Mama's Memories for M: Myrtle Beach to the First Day of School ~ Hello 4th Grade!

Hey-yo, M!

It was officially August, the final full month of summer. We filled our calendar with a beach trip, the first days of school, and fishing time with Dad (you are both now obsessed with fishing ~ so cute to see you both enjoy something together).

Going to the beach meant a shaving party for Dad on the deck. (Our neighbors just love us!) Ha ha!

This year we decided to try a vacation with just the three of us. We chose Myrtle Beach for a little something different and thinking that it would have more than enough to keep us all occupied for a week. Unfortunately, it rained most of the time and our hotel was much less than what we expected. Given our challenges while at the beach, we actually ended up heading north a few days early so we could find some sunshine and a nice, clean pool to swim in. In spite of our hardships on the trip, we still enjoyed spending time together. No matter where we are, as long as I am with you and Daddy, I am happy and have all I truly need.

As far as the actual trip, here's how it went. On the way down to Myrtle Beach, look what we found! Biscuitville! We just had to send this picture to our neighbor, Jenny, since she loves the way you say..."Bischkitz!!"

The long drive down left a lot of time for you to snooze in the car. I found out that you are still, even at age 9, not too old to need a snuggle with Mom's hand to help you sleep more soundly. So sweet.

So, we ended up making it to Myrtle Beach...however, between the lower end hotel (thanks to Mom trying to save a buck - I learned my lesson for sure!) and the chillier, rainy weather, we only really got one good day for beach and water fun. Luckily, I snapped some pictures of your first dip in the ocean for this trip as you can see below.

you were excited to have the freedom of going
shirtless at the beach

Poor kid kept getting your sand castles wiped out when it was closer to the surf so you chose this safer spot...right by the stinky trash can. Ha.

you wanted me to take a picture of your creation - ta dah!

The first night, we hit a nearby seafood buffet. You tried your hand at cracking the crab legs and did a pretty good job! So much work for just a little bit of meat.

The next adventure of the trip was probably my favorite. We went to see a super cool, musical and acrobatic, aquatic pirate dinner show called the Pirates' Voyage. The set was ginormous and there were live animals, pyrotechnics, acrobats, singing and dancing. We all loved it! You even got to help out in the show (chasing ducks for the pirates)!

the audience (us) sat in these bleacher rows to eat
dinner while we watched the show below

On the way home from the show, we stopped for a round of mini-golf. It was a really fun night. I love our little family.

Daddy being silly, pretending to be a gorilla

family selfie at the top of the golf course, overlooking Myrtle Beach
(if you look close, you can see the giant ferris wheel in the background)

Later in the week, we headed out to do some beach-side lunch and tourist shopping.

drinking some fancy drinks together ~ you had the super cool pineapple!

we knew when we saw the restaurant logo that we had to eat here
(butt crack!!)

"I wish I were BIG!"
(if you don't get it, google that movie quote)

shark attack! luckily you pulled Dad to safety

and we even rode the giant ferris wheel...it took some coaxing
but you finally agreed to get in the cage with us

clearly, you are not so sure...but you did it without any tears

When we got back to the hotel, you and I decided to try out our new boogie boards after searching for seashells together.

It was fun but sadly lasted about 15 minutes in the ocean before you got stung by a jelly fish. (What?! Seriously. Crazy, I know). Luckily, our hotel had a cup of vinegar for you and instructions for us on how to help with the stinging. You handled it like a champ, but I suspect it will take you quite a long time to get back into any murky oceans again. Poor thing.

After your leg felt better, we headed back out to do some more eating and shopping. (Are you noticing a theme here?) Eat. Shop. Eat. Shop. Eat. Below, Daddy is trying to show you how to finesse a chicken wing to optimize the meat. By the third picture, you can tell that you aren't quite buying it. Ha.

Surprisingly we met up with the Doelling family (the day before) who was also vacationing in Myrtle Beach at the same time. Over ice cream, they told us about this awesome shop called Ridemakerz where kids can build their own remote control cars. So, while we were out shopping, we tracked it down. You got to pick out all the parts, use real tools and put it all together (with a little help) like a real pit crew. See below.

they even timed how long it took you to drill everything together and wrote it on a
tag for you, then put it on your shirt and announced your time to the whole store

ta dah!

That night we (you guessed it) went out to dinner at a local joint. Here I am posing for you (who took the picture) with the silly prop at the restaurant.

The next day we decided we had had enough of Myrtle Beach and wanted to go home early. We stopped for some ice cream at another local spot before we left. This picture sums up how we all were feeling about this particular vacation spot. Peace out, Myrtle Beach ~ we are heading north!

you had just told me, after not being able to finish your
ice cream, "Mom, you gotta win this one for the family!"
(tapping out!)

More snoozing once we hit the road to our next destination, Winston-Salem, NC. We were in search of blue skies and sunshine. Our only stipulation was that the next hotel have a pool!

And it did!

yay! a clean pool all to ourselves!

The next morning, we hit the road again. Next destination - home sweet home!

on our last leg before home...here I was trying to
sneak a video of you crooning in the backseat

We finally made it home and it felt great. We even had several days to relax before jumping right into a brand new school year for you. Luckily, I had gotten nearly everything ready ahead of time so we had plenty of time to spend together without stress. I wanted to be sure to soak in these last days with you before homework and the minutiae of the school year bowls us over.

my almost 4th grader showing how you
can make it across the balance beam

bike rides to the park on our beloved trail

And finally...the day was upon us. Your first day of school! Look out, 4th grade ~ here you come!

(Forgive the deluge of first day of school pictures, but I am a very typical, extremely proud mama after all!)

Walking to the bus stop with your bud, Ana. It was really nice tohave a friendly face help you feel more comfortable that morning.

Your first year riding the yellow bus to and from school. You were a bit nervous about it but did fabulously!

you're off! the school bus in the upper left corner of picture

And here is the after school update - success!

Since you requested a "party" to celebrate your first day of school, but it was such a spur of the moment suggestion, you settled for my getting you and Ana a cookie cake. Giant chocolate chip cookies make everything a party, right?

You did fantastic getting used to the new school year, including riding the bus. For a little while, you let me meet you at the bus stop after school. However, as you became more and more comfortable with the new routine, you wanted to walk home with friends on your own. Each little bit of independence is bittersweet. You don't need me as much as you used to (and sometimes it hurts) but all that means is that my kiddo is growing up. Proud of you.

As fun as starting a brand new school year can be, we also had some sadness to balance out the happy. Audrey's dog, Mr. Yang, is nearing the end of his life. At 18 years old, his body is finally failing him. One day after school, we headed to Audrey's house to bring Yangies some Arby's roast beef sandwiches and give him some snuggles. As hard as it is to say goodbye, it is a natural part of life and nothing to fear.

feeding him some Arby's

August also brought a surprise from a new friend of mine who owns the company Deconstructing Gender. You see, in our family we believe that people should be able to express themselves however they choose and be anyone they want to be and no one should be restricted from hair styles, clothing, behavior, or anything else based on their sex/gender. That is what Deconstructing Gender is all about as well. I bought a shirt from this company a while ago and you have been asking for a shirt like mine for some time, so I ordered you one in the spring. Unfortunately, it never arrived. You continued to ask about it and I was finally able to track down the guy (Avery) who creates these shirts and explain that we never received ours. He apologized profusely and told me that something had happened to his distributor and that he would work on getting us our shirt as soon as possible. Over several conversations with him where I told him all about you, he not only eventually sent you your shirt, but also several other goodies (another shirt and some stickers) as well! Here you are (with Ana) in your awesome new shirt.