Inside Out Teen Beach Movie Looming Sleepover

Back from the beach and ready for her party!

The girls opening their loom kits.  Tate does not understand the concept of a present that is not for him.  The girls wasted no time getting down to looming business.

Opening presents while waiting for Daddy to make a Happy Meal run.  Anna Kate has spread the word that she asked to have her ears pierced for her birthday.  Both Aunt Connie and then Ila gave her real earrings.  Guess I have to eventually follow through now.  Or I could just make her wait until she's a teenager on the sheer principle that I had to wait until I was a teenager!  ;-)

Anna Kate planned the full-on junk food menu. -BELOW- Riley, Taylor, AK, Ila, Lily, Hannah, Brianna, Marianne and Carigan:

Just like he did on her actual birthday while we were at the beach, Tate sobbed like you'd kicked his puppy when Anna Kate blew out her candles.  We frequently will light a 4-wick candle in the kitchen and sing Happy Birthday to him and let him blow it out.  It's been a favorite game of his since his own birthday back in March.  He was equally crushed at the party as he was on her actual birthday when we lit candles and sang to the wrong person and dared to let her blow out the candles!  And being the reasonable non-indulgent parents that we are, we of course immediately re-lit one of the candles and sang happy birthday to Tate.  (Hey, don't judge until you have a 4th!)

Ila & Lily.^  Tate crashing Hannah's dance performance, with accompaniment by Marianne.  Anna Kate was the in-house videographer:

Reviewing the footage.^  On to the next performance:

Ready to watch Teen Beach Movie 2 (What Ila is doing was my signature move for most of my childhood.  It was my normal TV-watching stance.  Glad to know there are more of my kind out there in the world).  All settled down...

Or not.

They hopped up to dance and sing along with every number.

In bed but still awake at midnight.  At least I can vouch that they all brushed their teeth!

The next morning... I told them they couldn't talk until 7 a.m. and couldn't go downstairs until 8 a.m., but I'm happy to report that I didn't hear a peep out of that room until nearly 8:30!  So thankful for such special friends to help us celebrate Anna Kate turning eight!

Pirates & The Pier

We traded sunbathing for swashbuckling on Thursday... cutest pirates I've seen since our last Disney cruise!

So we didn't buy the really expensive photo they try to sell you, but Erin did have the lady snap our picture with her phone while we were still up against the green screen.  Just use your imagination and envision a pirate-appropriate background. 

Watching the pre-show.  Carigan found a better view on Granddaddy's shoulders.  

We went to a pirate-themed dinner show about 15 years ago in Orlando (back before I ever had any idea I would one day raise my children just down the road!), and it was similar, but this one took everything up a notch.  The acrobatics were as impressive at Cirque du Soleil.  It was amazing, and we had a front row seat!  We could literally reach out and touch the performers at times and even got occasionally splashed as acrobats took flying dives into the pool.  Pretty nifty stuff.

The trampoline acrobatics were my favorite!  I have only ever seen anything like it at Cirque du Soleil.  July 16, 2015

The sea lion made his exit by sliding on his belly right in front of our table.  (And for once I enjoyed the moment instead of reaching for my camera.  You proud of me?)  -BELOW- Our waiter came up and asked me if he could put Anna Kate and Carigan in the show.  I said Carigan was too shy but that Anna Kate would go.  Well I was wrong... AK clammed up.  So we sent Wesley & Abby.  They got to chase ducks.  As a reward for their piracy, they each got a sterling silver medallion and a book by Dolly Parton.  You would think it's an Olympic gold medal the way Wesley displays it with such pride!

GIANT pirate chicken!  (We brought about seven pounds of leftovers home to Daddy, who stayed back at the condo with Tate).

The diving was amazing too... the most impressive part was this giant swing they had rigged up right in front of us that one man would use his weight to get it swinging and the other would take a flying leap off when it was crazy high in the air.  I was too busy ducking to take pictures of that!  Such a fun memory!

The girls and I had walked to the pier with Erin and Abby the night before, and I told the girls I would "think about" letting them get hair wraps.  Abby walked with us to the pier Thursday night (their last night before they had to leave Friday morning), and AK was ecstatic when I totally caved. Tate & Daddy chillin', waiting for all the girls to get a hair wrap.^  It took forever!  Wesley was busy chatting up anyone and everyone, as usual. 

