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!