Afternoon on the beach

After a quick lunch we headed out to the beach to burn off some energy.  The kids had a great time playing in he water as the tide came in.

Alligator Adventure

As a friend told me "only a Yankee pays to see an alligator"... well its taken 7 years but today this Yankee broke down and took the kids to Alligator Adventure.  It is a 15 acre park featuring mostly alligators, but also monkeys, bats, turtles, parrots, and kangaroos.

When we first walked up, we decided to pose for a picture but he statue.  THEN we noticed, the monster turtle standing nearby.  These turtles grew to 600-800 pounds... the kids were very impressed.

Sammy loved posing next to the statues along the path.

The highlight was watching them feed the alligators.  Here are some of the fun facts we learned:

• Alligators do not eat during the colder months which is possible because their metabolism shuts down.  They can go an entire year without food if necessary.
• It takes 5 days to digest even the smallest amount of food so they are cyclical eaters and do not eat every day.
• They may only eat 50-70 lbs of food in an entire year.
• The can jump out of the water about 3/4 of their body length using only the force of their tail.
• After losing a tooth, another grows in within 5 days.  
• Alligators can go through 2000 teeth in a lifetime.

Aquarium

After we finished our schoolwork we met Uncle Roger and Aunt Gretchen to visit Ripley's Aquarium. Its one of our favorite places to visit even if the kids move through the exhibits rather quickly.

An Early Removal of #6

After bedtime tonight, Sammy came out of bed and showed me that she had pulled out tooth #6.  It was a bit early but apparently she was excited!

Horsing Around in the Pool

We spent a quiet morning in our pajamas.  Then ran some errands and got lunch.  We did schoolwork next and then headed to the pool toward the end of the afternoon.

Roger and Gretchen also came down and Roger spent lots of time playing with the kids in the pool.  It was so sweet to watch them play together.  

We wrapped up the evening with a trip to Cold Stone Creamery.  Perfect end to a great day!!

Wingate University

Today we visited Jen Adema at Wingate University in North Carolina.  Gretchen drove along with us for the 2 1/2 hour road trip.  However, the GPS took us a bit out of the way to avoid back roads and the trip north took us 4 hours.  WOW!  The kids did really well and I was so proud of my little troopers! 

When we arrived, we took a walk around campus and the kids enjoyed chasing squirrels through the common areas.  It was a great way to spend some built up energy!  We brought Jen to Chick-Fil-A for dinner and then set out for home.


It took 3 hours to get home on a new route and we arrived just after 10:00 pm.  Both kids fell asleep just outside of Myrtle Beach.

It was a great adventure and SO wonderful to give this girl a hug.  The kids transferred into bed very well and had an uneventful night's rest.

Exploring the Beach to the South

We decided to take a walk on the beach this morning to explore south of the pier.

 

 

 

The kids enjoyed running from the crashing waves coming into shore.  Sammy collected parts of rocks and Tyler led the way.  It was a relaxing way to spend the morning.

Illusions of Magic

Yesterday we noticed a billboard advertising "Illusions of Magic" at the Palace Theater.  We bought tickets for the 2:00 pm show without having too high of expectations.

The show was WONDERFUL.  It lasted about 2 hours with a short intermission.  Tyler sat on the edge of his seat as he watched the magician cut a woman in half, make his assistant disappear, and perform many additional tricks.

 

Part way through the first half, Sammy pulled out her tooth.  What a crazy time to do dental work!  She was so proud of herself and the defining moment of losing #5!

 

 

The show featured not only a magician but also comedy, dancers, and a pair of skating performers  The highlight for all of us was Ben Blaque who performed tricks with a crossbow.  At one point he came out into the audience and gave Tyler a part of his target.  Tyler was grinning ear to ear!

 

As we left the theater, Sammy asked to pose for a picture with the giant lion out front.

 

City Boardwalk and Sky Wheel

We spent the morning at the city boardwalk right downtown.  The boardwalk itself was remodeled in 2009...  it is a great place to visit and I imagine gets crazy-busy during Spring Break and summer.  It has lots of restaurants, arcades and stores to window shop.  We walked down the boardwalk and out on to the pier. 

Then found Melissa's family and headed over to SkyWheel... one of the largest ferris wheels that sits on the coast. 





The views were amazing!

 

 

 

Crab Hunting

Gretchen offered to take us out to look for crabs as they make their way to the water from their homes in the dunes.  The kids were so excited as we waited for it to get dark enough.  FINALLY it was time, so we put on our glow sticks and grabbed our flashlights.

Although we were looking for crabs the size of my hand, we consistently found little ones about the size of a quarter instead.  The kids were so excited as they scanned the sand to find them.

 

Sammy probably found the most... she was a natural!

 

At one point, we saw another family had found a crab so we circled around to take a look.  The girl was using her hands to block the crab from running away to try to contain him.  Obviously Sammy mistook her actions for swatting so Sammy stepped forward and SMASHED that little crab with her Maglite.  Oh my, did I feel terrible!  But it was just so stinking funny!  There was an awkward silence that followed my apologies and some stifled giggles from our group as we made our way down the beach away from the family.  Oops! 

 

Mini Golf

We took Katie to play mini golf south of Myrtle Beach at a new course based on Aztec ruins.  Most of the course was indoors but we snapped some pics from a few of the outdoor holes.  As always we had a great time!

 

 

Katie shot a hole-in-one on this hole AFTER knocking my ball in as well.  Very impressive skills!

Beach Day

We loved spending the day at the beach with Zach and Grace!  Of course we dug holes and played in the water.  It was a great day to jump waves!  We were especially impressed by the schools of small fish that were swimming up the shore.  Literally hundreds moved through the waves... so cool to see! 

Good-Bye Daddy, Hello Katie

Today we brought Daddy to the airport to say goodbye as he heads back home.  We arrived at the airport to drop him off around noon, just as Katie's plane arrived.  It was perfect timing!   The kids were super excited to see.  Sammy almost didn't recognize her at first because her vision was blocked by the eye patch she was STILL wearing as part of her pirate outfit.

Looking forward to a great vacation with Miss Katie... and for Daddy to return in 10 days!

Pirate Show

Tonight we brought Uncle Roger and Aunt Gretchen to the Pirate Show.  We arrived a little early so the kids could get in costume.  Sammy couldn't decide between a mermaid or pirate so she went with a mermaid with scars. 

 

Tyler looked a little scary in his full facial hair.

During the show, you sit in an arena to watch the pirates perform in the center.  There are sword fights and acrobatics.  Songs and LOTS of action.  They serve a complete meal that you eat with your hands.  This time we had front row, center seats.  Sammy made it through the entire show!

Goodnight Mermaid Pirate Sammy!

 

Walk on the Beach

Since they just arrived this morning, we took the Coles for a walk down on the beach before Grandpa and Grandma flew home.  It was an overcast day but still beautiful!



Grandma wanted a picture with all of her grandkids.  Unfortunately we couldn't get one shot with everyone smiling.

 

The boys walking in their matched khaki shorts!

We told Sammy not to get her shorts wet... she may have taken it a bit too far.