sleepover, soccer and swimming

I only worked a half day on Thursday. When I returned from my CPR training, I made lunch for my dad and the boys.  Bob had 7th grade orientation that night, so my dad took SJ to his house after lunch.  

I had to work a full day on Friday, so I had the boys spend the night at my parent's house.  When Bob's orientation was over, I met my parents at Target and deposited Bob in their vehicle.

The boys always have a nice time with my parents.  My mom usually takes them out to lunch or some place fun.  

While I was working, my mom was going to take them mini golfing.  The boys claimed to be tired, so they hung out until lunch time.  My mom took them to McDonalds and Subway.  

When my husband and I got home from work, we stopped for fast food and continued to my parent's house. Surprisingly, the boys were seated at my parent's diningroom table eating steak and sides.  My husband and I went outside to eat.  We didn't want to interrupt them behaving so nicely.  

After dinner, Bob had his first of 4 soccer games.  SJ isn't really into watching soccer, so I left him with my dad.  Bob's team won.  Yeah!  

We picked up SJ after the game and drove home.  Bob had two games on Saturday. We opted to only have SJ attend the second game.  

I took Bob to the first game.  Again, his team won.  Double yeah!  Afterwards, we had about 90 minutes until the second game.  I stopped to get him lunch near my mom's house.  We ate at her house.  She opted to come with us to game 2.  

My husband and SJ met us at the field. SJ never really enjoys watching soccer.  I had him watch for a few minutes.  Then, he asked if he could go to the play area. (There was a great playground at the soccer field.) I reminded him of the stranger rules and said have fun.  He stayed at the playground for most of the game.  He did see the last few minutes.  

An opponent on the other team got badly injured, so the game was delayed until the paramedics arrived.  There was only a few minutes remaining.  They completed the game, but Bob's team lost.  

After the game, I took my mom home and my husband took the boys home.  We were invited to a neighbor's for a swim party that evening.  SJ spent most of the party in their pool.  He only got out to eat. What a full few days!

summer reading tutoring #8

Last Thursday, SJ had his last reading tutoring session of the summer.  I had to work that morning, so I had Super Pappy running the kid errands.  

I dropped off SJ at Mrs. Banks house on my way to work.  I told my dad to pick him up at 10 a.m.  I was a little concerned that he would not find her house, so I called her around 10:30.  My dad did pick him up on time.  What a relief!

Since I had Mrs. Banks on the phone, I asked her how the session went.  She said he was a little resistant at first.  He wanted her to give "him a break".  She reminded him that he would have a few weeks off.  That settled him down.  

They did a few more chapters of The Island: Survival.  She said SJ was a little worried about not finishing the novel.  She reminded him that she would be tutoring him again and they could continue the novel then.  He seemed fine with that.  

They also worked on a Look and Find sheet where he had to answer some questions.  This is the picture.

Here are a few of the questions with his answers.

1. What is on the edge on the pool? Penguin and sunscreen 

2. What helps the kids see underwater? Goggles

3. What depth would you guess the water is? 5 ft

4. What has flags? The house

5. How many rings do you count? 3

Overall, she was very happy with the effort that SJ put in the summer.  I am happy that he hopefully didn't lose any skills over the summer.

summer speech #9

Last Wednesday was SJ's last summer session before school starts.  She continued to work on words that are troubling SJ.  

She assigned him 12 words that he couldn't name a synonym for.  For his homework, she asked me to have him give a synonym, antonym and a sentence for each word.  These were the words and SJ's answers.

Core-center-outside-The Earth's core is deep.

Numerous-many-one-A book has numerous pages.

Courteous-kind-mean-You should always talk to people who are courteous.

Hazard-dangerous-safe-Don't go near the hazard.

Labor-work-play-Today is Labor Day.

Rehearse-review-act-We have to rehearse for the play.

Blame-frame-talk-Don't blame him.

Tame-gentle-wild-Your dog is tame.

Flood-hazard-empty-Why is the basement flooded?

Serious-scientific-funny-That guy is really, really serious about it.

Ordinary-regular-different-Is Superman ordinary?

Tidy-clean-messy-I will tidy up my whole room.

Out of the twelve words, I had to prompt him on seven of them.  I also reviewed some of the synonyms that he had trouble with.  We did 23 together. He was able to answer 10 independently, 12 with prompts and only one he couldn't answer at all. That word was aid.

