Friday, August 23, 2013

Myrtle Beach Memories

Fair warning: This is a very long, photo-filled post! :) 

Charlie and I decided it would be fun to take an extra summer trip to NC this year to see my family since it's the last time he could fly free! Trev stayed home to work like a good breadwinner. We went and had a blast!! One of the highlights of the trip was our stay at Myrtle beach. Please enjoy this plethora of pictures I just spent over an hour editing for your viewing pleasure! :D



When we grew tired of keeping Charlie out of the choppy high-tide waves later in the day, we let him go play in the pool at the condo complex. They fortunately had a 1ft baby pool and he loved it! And I loved getting to relax for a moment while he played :)

Back to the beach! This particular day it was a little cloudy and the water was a bit choppy. Perfect conditions for jellyfish, I suppose, because both Mike and I got stung by the same one! Mike got hit first, and, with a shocked look on his face looked at me and my mom and said "Jellyfish! Quick, get out!" Of course I scoop up Charlie and start running directly towards the shore with the current and straight into the same jellyfish! Ouch!!!! My very intelligent mother slowly backed out further into the ocean away from the current and was spared a sting. Onshore there was luckily a lifeguard who had some ammonia at the lifeguard stand that I sprayed on my wound. It was SO painful my leg was shaking! About 15 or 20 minutes later (and without having to pee on myself, fortunately, haha!), the pain finally subsided and I could enjoy the rest of my day. Unfortunately, weeks later, my skin is left red and a little rash-y where I got stung. I hope it doesn't scar!


Charlie created a fun game (pictured above) where he would stand in the shallow water and fall quickly to sit on his bum and splash all the water up around him. He thought he was oh-so-clever and funny! :) He also loved playing with his super hip uncle Mike!
See? Super hip! (I call it "Mike Art")
We taught Charlie all about these really cool little bi-valve sea creatures that will dig themselves back into the sand by sticking a little part out of the shell when they feel safe. He was fascinated and kept picking it up.






Here's a look at all the Instagram photos I took with my phone while at the beach:
Both nights we were there we had to go out and get seafood. The first night I ate this delicious plate of shrimp 'n grits and some lima beans yum!! The second night I devoured some fried green tomatoes, sweet potato fries, and crab cakes. Oh man my mouth is watering just thinking about seafood!


Our first night at Myrtle Beach, we went on a drive up the main strip where they have tons of Vegas-style lights and sounds and smells. They also have an awesome little amusement park where my brother and I insisted upon visiting so we could ride the old white rickety roller coaster (which, by the way, left me needing a chiropractor!). While we were there, my Mom realized that they had the little boat ride that both she and I rode back when we were kids, and we knew Charlie would need to have a ride! It was his first ever solo amusement park ride and he LOVED it!!! I can't believe how big he's getting... able to ride stuff without my help and all! *Sniffle*
Well... until next time, beach! We had so much fun exploring, eating, napping, reading, swimming, and walking on you!

My 26th Birthday Bash

Ok well it was just a little at-home party... but it was just perfect! Charlie had just a couple days prior come down with croup and was making life pretty miserable. The cabin fever was just barely setting in, but we made do with the circumstances! My brother was in town and was able to celebrate with me! :)

Here are a couple of birthday "selfies" I took. Hey - even when you can't go anywhere on your birthday you can still dress up and look cute, right?! And Trev surprised me with this fun little "Birthday Girl" ribbon to wear all day. Totally cheesy, but right up my alley!! :D
Since all other best-laid plans (i.e. a nice date with the hubby, a party with friends, etc) were cancelled due to Charlie's illness, my only request was that Trevor make and decorate a cake for me! And that we could make a delicious dinner. Trevor cooked some delicious marinated pork chops and I made the green beans, baked sweet potatoes, and out-of-the-can crescent rolls. It was seriously delicious, though! Mmmmmm!
And finally, the above pictures show Trev's amazing cake masterpiece. He was so sweet to put all that time and effort into decorating a cake for me, and I loved how it turned out... 14 candles and all ;) To top it off, he sneaked out earlier in the day and bought those awesome "Happy Birthday" headbands for us all to wear while singing to me. Ummm, AMAZING! I was literally giddy with childish happiness. Those little tiny things really make my day feel special. Thank you so much, sweet hubby, for giving me the best 26th birthday party I could have asked for! I love you! <3

Fourth of July Festivities

Since I got really busy editing photos for the Kimball family right after the 4th, I got pretty behind in editing, organizing, and posting photos of the recent happenings in my own life! Here's my attempt to catch up a little. 

On the 4th we made our traditional trek to Heber City for a family reunion with Trev's Mom's side of the family. Complete with hamburgers and other delicious foods, frisbee throwing, candy tossing, and loved ones, the day did not disappoint! We were sad to miss seeing Mical since she was rushing Caden to urgent care after a little rough play on the water slide caused an ankle injury. I quickly decided that we would wait until next year for Charlie to play on the water slide... :)
He loved collecting candy with all of his cousins. Although I don't think he understood how much he wanted to actually collect the candy until he ate some and remembered what it actually was. 
Studying a tootsie roll very seriously... haha!
Later that night we drove down to Springville to Meg's house as we do every year to watch fireworks! It was a lot of fun, but we again had a large aerial firework mishap!! The first one we shot off turned on its side and started shooting flares everywhere, including directly towards us! The minute I realized what happened I ducked down and covered my head. Fortunately, Trev was sitting near me and Charlie so he knocked Charlie low to the ground to protect him and then picked him up and ran him in the house to help him calm down from the scare. (This is a starkly different reaction than a similar incident two years prior when I was pregnant, when Trev was caught using one of his nephews as a human shield... hahaha! Since having a kid, Trev's "fatherly instincts" have, thankfully, kicked in.)
Other than the one incident, Charlie rather enjoyed watching all the fireworks we shot off. He had a pretty stern expression, but never cried or got scared. Sweet, brave boy!
Very similar to last year, Charlie fell asleep in his Daddy's arms, exhausted from a fun-filled day!
And I ended up using more stain remover in one load of Charlie's laundry than I have in all other loads combined. That kid really made the best of his holiday! :)

Salem Pond

A couple days before the 4th of July, we went and hung out at Salem Pond for Troy's birthday. It was a lot of fun to watch Charlie actually get to interact and play with his cousins and eat his weight in watermelon and chocolate chip cookies.




Meanwhile, the adults enjoyed a bit of good food and conversation... except for me because I was constantly watching and chasing Charlie!

I love this one of Meg and her little Scarlett from behind :)
The men flaunting their manliness with a "leisurely" game of toss. Or throw as hard as you can to make the other person drop the catch. Whichever one. ;)
Near the end of the day, Uncle Trent and Grandma Jill took the two littlest grandkids down the path to the other side of the pond where the ducks were swimming. Even though this pic is a little blurry, I love it <3
Happy Birthday, Troy, you handsome devil! ;)