Already regretting it (they last 6-9 months!!), but the girls felt special.  We walked back to the condo and the kids swam until midnight.  Fun last-day-at-the-beach Sowards family tradition.  Friday we said goodbye to Erin & crew and then spent one last day in the sun.  All of us but Anna Kate (she was out since we told her ice-cream wasn't in the plan) walked to the pier one last time, and even explored the town a little right there around the pier.  It was a neat feeling to be on that same Garden City Pier I remember so well as a child, this time with my husband and kids of my own.  Little Hannah would have been very excited to see what joy God had in store for her.  -BELOW- Last night!  Once again we let the kids (even Tate... all these kids are so off schedule!) swim until close to midnight.  Wringing out every last drop of vacation!

Lydia came over to say goodbye as we packed up.  As Michael loaded up the car, Liddy and I took the kids down to the condo gift shop, their absolute favorite spot in all of Myrtle Beach.  Grandma has been feeding them money to purchase useless junk all week.  ;-)  They've had a ball.  They all spent the last of their money, and then we were all officially broke so we had to go home.  We said goodbye to Lydia, Pete & Duncan and followed each other out of Garden City toward Charleston.  We stopped at a yummy Mexican restaurant right before crossing the famous bridge in Charleston, and that held us over the rest of the drive.  We only stopped for gas and potty after that, and the kids were troopers.  So glad that's our last long road trip until Thanksgiving!

Injoy Mor Beech Daze

Carigan asked me to take her picture and then said, "Hey Mommy, are you going to put it on the blog and write Carigan is the best surfer girl in the world?"  You got it, Surfer Girl.

We spent hours Tuesday morning & afternoon on the beach and at the pool.  The kids eventually got hungry and Daddy took them up to the condo, but they kept watch over Grandma and me from above.

Just because we're on vacation doesn't mean we had to miss Dress Like a Cow Night at Chick-fil-A!  Erin and her family actually went for lunch and dinner.  Moo.

Aunt Erin told Carigan she better eat her chicken before it walks away. She said, "It will never do that."  Never tell Uncle Andrew never.^  Grandma + Beach means Bubbles:

No room for the beach stroller this trip, so post-dinner walks on the beach meant a shoulder workout for Daddy every night.  Dad and I were itching to embrace history, so we took a little trip down the way to Georgetown, South Carolina, with Tate in tow.  One of the most quaint little waterfront downtowns I've ever seen.  Lovely sidewalk restaurants with white tablecloths, a beautiful boardwalk by the marina, and a fascinating old clock tower.  But it was hot.  And I mean HOT.  We greatly enjoyed the South Carolina Maritime Museum, especially since it was nicely air-conditioned.  We cut our boardwalk stroll short (and Tate was in no mood to cooperate in that heat), but it would be a great place to come spend more time on a cooler day:

Tate was so deliriously sleepy on the drive back to Myrtle Beach that I countered the meltdown by letting him play with my phone.  Later that night I found several Tate selfies on my phone.  Cracks me up that he totally knows what he's doing.  So tired he can't stand it.^  Thursday Michael took Wesley and Gabe to play MagiQuest for Gabe's birthday (which was three days away).  Wesley has now played MagiQuest in Williamsburg, Pigeon Forge, and now Myrtle Beach.  Gabe got a wand and both boys got toppers... ready for some serious questing:
  

Anna Kate's top tooth has been loose since spring break, way back in March!  The night we walked all along the riverfront in Chattanooga, she wiggled her tooth and declared she was going to get it out by the end of the night.  Well, she was only three months and a few weeks off... it was finally ready to come out on July 16.  I had just finished spraying sunscreen all over her when I noticed that the actual root of her tooth was dangling down.  I fully admit to wanting her to keep those baby teeth in as long as possible, but I couldn't handle that dangley root!  I had to reach in there and grab it (after assuring Anna Kate I wouldn't pull it out, of course).  It was so ready to come out that there wasn't even a spot of blood.  I think AK gets the world record for longest-lasting wiggly tooth.  Sister Suzy is officially having a hard time with that thistle!

Tate's favorite thing about the entire beach trip, and possibly the entire summer.  His affections can be bought for 99 cents.