She said he worked very hard for her.  He told her about going to Kennywood and his new classmates.  He told her he was excited to have a male teacher.  

Normally after speech, we stop at Target or somewhere else.  SJ wanted to stop at GameStop to get a new 3DS game.  However, Bob had left his soccer cleats in my car.  We had to go straight back home and stop at the soccer field.  That was fine, but SJ really wanted to go to GameStop.

After we got to the field, I had my husband take SJ to GameStop.  He picked up Mario and Luigi Dream Team.  No worries.

Unfortunately, SJ did not open the box until after 8 p.m.  The box was empty.  SJ was so upset.  My husband drove him back to the store, but they were closed.  SJ returned home crying and very upset. 

I told him that Pappy would take him the next day. He wasn't hearing it at first.  He kept saying that he was going to "pound" the clerk.  I reminded him that everyone makes mistakes.  He wasn't listening, but he eventually calmed down.  What a day!

yeah...kennywood day

Last Tuesday, we had a Kennywood day.  We went with two of our couple friends that we do many things with.  We met them at a local gas station to car pool.  I jumped into a car with the girls and other two moms.  My husband had SJ, Bob, Topher and Willie in our car. 

After we arrived at Kennywood, we dropped off our coolers that had our packed lunches and drinks in one of the pavilions.  As soon as that was handled, we were off to ride.  

The kids started with Sky Rocket.  Bob is not a coaster rider, so he waited with my husband and Willie's dad.  After that ride, we hit most of the rides that we passed.  They road the bumper cars, Volcano, Alien Encounter, Phantom's Revenge, Pirate, Music Express, Wave Swinger, Whip, Aero 360 and Racers.

Bob sat out for every coaster.  SJ only sat out on rides that went upside down.  The kids all wanted to ride the paddle boats.  Right before SJ got on the boat, he realized he lost his hat. I told him we would look for it and got him back in line. Bob rode with Willie, SJ rode with Topher and Ami and Mags (Topher's sister) rode together.  It was very hot, but they had a great time in the paddle boats.  My husband looked for the hat, but it was no where to be found. 

When they were done, we made our way back to the pavilion for lunch.  When everyone was finished, we continued to ride.  

We rode more rides and returned to ride favorites again.  SJ, Topher, Willie, Mags and the dads rode Noah's Ark, so Topher's mom and I took Bob and SJ to ride things in Lost Kennywood.  

We finished riding and went to meet the rest of our group at Noah's Ark.  When they got off, they got some snacks.  My husband got Potato Patch fries and a funnel cake.

After the snack, Topher's dad arrived.  We walked over to the Sky Coaster (a bungee ride) and the other two dads signed up to ride it.  While we were waiting, the boys played at the shooting arcade.  

The other families (minus the moms) took their turns on the very scary Sky Coaster.  We watched from the bridge as they were dropped.  They had a great time.  

Then we ate some dinner.  We ate at the big restaurant in the park.  All the kids ate  together and the adults sat at a separate table.  It was crowded, but surprisingly a nice dinner.

We continued to ride until it got dark.  SJ had such a great time with Topher and Willie.  (Bob not so much, but he is not an amusement park kid).  

At the end of the night, SJ and I went to lost and found to see if his hat was turned in.  We ran over there in the dark. I was so out of breath.  I asked the girl, but no one turned it in.  SJ was so sad!  It broke my heart to see him so sad over his hat.  I assured him that someone will probably turn it in.  (I can now sadly report that no one ever called us to say the hat was turned in.)

Even though we had the sadness of the lost hat, the rest of the day was filled with friendship, smiles and lots of laughter!

swimming, flipping and movie watching

This past weekend SJ got to do three of his favorite things.  On Friday, I took SJ to the pool after I got home from Bob's ortho appointment.  

When we first arrived, our friends weren't there yet.  No problem for SJ.  He was right in the water (even though it was very cold!).  Shortly after we arrived, Topher's and Willie's families arrived.  SJ was so excited that his friends were now at the pool.  Our neighbor, Tommy, and his mom came a little while later.  The boys had such a great time at the pool.  

The next night Topher's mom invited us over to hang out.  Willie's family was over there as well.  Topher has a trampoline at his house.  SJ loves trampolines.  We used to have one. It got rusty, so it had to go.  

