Sofia the First.

Heart.

After all the sun and sand, we were hungry. So evenings were dedicated to eating delicious meals out and exploring MB. It’s illegal to pass up a seafood buffet so that was one night. Not only did we get to stuff ourselves silly but we also discovered a huge hands-on-museum of sorts in the basement that had a nautical theme. Super fun for both babes.

Chocolate soft serve AND her new pink turtle necklace? 2 year old heaven.

Teagan being Teagan.

Senor Frogs is also a MB staple for us. Come on, you know you can’t pass up the booty chairs, balloon hats, and yard drinks! We found an Italian joint called Toscana, the name of the restaurant at Ohio University where Kris and I had our first date (which has since closed) but as soon as I saw white tablecloths, white leather backed chairs, and floor to ceiling displays of wine I ran for the hills. I’m calling not child friendly on this one. So we ended up at a pizza place that was delish.

Silly hat caught her eye.

I should know better, trying to get a picture when there's a plate full of food in front of P.

B double O T Y (America's Got Talent, anyone?)

Joes Crab Shack on the water was another night. Parker’s thing is falling off chairs when we dine out. Sure enough, down she went onto the rock hard floor, a mere 18 hours after falling off the condo bed…the food could not have been delivered at a better time. Nor could my shark bite drink. Google it--super fun.

Our condo had two bars attached to it so one night was spent eating there. A few other local eats wrapped up the food portion of the trip. All very good!

If only we had room in the car for this man.

P was quite fond of him.

One of the most fun things we did was the kiddie rides at Broadway on the Beach. Parker told her friends, friends parents, and teachers all about the awesome time she had on her rides. Teagan even joined in on the action!


Me: "Parker, how did you like the ride?" P: "Not good."

T's first non-merry go round ride!

As serious as can be with a hat like that.

Game face again!

Ripley’s Aquarium was visited and the part I was most stoked about was the live mermaids. At set times the mermaids preformed a show and posed for pictures. Parker and I were in line 20 minutes early waiting for our mermaid chance. 20 minutes passed. Another five went by. Another five. We were notified that the mermaid called in sick. I (jokingly) said I would do it but they passed (offended). But lo and behold, an hour later the mermaid had arrived! Parker wanted nothing to do with her and Teagan wanted everything to do with her sparkly top.

Don't mind me.

Pearly girly!

Hands on room. I love watching them play together.

I know there's underboob Teagan but come on...use your peripherals.

I totally could have pulled off this mermaid gig. Face paint, tat, and all.

Sleep was…interesting on vacation. Teagan came back from MB with two new teeth and man, did you know it. What was lay her down in her crib and 8pm to 7am without a peep turned into battling to get her down in the pack-n-play and multiple wake ups. We’re still getting teeth and still having wakeups. I will not be sad when all these teeth pop through. However, I found a lot of joy in the pre-dawn walks, just me and T, on the beach, watching the sun rise. Peace, happiness, stress-free.

How can you not stay happy when Teagan's around?

After seven nights of fun it was time to head back home. 15 hours away…I didn’t quite realize how far it was when we decided to drive. See, we were departing from Columbus, less than 10 hours, and that’s totally doable. But 15 hours? With two babes under 3?? What were we thinking?? While it sounds awful it actually worked out really well. During the first four hour stretch T napped a lot and Parker napped, played with the Kindle, and watched her DVDs. We took a long two hour break at Burger King for the sole purpose of using their outdoor playplace. Parker had her first bite of fast food—chicken nuggets, though we did swap the fries for apples, juice for milk, and deserrt for a toy. Another four hours on the road and the girls remained happy as clams. For dinner we stopped in West Virginia at a local pizza place. Pizza was great. But perhaps the best part was that shortly thereafter we passed the Sissonville exit. That’s right, Buckwild fans!

By this time it was time for bed. Kris got a burst of energy and drove us all the way to his parents house in Cleveland. 11 hours in one day baby! It was so nice to knock out a long stretch the first day so we could get home at a decent hour the next day.

Ahhhh, vacation. Just love it. I have so many memories that will stay with me always—

· holding Parker by the hand and Teagan in my arms, remembering how just last year we visited the same ocean with Parker still holding my hand but Teagan in nestled my belly

July 2012--inside Teagan

September 2013--outside Teagan

· watching Parker conquer her fear and swim by herself with her Puddle Jumper. Letting go of my arms was scary, but she did it and swam like a fish. The elation on her face, so proud of herself. It’s nothing short of amazing.

· Walking down the beach holding tired Teagan as she curled up on my chest and slowly fell asleep

Being able to cuddle a not-into-the-cuddles babe? Priceless.

Breathtaking.

· Seeing Parker make friends at the water park. Hours upon hours they played together, swapping stories and dishing out compliments. Seeing your child blissfully happy has to be one of the greatest feelings.


Long story, but we were thisclose to basically having this girl handed over to us by her parents...she would have fit in, looks like us right? I felt lots of warm fuzzies with this little "addition" for the week. I could definitely rock three little girls.