Wow, long time no write, huh? I want to tell you guys about our lives, from goodies I bake to Connor’s latest achievements (counting to 10!) to the McHusband’s most recent new-to-him car.
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| Another Magnum. Anyone wanna buy an Acura? |
But let’s not focus on how much I’m NOT
writing and instead be glad there’s this post to read. With pictures and everything!
Connor and I went to the beach this past
weekend. We met up with my sisters, Bri
and Shannon, and their kids (Lyla, Owen, Olivia, and Maxie). Sorry, no
hubbies/boyfriends allowed this time.
Bri’s husband’s family has a little house in Surfside Beach, near
Myrtle, so we crammed ourselves and all our stuff in there and it worked out
great. Unless you were Owen and Olivia
sleeping on the sunporch with only the fans cooling you off. Then you might not agree that “great” is the
right word to use…
I worked a half-day on Thursday, picked
Connor up from school, loaded the last few things I needed into the car, and we
hit the road. Connor fell asleep pretty
quickly, which I had counted on, and we had a very pleasant 3.5-hour
drive. He almost always does great on long car rides. I give him snacks, talk to him,
and also just let him look out the windows and take in the world around him and
respond to his questions and comments.
At one point, he was telling me about Mickey Mouse driving a muddy car
and how he, Connor, needed to clean it.
I love seeing him using his imagination.
We arrived before Shannon, and Lyla and
Maxie were waiting for us. They were
more than happy to help unload Connor’s toys.
Oh, you thought I meant carry them in from
the car?
That evening we had a pasta dinner and then
went on a walk. We had seen turtles in
the pond behind the house earlier, then on the way back to the house we saw
swans.
We were all up bright and early Friday
morning so once everyone was fed, it was time to slap on the sunscreen and head
to the beach. The house is about a
five-minute drive from the beach and with it being both early and a weekday, we
didn’t have any problems finding parking.
We played in the surf and sand for about 3 hours before wrapping it up,
mostly at my request so that Connor could go back for a nap. But we crammed a lot of fun (and a few
snacks, of course) into that timeframe.
Connor is a big fan of the beach!
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| Sister Selfie |
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| Snacks on the Beach |
After Connor’s nap, the kids played with Connor's school bus, the souvenir that the McHusband brought back after HIS beach trip the weekend before. I love how well all the kids (usually) play together and how they include Connor.
Once the novelty of the bus wore out, it was time for a rousing game of Hide
& Go Seek. Bri, Shannon, and I had
fun finding good hiding places for the kids so it was a game for all ages. We had pizza for dinner and then the kids
watched a movie. Well, the kids and Bri
and Shannon. I may have dozed off for a
few minutes… Hey, it’s hard work playing
in the surf with a toddler! #pluswine
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| Sleeping Beauty |
Saturday was our long beach day. We met up with my cousin Cody, who moved to
Myrtle from PA in February, for an early lunch to beat the crowds and then
spent the rest of the afternoon at the beach.
Connor did amazing out there considering the early start to the day
(seriously, these kids don’t understand that vacations are for sleeping
in) and the lack of a nap. He only fussed at the very end when
it was time to go and he didn’t want to leave, but I think he was tired enough that
he didn’t really have the energy to fight me too hard about leaving. I strapped him in his carseat and I think he
was asleep before I’d even backed the car all the way out.
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| Sleeping Cutie |
He slept hard for about 30 minutes while we
made pit stops at the grocery store and gas station, and then I drove around
for another 10 minutes or so to allow him to get enough zzz’s to get him
through, happily, til bedtime. He woke
up a tad grumpy but once he was bathed and with the other kids – or his
friends, as he called them – he was good to go.
The kids chilled a little with electronics and TV, and then more Hide
& Go Seek with Cody’s help was on the docket. We ate Crockpot Salsa Chicken tacos and rice
for dinner and just hung out at the house.
Once the kids were down, the big kids had more
fun visiting and we stayed up much too late.
I think I finally got into bed at 1:30 and Connor, who had slept just fine
the past two nights, woke up at 4:00. I
did something I’ve never done before and do NOT plan to make a habit of: I
pulled him onto the bed with me. My
reasoning was this: I was driving us home the next day and wanted to get as
much sleep as I could to ensure safe travels. #momlogic
Speaking of the drive home… Once again, Connor was a perfect
passenger. It helped that he actually
slept for an hour and a half. See? I
wasn’t the only one tired from vacation.
We left around 10:30 and he was asleep just before 11:00. He normally won’t go down for his nap until
between 12:30 and 1:30 so he was definitely needing to catch up a little. Wish I could’ve joined him…
All in all, we had a fabulous time, and I’m
so glad it worked out for us to spend that quality time together. I’m especially happy that Connor got to be
with his “friends,” a.k.a. cousins. He’s old enough now to really remember them
so every visit matters for more than just the obvious reasons.