SJ was back and forth between the trampoline and playing with the boys. The boys were playing flashlight tag and video games. The trampoline kept pulling SJ back.  He was even jumping on it when it was dark.  I allowed him to do flips on it until it got too dark.  I was afraid he would land on the frame.  

On Sunday, SJ talked my husband into taking him to see Planes.  SJ liked it, but my husband was only so-so about it.  SJ loves going to the movies.  

SJ was one happy boy this weekend.  He got to do his favorite things.  I am so happy when he is happy!

a school friend visits

Last Thursday, SJ had a classmate over to play. Ari had been in SJ's 5th grade class. He also goes to our pool.  They always play very nicely at the pool, so I asked his mom if he could come over.  

Ari arrived around 11 a.m.  SJ was in the basement when Ari got to our house.  I told him he could go downstairs and I chatted briefly with Ari's mom.  

She left and the boys played Little Big Planet Karting for about an hour.  While they were playing, I made lunch for them and Bob. I made chicken fries for Ari and   Bob and gluten free chicken tenders for SJ.  I also made fries for all 3 boys.  

When the boys finished lunch, Ari and SJ went upstairs to play Legos for a while. When they were bored with that, they went outside and played war with Nerf guns.  I was thrilled that they were playing outside on the beautiful day. 

An hour later, they were back inside to play more video games in the basement. They continued to do that until Ari's mom arrived.  

I made sure I told Ari's mom how nicely they played together.  I am hoping that Ari had a fun time and will be over again soon.

summer speech #8

Last Wednesday, SJ had his weekly speech therapy session.  This was his last daytime appointment. We will be switching to evening appointments this week.  

She reviewed some words that SJ has been having trouble with.  She decided to have SJ write the words on a sheet of paper.  She had him list the word with a definition or synonym, an opposite word and an association or example.  

The following words were the ones they reviewed:

tidy-neat-messy-tidy room or tidy clothes

thoroughly-completely-nothing-thoroughly cleaned, thoroughly brushed my teeth or thoroughly tried

rarely-hardly ever or almost never-often-rarely finish my test or rarely go swimming

exactly-really-not quite-exactly what I want to do

wade-walk in water or mud-wade in the kiddy pool

babble-to make sounds that have no meaning-a baby babbles

link-one of the loops on a chain-link on a fence or necklace

She also reviewed synonyms.  She went over a few with him and assigned the remainder for homework.  Out of the five she did with him, he only had trouble with the word aid.

She wants me to pick a few of the words that he has trouble with and have him give a synonym, opposite and an association.  

summer reading tutoring #7

On Tuesday, SJ had his weekly reading tutoring with Mrs. Banks.  I was chatting with Mrs. Banks when I dropped him off, so his session was a little shorter than normal.  

SJ said they read three more chapters from The Island: Survival book.  He is still enjoying the novel, so it is not a real chore for him to read it.  He said they took turns reading.  He answered comprehension questions about the story with Mrs. Banks.

They also had began a worksheet, but they hadn't completed it when I arrived.  Mrs. Banks said would continue with that worksheet at his next session.  She said he worked very well for her.  I am always glad to hear that.  

hanging with friends there and here

Two Saturdays ago, SJ and Bob's friend, Willie, had the boys over to play.  They played the XBox for a while until Willie's mom decided they could use some outside time.  They have a little zipline in their backyard that SJ loves to play on.  

While the boys were playing, I ran some errands.  When I got back, I visited for a short while.  We couldn't stay too long, since I had refrigerated groceries in my car.  I invited Willie's family over that evening (I had invited Topher's family too, but they already had plans).  

Willie's family arrived at our house around 6:30.  I ordered some pizza and made a salad.  My husband had picked up a cake and I made gluten free cupcakes for dessert.  

The boys began their night with more video game playing.  Willie's sister, Ami, was busy playing outside on the yoga ball.  After a while, we had the boys play outside.  When they were too "hot", they retreated back to the playroom for video game fun.  

An hour or so later, we wanted all the kids to be off the video games. We had them come into our basement to watch a movie.  Ami picked out Home Alone 2.  Bob was reluctant to come down, but we were insistent.  

The kids were all sitting in the chairs laughing away.  Even Bob was enjoying himself.  Amazing!  Pre-teens can have fun doing things other than playing video games.

When the movie was over, the three boys  went back upstairs.  Ami was still in the basement, so my husband put on Singin In The Rain for her to watch.  

