Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

The last week of May, Jason went out west on a flyfishing blitz with his friends Dave and Chris. I kept our camera, so this is the only picture I have of their trip (thanks Dave!). Jason had a blast.

Ethan was out of school, my babysitter was away, Jason was gone, it's hot in the south in the summer...and I didn't want to spend the whole week home alone with the boys. So I packed them up and talked my sister-in-law into joining me in Myrtle Beach for a few days with her two kids. We rented a 3-bedroom condo in a resort on the beach. Two moms, plus a 5-year-old, 4-year-old, 3-year-old, and a 1-year-old. At the time, it seemed like more work than was worth it. Now, all I can remember is how much fun it was. Traveling with another mom is very helpful, and I discovered that LaDonna is the perfect traveling companion. She's completely laid back and up for anything.

We arrived on Wednesday and hit the beach first thing Thursday morning.

I love this picture because I accidentally got all 4 kids in the frame, without anyone else's random kids in it.

Colin helped Lonna dig in the sand.

The resort had several heated outdoor pools, including this outdoor lazy river, and 2 indoor water parks. Ethan tried the 30-foot adult water slide once, announced it was fun, and never went back. Lonna and Bryce went down so many times I lost count.

Ethan was very excited about his shark face painting.

Here's a view from our balcony...you can see the pool below us, the beach, and one of the walkways to the beach from the resort.

Ice cream sandwiches on the balcony. Isn't summer so great when you're a kid?

One of the play areas in the indoor water park.

Saturday morning, LaDonna and her kids left and Ethan, Colin and I moved to a smaller room for the night. Jason came and picked us up Sunday morning. The room was smaller, but the view was amazing. Notice Colin vegging out in his pjs watching TV. We wore the kid out.

Despite me repeatedly telling Colin not to stand on the chairs on the balcony, he kept doing it. Sure enough, he tipped the chair and fell into the metal railing. He bruised both sides of his face and got a nice black eye (which you can see better if you enlarge the second picture). He cried for a few minutes, then was standing on the chairs again the next day. Stubborn, tough kid.

Thanks, LaDonna, Lonna, and Bryce for helping us kick off our beach vacation!