After a whirlwind week/weekend of (out of town) car trouble and tons of fun, we threw the boat in on Sunday and headed out to Sandy Point. It was, after all, Reeves and Bryant's birthday weekend, so we just had to do what they wanted. (One day is not nearly enough time to celebrate.) The ride from Wappoo was brutal. We were getting pounded by an outgoing tide with an incoming wind. The bow of that little Montauk was getting so beaten that by the end, we were all huddled in the stern. The good news though is that, since we couldn't go faster than a snail's pace, we weren't tempted to push the throttle and consequently, the engine didn't overheat. (See, there's a silver lining in every situation. It's always a small victory when a twenty year old motor successfully gets you anywhere.)
We eventually made it to Sandy Point and quickly settled in. 
Of course we just had to bring our aunt/nanny with us and Henry. Lol is never one to turn down a day in the boat and we are always happy to have her with us. (She makes the best sandwiches!)
It was a perfect day for floating and playing. We ran into Joe and Micky B. on the backside in the little creek, and all the boys instantly made fast friends. This was great for us because it made our whole level of parental involvement go down significantly! (Of course, my camera was all the way back on the boat, and that was just too far to go to take any pictures of all the romping around in the mud!)
Did you know that Bennett could walk on water?
Finally, after a cut on Reeves' hand (can you see the enormous gash that nearly severed his hand completely from his body? Hyperbole? Maybe.) and a tide that had come in a good bit, we headed home. But not, in true Bryant form, until after we had passed right by our landing, out into the harbor, under the bridge, and then back.
He never wants to see a fun day end. We rolled into the driveway with two unexpectedly awake boys, but it wasn't long after a showers and supper that their heads were weighing down their pillows. It truly was a wonderful family day that I hope to repeat many times this summer.
Oh yeah, and it's super sweet to see The Daddy cuddling with and reading to The Boys. But mostly it's just The Me, sitting silently and watching, and if I feel up to it, snapping a couple of pictures.
Not wanting to do anything too involved before I had to leave to handle my part of hostess duties for the big hunt, Bryant and I decided to take the boys down to the park on the Old Navy Base. The boys absolutely adore this place, and unfortunately, Bryant hasn't had too many opportunities to join us there, so this was a special day. 
Of course, R and B were ecstatic to have their daddy joining us on an "adventure", and we made the most of our limited time there. First we visited The Big Blue Playground. (I capitalize it because it is THAT important around our house.) The boys showed Daddy all the wonderful things about one of their favorite playgrounds. 
Bennett even took a twirl in the spinning seat, and Reeves climbed higher than he ever has on the rope structure. 
I think they were both showing off.
Before we knew it, Bennett was soaked too. Once he's halfway there, why not let him go all the way. He would be warmer running around in it than with me holding him.
Oh well. At least we had brought a blanket so we could wrap them up. They loved it! And stayed in it, running back and forth, batting at the streams of water, and covering up the jets with their crocs much longer than Bryant or I would have guessed. 
Reeves did eventually admit that he was getting cold, so we headed back to the golf cart, stripped them both down and wrapped them up in the blanket - and Daddy's undershirt which he removed to at least partially clothe a naked Benny Boy. It was a pretty classy scene.
I can't wait till the weather warms up for good (although I definitely will miss a few cool days here and there). In this coastal town, it opens up a whole new wealth of fun possibilities when your plans for the day can include, "Bring bathing suit."
Recently he has been advertising his book The Christmas Sweater. He also mentioned that he was going to be in town signing books on Dec 16.
I had really wanted to get a picture of Glenn with the boys, but they had asked you not to because it would really slow things down. I understood that, but I had still told myself that I would sneak one in. But as in most situations, I chickened out when the time came. Still, I'm so glad we were able to do this as a family, and I can only hope that our boys share our same conservative views when they grow up. Heaven knows, I'm doing all I can to build a good foundation for that right now.
When we got home, we got our only family picture in front of the Christmas tree. It's amazing what a little tripod and a timer on a camera can do. 
I think the boys just liked watching me run back and jump into place over and over again. 
There were lots of outtakes, and Reeves even proved he's turning into quite the little photographer himself.
We had lots of friends and family stay with us or just visit for the day while were there.
We even had some out of town guests. Bryce and Caulder stopped by one afternoon. Reeves is smitten with Bryce and asks about her all the time. When I remind him that he likes Caulder too, he stops me and tells me, "No. I love Bryce!" According to Reeves, you can only like (or love) one thing at a time, and no one else can like it either while you are liking it.
Towards the end of our stay, Mom and I went exploring on the golf cart and found a beach access just past Fort Moultrie. You could drive the cart up and step right onto the beach. I wish I had found this the day we got there. From then on, every night, B and I would load the boys up and drive down there. 
The sun set just beautifully over the city. 
Reeves could run and play. He loved climbing on the rocks and running from the waves.
Bennett spent most of his time on his Daddy's shoulders, and I was able to get some great pictures. 
It was the perfect pre-bedtime jaunt.
We went all the way around the island and behind Goat Island. Even though it was my suggestion to circumnavigate Sullivan's, I must admit, I did get a little nervous out there in the "big water". (Am I becoming my mother?)