We had such a nice day with our friends.  SJ seems so lonely sometimes, so I am glad that he has a few good friends.  

summer reading tutoring #6

Normally, SJ had reading tutoring on Tuesdays.  However, Mrs. Banks had to do something for her son on Tuesday, so we rescheduled for this past Thursday.  

They read a few more chapters of The Island: Survival book.  SJ is still very engaged with it.  I am very glad she chose it as their reading book.  She said he eagerly read and managed the questions well.  

They also worked on a teacher glyph.  SJ had to decide the color of his hair (brown-he is a boy), the color of the shirt (blue-his teacher is a man), the color of the pants (orange-he has homework every night), the color of his shoes (brown-his teacher makes learning fun each day), what math facts to write in the squares (2 subtraction and 2 addition facts-he is confident sometimes), the color of the book (green-no one in our family is a teacher) and the color of the globe (green and blue-he is not sure if he would want to be a teacher).  Here is the completed glyph.

I was surprised that he colored the teacher's shirt blue, since he hasn't had a male teacher since Mr. Gold in fourth grade.  Then I remembered something Mrs. Banks told me when I picked him up.  She told me SJ told her he wasn't going to have her as a sixth grade home room teacher.  He said that I told him that he would either have Mr. Brown or Mr. Logan, since he already has Mrs. Banks for a tutor.  It would maybe be too much for him to have her as a tutor and a home room teacher.  I told him I didn't want to switch tutors, since she is doing such a great job with him.

Of course, I did say all those things.  I wasn't counting on him telling her that, though.  At least she was not upset over it.  Honestly, I don't know who he is getting. We will find out next Monday.

summer speech #7

On Wednesday, SJ had his weekly speech session.  We completed his homework the night before.  He had to work on a paper where I gave him two directions.  He did very well with that homework assignment.  

The second assignment was a story on Problem and Solutions.  It was a story about kids making a sledding hill that gets icy.  The kids got hurt sliding down the hill backwards.  

SJ had to tell me what the problem was and give me a few solutions.  He knew the problem was the icy hill.  He came up with two solutions quickly.  I had to assist him to come up with one more.  

The last assignment was on antonyms.  There were 36 words that he needed to give an antonym for.  He was able to give a correct antonym for 21 of them.  Six of them he could give me an antonym if I prompted him.  For example:  break.  After prompting, he answered with fix.  The remaining nine he didn't know, so I had to give him the answer.  This is an example of one that he didn't know: wrinkled.  I gave him examples, but he still didn't know that he should answer with smooth.  

During his session, she went over the antonyms that he didn't know.  He still had trouble, so she suggested we go over them again for homework.  

She also went over the choosing the correct definitions worksheet. He did well with slam, but he still had difficulty with the word link and babble.

The last thing she reviewed was an old adverb homework sheet.  He had trouble with wearily, thoroughly, rarely, surely and then.

She told me to review all the words he was having trouble with for next week's homework.  

summer speech #6

A few days after we returned from vacation, SJ was back at speech therapy.  His therapist reviewed some of the old homework assignments that he had difficulty with.  

On the choosing correct definitions, she reviewed slam and link.  He was able to correctly identify that slam is to shut forcefully independently.  He needed prompting on link.  With prompting, he was able to say that link is one of the loops on a chain.

She also reviewed synonyms.  Of the eight she reviewed, five he got on his own, one he got with a prompt and he couldn't answer two.  Those two were tidy and courage.  

The last homework she went over was one on adverbs.  She reviewed six adverbs.  He correctly chose two (wearily and surely), two with prompts (then and there) and two he still didn't know (thoroughly and rarely).  

She also reviewed the homework sheet we had done together.  It was on identifying descriptors that go together.  There were 21 sentences where he had complete each sentence by identifying an adjective or adverb associated with the word in bold.  He had a lot of trouble with this activity.  Of the 21, he needed assistance with 7.  This is an example of one where I assisted him.  

The car alarm is loud and ________.

He needed to tell me annoying.  Five of the sentences, he gave me an answer that wasn't quite right.  Here is one of those sentences.  

Stuffed animals are so cute and ______.

He answered this sentence with soft, but he should have said cuddly.  It was close, but not exactly right.  The last eight he just didn't know what he was supposed to answer.  Here is an example of one of those sentences.  

Alan's hands always feel cold and ____.

He should have said clammy.  During his session, his therapist reviewed a few of the ones that he had difficulty with.  She explained to him that in the sentence "It's best to follow a straight and narrow path." it means to "do the right thing".  We will have to continue to work on those sayings.  

