Myrtle Beach Day Three

Sweet boys: Just before a sandstorm struck - Ouch!

Running, running...

Getting a little prenatal exercise in...

One last soak in the hot tub...

Livin' it up...

And, one last turn around the lazy river for all...

...even MawMaw (with assistance, of course)!

Every time we leave we all say, "We should have stayed just one more day!" It was a really fun trip. I am amazed at how much delight we take in watching Elijah have fun.

Myrtle Beach Day Two

Check out this old man outfit Elijah is sporting. I was so glad to finally have an excuse to make him wear it; it was so fun to see him in it that I have now made him wear it several times - even though we are no longer at the beach. Here we are out to breakfast at some great little pancake house (Stacks of Pancakes, I think?).

Elijah's fan club was very enthusiastic.
Elijah carried this yellow shovel around with him everywhere. Plus, he actually learned how to use his shovel.
Elijah's favorite person at the beach was BY FAR Aunt Abigail!!! Elijah just loves her so much. We like to say it is because Ab is just like me~:-) Elijah would go look for her in the morning, take her books to read, and laugh at all her silly expressions. She pretty much fascinated him. (You know, just like I do...)
Notice Eric is working hard in the back of all these pictures. He and Uncle John managed to make a couple great sandcastles "for" Elijah. One was called New Orleans; attempts were made to improve on the structure of the actual city's dams.

Our family picture didn't quite turn out like some of those darling sunset beach pictures other families get....

Ooooh, BIG! ROCKS! Outside of Longhorn, Elijah starts to say "rock."

Dear MawMaw with three of the grandkids:
Mom & MawMaw (notice the matching Myrtle Beach shirts):
Uncle Dwight with his favorite nieces and nephew~;-):

Elijah had fallen asleep on our way to the restaurant, so I stayed in the van with him until he awoke. Eric locked the doors as he walked away to order our food. My efforts at exiting the van resulted in our car alarm going off three times, a scramble into the front seat with the baby, use of my cat-like reflexes to push the lock back and grab the door handle with lightening speed, and a quick exodus from the still-alarming van. So, beware when trying to leave your car without having the keys in hand.

Myrtle Beach Day One

We made our annual trek to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, this year with MawMaw, Uncle Dwight, Mom, John, and Abigail. It was more fun this year than ever thanks to Elijah's enthusiasm at seeing the OCEAN! He was also excited about being able to control the spigot to our oversized bathtub. (And, look! Elijah wore disposables the whole time we were away.)This was our attempt at trying to warm Elijah up after a cold morning down at the pools and ocean. He was having a great time, but we decided to head back to our room when his teeth started chattering and his body was shaking. Just chalk that decision up to the discernment of two very wise parents.
After a warm bath and lots of clothing, what is better than sleeping in the Big! Bed!?Daddy didn't want to be left out, so he joined Elijah for a nap. Eric, notice how the upper half of Elijah's body is hoisted way above the bed? That is what your arm does!
After a family nap, we headed across the street for some Putt Putt. Save building sand castles, this was probably Elijah's favorite event of the trip. He LOVED running through the course, picking up the flags, crossing through the shrubbery, and retrieving our balls.
Mom, the Putt Putt champion: Notice the flag Elijah is carrying:Elijah cheers Grandma on...or waits until he can grab her ball.Get it, Elijah!Elijah's preferred mode of transportation when he is "working":
Family picture:

Eric braved the cold water to take Elijah through one of the kiddie pools. None of the kid's pools were heated, whereas all the adult pools felt great. Who made that call?Uncle Dwight had to take a rest after keeping score for us during the Putt Putt match: Preggo! Better get those goggles on, Uncle John! Oooh, much better.
This kiddie pool really was especially fun, despite being freezing. Elijah's favorite attraction there was the dumping of the buckets. Day One was definitely a hit!

Dressed for church

I love this little man! (Can you believe that he is growing up so much?)

Isn't he lovely?

Bicentennial Mall

Aunt Laura and I ate our picnic lunches in the car while Elijah finished up a quick nap. When he awoke, we were off to explore the park...

Notice Aunt Laura's little baby bump? Go to her blog to find out their baby's gender!