Myrtle Beach Trip

This past weekend Paul had a work conference in Myrtle Beach so the girls and I tagged along for some beach fun! We left on Friday and I didn't tell them until Thursday. They were sooooo excited! Ellie kept calling it an "adventure". I knew we would have some meals that were too late for Ruthie and where the big girls would need snacks to hold them over until the meal so Ellie had a great time at the grocery store getting to pick out snacks for our adventure (Emmie was at camp so Ellie got to make all the decisions). She LOVES snack food and she got to pick out things that we don't usually buy because they were easy to prepare in a hotel room. (Things like store bought muffins, squeezie yogurt, pudding, and granola bars...we also took some fruit along but she wasn't nearly as excited about that.)
We left Friday after lunch and the girls all slept at some point during the trip. When we got to the hotel Paul unpacked the car and the girls and I went exploring. They were super excited to get to stay in a hotel (the last time they stayed in one was at Disney almost two years ago). When Ellie found out we would be staying in a hotel she was thrilled and wanted to know if we would have a potty and a bathtub and if there would be a bed for her to sleep in. The kid doesn't ask for much!

Ellie had to try out the bed as soon as we got there...she gave it an A+.

We stayed at the Marriott Grande Dunes so we were right on the beach and we also had 2 outdoor pools and a waterslide. There was also a whole section of hammocks so of course we had to try those out.

Ruthie thinks putting 4.5 people on a hammock might not be a great idea...she's totally judging.

After we got settled in our room we changed and went to the welcome reception. The girls gorged themselves on fruit and cheese and Emmie quickly found some friends her age. The group from Paul's company had dinner reservations at 7:30 and our original plan was for Paul to take the big girls and I would feed Ruthie in the hotel room. However, at the last minute Ellie decided she wanted to stay with me so I took the little girls and we had a picnic in the hotel room. They both thought it was so much fun!

When I put Ellie's dress on her for the reception she started talking about how she was going to work on being "lady like"...it cracked me up but you can see in this picture that she's still focused on her task. It took me awhile to figure out where she picked up on the term but I finally realized it's from Happy Birthday, Samantha which we had just finished reading.

It was VERY good that Ellie decided to stay as Paul and Emmie didn't get back until after 10...Ellie would have been a mess. I was worried about how bedtime in a hotel room would go but the big girls did fine because Ellie was asleep before Emmie got back. Ruthie flipped out when I put her in the pack and play but once I got in the bed she seemed to realize that I wasn't leaving her and she settled down and went to sleep.
Saturday morning the girls were up bright and early (as in 6:45...ugh) and ready to head to the pool. We went downstairs and ate breakfast and then changed and headed to the pool. They were sooo excited. Emmie and Ellie actually asked to do the waterslide and I was super surprised when both of them actually went down the waterslide. I know Emmie was terrified (Ellie however volunteered to go first) and I was really proud of her for trying it out. When they got to the bottom neither one wanted to do it again but I think if it had been open when we were at the pool that evening they would have given it another shot. We played at the pool for about an hour and then my friend Julie and her boys joined us for some beach time. Julie is one of my sorority sisters and we were roommates our senior year of college and she now lives in Myrtle Beach. The last time I saw Julie was when Ruthie was born so I was super excited that it worked out that we were able to spend some time catching up! The kids had a lot of fun playing in the sand.

As close as I could get to a picture with all the kiddos.

My friend Kerri, who's husband works in the Greenville office, joined us at the beach as well. I loved catching up with both of these wonderful friends that I get to see so rarely! For lunch Julie and I took all the kiddos to chick fil a so they could continue playing. After lunch the girls and I headed back to the hotel for nap time. I shouldn't call this nap time as Ruthie clearly thought it was dance party time. She kept standing up in the pack and play and singing and dancing with her baby doll! The big girls were playing quietly on the ipad but if they made any noise Ruthie popped up again. I finally turned off the ipad and told them it was time to take a nap (and for once NOBODY argued with me...I think they were asleep before Ruthie). Once the big girls were asleep Ruthie quickly followed suit. They all took about a 2 hour nap...it was great! After nap they ate a little snack and then we changed and went back to the pool for a Luau. The girls were less interested in the food and more interested in getting back in the pool. They played for a LONG time. The luau started at 7 and I brought the little girls back to the room around 9:20 and Paul and Emmie didn't get back until after 10. However, once again they were up bright and early the next morning!
Sunday morning we packed up our stuff and loaded up the car and all headed to Ripley's Aquarium. We went to the Charleston aquarium earlier this summer and they had a great time so they were excited to try out another one.

Ruthie was not a fan of the loud waterfall behind them!

Watching the sting rays. There was an area where you could pet them but none of mine were up for it.

Emmie finally worked up the courage to touch a horseshoe crab.

Jellyfish

After standing at the tank for about 5 minutes they finally worked up the courage to touch a jellyfish.

I think all of us thought the best part was going through the tunnel where the fish swim all around you. It was so neat to look up and see fish swimming over your head!

Lobster!

I loved the sea turtle.

Those little orange things really entertained the girls...they kept calling them Cheetos.

They also got to meet a "real" mermaid which thrilled the big girls...Ruthie wasn't having any of it though. After the aquarium we headed back to Columbia. Everyone was pretty worn out after our trip but we definitely had lots of fun and the girls can't wait to go on another hotel adventure!