She told me that SJ told her all about our vacation.  After he told her 10 or so things, she reminded him that it is always good to ask the person you are talking to questions too.  He then asked her, "Have you ever been to Myrtle Beach?"  She was very happy that he was able to ask her something appropriate to the conversation they were having.  Small steps, but we will take it.  

back to the couch

The Monday after we returned from vacation SJ had an appointment with his psychotherapist.  He wasn't too keen on going, but we went anyway.  

I took his chart for the doctor to look at.  He was back with the doctor for approximately 30 minutes and then he came to get me.  

SJ had told him about vacation, frustrations with Bob (over mini golf) and fighting with the neighbor kids about wiffle ball.  The doctor told me that he reminded him of his calming techniques and what to do when he is presented with these situations.  

He was very happy with the amount of good days he had on the chart.  He said he was able to manage his temper 88% of the time.  That is a great job!  See his July chart below.  

I told him that SJ always struggles with a new school year.  With that information, the doctor decided to schedule his next appointment for two weeks after school begins.  He reminded SJ to keep trying to remain calm and use his "calm down kit".  Simple but effective advise.  Thanks doctor!

the long drive home-5 states in one day

Sadly, we left Myrtle Beach, South Carolina two Saturdays ago.  My husband had all of us up and in the car by 5:07 a.m.  It was so early.  I thought the boys would fall back to sleep, but only Bob did.  

After driving for about 90 minutes, we drove into North Carolina.  We stopped at the same Biscuitville that we had stopped at 7 days earlier.  We didn't go in.  We just ordered our breakfast via the drive through.  It was yummy!

We continued to drive through North Carolina and into Virginia.  The boys kept themselves busy with their electronics.  SJ was watching another Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle movie while Bob was on his IPod.  

Just as we were about to enter West Virginia, we stopped for a break and some food.  We entered the KFC and had a very early lunch (it was 10:50 a.m.).  I asked the counter woman what state we were in.  She said we were in West Virginia.  I wasn't aware that we had already crossed the state border.  The boys shared steak fries.  I had a 2 piece meal and my husband had Chicken Littles.  

We were back on the road by 11:10.  We continued our journey through West Virginia.  We were in West Virginia for a long time.  When we got 3/4 of the way through WV, we took a break at the New River Gorge.  It has a walkway down the hill to an observation deck.  It was beautiful.  See the following pictures and see if you agree.

The boys did the stairs with minimal effort.  I was quite winded when I made it to the top.  

We continued to drive through WV and eventually made it to Pennsylvania.  We drove for another 90 minutes and finally arrived home at 4:30 p.m.  Eleven and a half hours and 5 states later, we were home.  The boys were thrilled to be home.  It is always nice to get away, but nothing is better than sleeping in your own bed.

myrtle 2013-day 7

After breakfast on Friday, my parents and Gabriel left to go home.  It was sad to see them go.  The boys were enjoying Gabriel, but Gabriel had a playoff baseball game early Saturday morning.  

Since it was just the four of us, we decided to drive into Myrtle and do some more mini golfing.  This time we went to Mt. Atlanticus.  We had gone there the last time we vacationed in Myrtle and the boys really liked it.  Seth was going first in the odd holes and Bob went first on the evens.  (This is a normal bone of contention between the boys.)  It was very hot and there wasn't much shade, but we still enjoyed the course.  

After we finished up mini golf, we went home and had a quick lunch.  When we were full, we went to the beach for a few hours.  The weather was great and the water was nice.  The current was somewhat strong, but not as strong as the first day.  

We went back to our house to get out of our bathing suits and into our street clothes.  We drove the golf cart to the Meet and Eat for dinner.  It was good, but the flies were relentless.  

After dinner, we went to the arcade for the last time.  We gave each boy $10 for tokens.  When SJ was almost out of tokens, he scored 500 tickets on one machine.  It was incredible to watch all of those tickets come out.  He ended the week with 1,685 tickets.  He got a disco ball, whoopee cushion, bouncy ball and two wristbands.  Bob ended the week with 931 tickets.  He got a giant inflatable dice and a chocolate bar shaped pillow.  

We took their winnings back to the house and the boys rested for a while.  While they were resting, my husband and I started to pack up the car.  When we were done, we took one more evening ride on the golf cart.  