This was Bennett's first trip in our boat and his first time with a lifejacket on. He wasn't crazy about it at first but animal crackers (and, I suppose, the scenery) quickly helped him overcome his discomfort. While I was tooling around waiting for B to park the truck, I found it quite difficult to manuever and hold Bennett. 
Solution - I put him right where I put Sadie the first time I took her on the boat, on top of the console. Of course, Bennett is considerably bigger than she was at 6 weeks, but it seemed to work fine. It was a beautiful evening that made you really appreciate living in the Lowcountry. We watched the kiteboarders from the ocean and watched the boats going out the channel. The tide was so high we couldn't even see the jetties. We had to go back and forth under the Breech Inlet bridge a few times, yelling each time. We saw dolphins in the creeks and watched the flyfishers poling towards their prey. The boys loved it. We loved it. It was a perfect cap to a great two weeks.
Summer just wouldn't be the same without The Ark. Thank you, Poppa and Grandmother!
One of Bennett's favorite things is a ball attached to this rope. Probably not the safest toy, but he never plays with it unless we're around, and the delight it brings is worth it.
He has recently been all about Daddy. I definitely play second fiddle when the Daddy's around.
No one is safe when both boys attack! Bennett is really beginning to be able to join in the fun. Thankfully, Reeves doesn't seem to mind too much.
Luckily, Daddy survived the attack just fine and was able to regain control.
It doesn't get much better than this. All the mommy frustrations just melt away at times like these.
Both boys slept great. I had envisioned being up all night as they woke each other up and took turns keeping us up. I was sure Bryant was going to be nodding off in his class because of this. Looks like Bennett has been a good influence on Reeves. 
Once we were all in for the night, we pushed the Pack-n-Play up against the door and covered the open side with a blanket so that Bennett couldn't see out. (It was too small to fit in the bathroom.) It worked like a charm. He even took a two hour nap in it Wednesday morning with Reeves and me in the room! Reeves spent the first night in one double bed by himself and the next snuggled up next to Daddy. (I know Bryant loved this!) Both boys, and consequently we, slept through the night both nights. Our room was peacefully quiet until almost 7:00. Neither B nor I could believe it.
For days before we left, Reeves would walk all over the yard with his beach toys. He loves them. He talked all about how he was going to play at "Murray Beach" with his beach toys. Unfortunately for him (and me), the weather was not cooperating. It was cold and rainy on Tuesday and pretty but freezing and windy on Wednesday. So, while Bryant was in class, the boys and I did a lot of driving and a little shopping - but mostly driving. They both took their afternoon naps in the car while I did laps up and down the bypass and the strip.
When Daddy got out of class on Tuesday, we headed to Broadway at the Beach for dinner. It was almost deserted. 
We first went to eat at a place called Key West Grill. I had to ask to be seated away from the table of smokers. I mean really, we have two children with us and the restaurant is about 9% full. Is this really the best place to put us? What an idiot host! Once we sat down and looked at the menu, we realized the cheapest thing on the menu was $23. Let's just say that's not in the budget now that I'm staying home. Luckily, no one came over to us at all in the five minutes we were there. Bennett was pretty fussy, so we used that as our excuse to book it out of there. 
We ended up at Hard Rock Cafe. Not too bad, and Reeves loved walking around looking at all the memorabilia. And it was loud, which is a must when your pushing bedtimes with two.
Since checkout was at 12:00 on Wednesday, I loaded up the car and headed out with the boys. We walked some, but it was so cold outside that, although Reeves probably would have been fine, I just couldn't subject Bennett to it. We hit Barefoot Landing for a bit, fed Bennett in a couple of parking lots, napped, and watched Nemo on continuous loop. Other than a few breakdowns, Reeves did great. The breakdowns concisted mainly of him screaming "NO!!" at the top of his lungs, continuously. I can't wait for this phase to be over.
Then, juxtaposed right across the street, oceanfront, are these massive highrises, holding hundreds if not thousands of guests each. They completely dwarf the smaller ins behind them. There is no view of the ocean save for those who pay for it from up above the fray. I just can't see that any interaction goes on with anyone else when you stay at one of these places. I didn't expect it to, but it depressed me. I don't long for the "good old days" all that often, but Myrtle Beach made me do just that. I can't fault the landowners who sold out so that these monstrosities could be built. How can you turn down multiple millions of dollars when you're making a living by cleaning up other people's rooms? They have torn down the old Pavillion. I imagine they'll probably put up another couple of huge hotels, maybe a park or two, but these too will be places cloaked in anonimity. Seems that the best place to go to be alone is right in the middle of the biggest crowd you can find. That's the beach vacation most people who go to Myrtle now get. 
SHAG, the movie, is truly now nothing more than a distant memory. There are still some beaches that are doing all they can to stay true to the family summer communities, but they are few and far between.
He was perfectly content to dig and rake. We watched the birds and looked for shells. Then, it started to get dark. I looked up and realized the sun was indeed going down, but it wouldn't truly set for another hour and a half. It was just sinking, not below the horizon, but below the tops of the highrises. 
A day cut short by overzealous development. But a trip I am so glad we all got to go on. Our first "vacation" as a family of four.