It was such a nice ending to a very lovely vacation.  If you haven't considered Ocean Lakes, you definitely should.

myrtle 2013-day 6

Thursday was day 6 of our trip.  We had wanted to take our boys to Wonderworks the last time we were in Myrtle.  So, today was the day for Wonderworks.  It is a science adventure center.  

We really enjoyed it.  We did the 360 degree bike, virtual hockey, a 4D movie, and a bed of nails.  SJ's favorite exhibit was the bubble room.  It was very cool.  They had exhibits on space too.  The top floor had a rope course.  SJ and Gabriel wanted to try it.  Bob is afraid of heights, so he did a virtual roller coaster with my husband.  

When SJ and Gabriel were on the rope course, I kept hearing, "I am freaking out here."  He finished the course before Gabriel.  I know he was scared up there, but he'll never admit it.  

When they were finished, we went to find my husband and Bob.  We ate lunch in their cafe and drove back to our house.  We decided to go to the beach, since Gabriel was leaving the next day.  We stayed at the beach for over 3 hours.  It was a great beach day!

After dinner, we went back to the beach to get some family pictures.  My mom did a nice job with our family pictures.  When we were done, we took the boys to Jungle Lagoon to mini golf.  The boys had a great time.  

When we got back, my parents took the boys to the arcade.  Gabriel wanted to cash in his tickets.  I am so glad that Gabriel and my parents joined us on this trip.  We had a great last day with all of them.  

myrtle 2013-day 5

On Wednesday, we had a lazy start to the morning.  After breakfast, the boys took their scooters for a ride to the Sandy  Mart.  My husband and dad were fishing when the boys returned.  I had some stale bread, so I broke some up for the boys to feed the ducks.  

After they fed the ducks, they started fishing with my husband and dad.  Before we knew it, my dad caught something.  It wasn't a fish.  It was a turtle.  My dad tossed his rod to Gabriel. He and Bob were trying to release the turtle from the hook.  They were having trouble, so my dad went down to the lake to help them.  We couldn't get the hook out, so they had to cut the line.  His little mouth was all bloody.  Poor turtle.

When the turtle excitement was over, we all went to the beach (my dad stayed home to rest).  The boys were out on their rafts for about 45 minutes when the lifeguard blew his whistle.  He said everyone had to get out of the water.  I heard another vacationer say that the lifeguard saw something in the distance.  He wasn't sure if it was a dolphin or a shark.  A shark?  Are we in Amity?  After 20 minutes, he allowed everyone back in.  What a relief.  We stayed at the beach for another hour.  They swam and built a sandcastle.  

When we got back to the house, the boys decided to do more scootering.  They took their scooters to the arcade and then the Meet and Eat.  

Before dinner, we went to NASCAR Speedway for some go-carting.  It was very hot and very crowded.  Bob and Gabriel were in one line.  It was too long for SJ, so he went to find a shorter line.  After 10 minutes, Bob got out of line and had a huge attitude problem.  My husband and I were very disappointed in his behavior.  He would have to be punished for being an impatient brat.  He had to wait for Gabriel anyway, so he should have stayed in line.  He has to pay for his ticket out of his money.  

We left the go cart track after the boys rode a few more times.  We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse Grill.  We had to squeeze 7 people into a 6 person booth. The food was good, but it was an uncomfortable dinner.  

The boys watched television until bedtime.  I don't know what exhausted me more that day.  Was it the heat or Bob's bad behavior?  All I know was that Day 5 is not on my favorite list.

myrtle 2013-day 4

On Tuesday, we decided to skip the beach and go to Myrtle Waves.  It is a huge water park with a wave pool, lazy river and many water slides.  Bob didn't want to go, so it was SJ, Gabriel, my husband and I.  Bob stayed at the house and went to the beach with my parents.  

We had a great time at the water park.  SJ and I rode most of the slides.  (SJ was nervous to ride the steepest slide and the one that looked like a toilet bowl.). My husband and Gabriel rode everything!  

After we got back, we ate some lunch at the house.  When lunch was done, the boys rode their scooters and fished.  

We were going to go to Drunken Jacks for dinner.  The wait was too long (90 minutes), so we went to Lee's Inlet Kitchen.  My parents were excited to eat there.  They had friends that raved about it.  I will say the food was delicious.  My mom said the hush puppies were the best she ever had.

After dinner, my parents stopped at the same souvenir shop that we had already been to 2 times before.  She had to pick up YOLO (you only live once) sunglasses for the boys.  They were quite funny.

When we returned to the campground, my parents took the boys mini-golfing at Sandy Harbor and then the arcade.  It was nice to have the house just for my husband and I.  

They came back after an hour.  They were all laughing.  They said the glasses were a big hit.  Other vacationers were shouting "YOLO" when they passed on the golf cart.  My dad didn't get why they were yelling at them.  He thought the other people were being aggressive.  He didn't understand what YOLO meant.  Too funny!

We then put on The Adventures of Tin Tin for the boys to watch.  They finished the movie and went to bed.  Another great day in Myrtle Beach!

myrtle 2013-day 3

On Monday, all 7 of us packed up our 2 golf carts and drove to the beach.  We spent a few hours enjoying the beach.  The three boys were in the water rafting and boogie boarding with my husband.  My parents and I just relaxed in our beach chairs along the shore.  

After we were done at the beach, Bob and Gabriel wanted to go to the swimming pool at Sandy Harbor.  I dropped them and my mom off at the pool and the rest of us went back to the house.  

The boys were getting a little chafed from the rafts, so my husband went out to get a swim shirt.  He also bought a football to  toss to the boys in the ocean.  When he returned, Bob didn't like the shirt.  He kept saying it was too big.  (He is very stubborn and picky.)  His refusal to wear it just meant he was going to be sore.

After he returned, we took the boys (all 3 of them) back to the beach.  While we were at the beach this time, all the boys and my husband got stung slightly by jellyfish.  Only SJ was complaining about pain.  We had the lifeguard spray SJ with vinegar and then he was fine.  

We went out for dinner that evening at River City Cafe in Murrell's Inlet.  It is a burger place, so I knew the boys would find something to eat.  The food is great there, but the cool part is the atmosphere.  The walls are covered in license plates and patrons are encouraged to "decorate" the walls with markers or pens.  The boys really enjoyed it.  

When we got back to our house, my husband and I made my mom take her first drive on the golf cart (as a driver).  She was so nervous.  It was hysterical!  While we were out exploring, the boys stayed at the house and fished with my dad. 

That evening, we took the three boys to the arcade.  We gave them some money for tokens.  They played in the arcade for an hour.  When they were finished, we went home.  They watched TV with my dad while my husband, my mom and I hung out on the deck.  What a great day!

myrtle 2013-day 2

On Sunday, we started our second full day in Myrtle Beach just the four of us.  We had some breakfast and then went to the beach.  The water wasn't quite as warm or rough, so that was a bad and good thing.  SJ and Bob are like fish in the water.  They had their raft and took turns riding the waves onto the shore.  

After a couple of hours, we went back to the house for lunch.  When we were done resting at the house, we again went to the beach.  The water was a little warmer.  The boys and my husband stayed in the water for 2 more hours.  

My parents were due to arrive that day around dinner time.  Because of traffic and long stops, they weren't going to arrive until around 7 p.m.  Since they were coming later, we went to the Meet and Eat for dinner.  It was yummy!

While we were waiting their arrival, we decided to do some fishing at the house. Shortly after we began fishing, we got the call that they were at the front gate.  We went to meet them, but I forgot their parking pass.  We had to drive the golf cart back as quickly as you are allowed (10 mph speed limit).  Once we had their pass, they were allowed in.  

We helped them unload their things and continued to fish.  My parents had brought our nephew, Gabriel, with them. He is 3 months older than Bob.  I had invited him, since I thought he would be a good buffer for the boys.  I was absolutely right.

My mom and Gabriel wanted to see the ocean.  SJ and I took them for a tour of the property and stopped at the beach.  Gabriel and my mom were able to get their feet in the ocean water (it was getting too dark to swim).  

We took Gabriel and SJ to the arcade (Bob's loss-he didn't want to come) and they each got $5 worth of tokens.  They had a great time.  

When we returned to the house, Bob and my husband were still fishing.  Gabriel and SJ joined them.  My husband was using light up bobbers.  After another hour, they still hadn't caught any fish and they lost two bobbers.  Oh well, so much for that activity.

The boys then put on Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith.  It was late, so I only allowed them to watch half of the movie. I told them they could watch the remainder the next day.  

They were all exhausted, as we were too.  That is a good kind of exhaustion.  Being tired from a day of fun is a great problem to have.