My favorite parts of the beach

I think my absolute favorite thing about the beach trip, if I had to choose just one moment or part, was Evie's reaction to the ocean. The undeniable awe as she looked out at the never-ending water and her squeals of  "OCEAN OCEAN!" as she ran from the waves were so precious. One of the coolest things about having kids is watching them learn and experience new things. And of course seeing the ocean for the first time was definitely an experience for Evie.

Elly is still too young to really care. Sure, she looked at the ocean. Yeah, she sampled the sand. Literally. But it wasn't really something for her to take in. She did enjoy the experience however. I think traveling, to at least some extent is really important. Especially today, when society is so connected. Kids need to experience life beyond their neighborhood and their community.

I highly doubt that Evie will remember this ever-so-precious first beach experience. She will probably be awestruck and overwhelmed the next time she sees the ocean as well. But that's okay. It's something that will certainly stick in my mind. I have a catalog of firsts in my mind from the babies. Evie's first words, her first steps, her first birthday, her first time at the beach. Elly so far just has first smile and first words. But she'll get there!

The next coolest thing from the beach was definitely the aquarium. Evie was all gaga over the mermaids. But for me the best part was totally the sharks.

In case you don't know me very well, I am just a smidgen obsessed with sharks. I'm not sleeping on shark sheets and snuggling with a plush shark at night or anything like that. But sharks are INCREDIBLY fascinating. And cool. And scary as hell. Sharks ate dinosaurs. And thousands of years later here they still are. Eating...whatever and whoever they want. Cause they're sharks. They are really smart. And really dangerous.

I look forward eagerly to shark week every year. And I set my DVR the week before making sure I don't miss anything. And I spend that week at work glued to the Discovery channel. No joke. Like I said. Just a smidgen obsessed. But I haven't ever seen sharks in real life. Not like real sharks. Little black tips and the such yeah. But never like Tiger sharks or bull sharks and I would absolutely LOVE to see a Great White. I read Jaws for the first time when I was in middle school. And I read it annually about the same time as shark week. I guess I should spend more time going to aquariums.

Anyways, Ripley's Aquarium at Myrtle Beach was pretty cool. I really, really loved the tank that you walked under/through and looked up at all the sharks and fish and even a sea turtle! I really hate that my camera batteries died and I didn't get more pictures. Because it was really cool. There were 6 foot long Tiger sharks and big Nurse sharks. The Tigers just ceaselessly circled the tank with their empty black eyes. I loved it!

Evie liked the little sharks. And of course the sea turtle. But she was much more fascinated by the fish tanks. They have one massive tank that has a replica coral reef and is just full of fish. A diver goes in and does a dive show every hour but Evie was more impressed just watching the fish. Even Elly loved the tank of fish. All of the brightly colored fish darting here and there. She clapped and giggled and babbled at them. But her attention span is pretty limited.

She was more interested in snack time. But I'm sure you  just can't believe that girl worries about when she'll be getting her next meal! haha

Baby Bunching Away from Home

Taking the bunch on vacation is a whole different sort of challenge.

At home, our lives are simplified by schedules and routines. It's what keeps my bunch happy. It's what keeps me sane and allows me to sleep at night. I am, after all, a schedule person. And my babies are schedule people too. Otherwise they wouldn't be so happy on a schedule and so miserable when they get off it.

Elly isn't quite the schedule-holic that Evie is. But let me tell you, Evie is a total terror when her schedule gets disrupted. And disrupting schedules is what vacationing is all about!

Another challenge when vacationing is gear. All the gear that it takes to keep my two happy is absolutely impractical to pack up and tote around with you. The toys, the jumperoo, the high chairs, the pillows and blankies and DVR'd television. Things that can stop a tantrum, keep babies happy, burn energy, or put babies to sleep. My life pretty much revolves around these things. Not literally of course. But really, this gear is the oil that keeps things running smoothly in my baby bunched world.

I think all in all things went well on our week away from home. We certainly took a car load of things with us, including a space saving high chair that my husband thought would not fit. But I don't feel like we took an overwhelming amount of things. Even after the serious eye-brow lifting that our car load got as we were loading and unloading. I can't think of a single thing that went with us that wasn't utilized. Though it turns out I needed to pack a few more pull-ups and I completely forgot razors (guess I was just going with furry legs at the beach? lol.) But razors were pretty easy to acquire and Evie kinda got a kick out of napping in diapers a couple of days while we were there.

Even five plus hours of riding in the car went fairly smoothly. There were no fits of screaming or crying. No unplanned stops or frantic fumbling to find a toy or snack to calm a tantrum. My meticulous planning (even if it was last minute!) really paid off. Evie watched movies and chatted pretty much the whole ride down while Sissy slept. And they both slept the majority of the drive back. We stopped for lunch on the ride down where the only problem was that Elly didn't want to eat because she was too busy looking around and Evie didn't want to eat because she was too hyped up from sitting down for so long. Supper on the way back went really well though. Both girls ate a pretty average amount and then happily returned to the car.

My biggest tip to anyone preparing to travel with their bunch? Hmm...prioritize. Obviously you can't take everything. Take the most important stuff. But don't be afraid to take things that your mom-sense says you'll need. Pay attention the few days BEFORE you leave to the things you turn to when baby is melting down, or it's naptime for the toddler. Those are the things that you cannot live without.

And if you are early in the baby bunching and haven't invested in a lot yet but are planning on traveling with your bunch ANY in the next few years...buy a pack and play or two. Definitely. Also, a space saving high chair for big baby at home and both while away is fabulous. Evie uses hers as a booster seat at home and it worked great for them at the beach. Also, white noise machines are life savers for baby bunchers. Especially if you intend to ever let your bunch share a room. Having them accustomed to sleeping with white noise worked out really well at the beach. That way I didn't have to worry about them waking at night due to unaccustomed house noises or neighborhood noises or anything.

Another nice investment? A van! Boy, one of those would be pretty nice about now. I am totally eating my words for all the times I swore I would never, ever drive a minivan in a million years. Two car seats can change your perspective.

When Brilliance Backfires

Okay, so maybe my obsessive need to make lists doesn't necessarily qualify as brilliance. But apparently neither does my decision to try and be more laid back and less OCD.

I resisted the temptation all week to make any lists regarding our vacation next week. No "To Dos." No "Don't Forgets." And I did really well. I didn't have any sort of psychological or emotional break down. I wasn't freaking out. I didn't even really feel unprepared. I mean, how hard can it be to pack for 6 days away with two very young children?

Ohmygoodnessgracious.

Last night I started really thinking about it.

And now I'm just going to make a few lists.

But I tried! I really did! A pretty good effort if you ask me.

But last night I started sort of ticking off in my head..."Gotta remember Sissy's sleep sheep, and some spare sheets for the pack n plays, and to take several movies for Evie to watch, and to load up the iPad for Evie, and to set the thermostat back, and to take Mushu's bed with him to the B&B he's staying at while we're gone..."

And as I thought of all these things I kind of started freaking out.

I thought that not making a list would make me less OCD. Turns out it just makes me disorganized. So I'm giving into my inner neat freak, opening up Wunderlist (a phenomenal to-do list app) and typing away!

Also we are planning on doing pumpkins today (hopefully) for the girls. If so I will totally take some pictures for posterity and post those tomorrow. I haven't decided how much I will be posting while we are at the beach. But I know there will be so much to record! I can't wait to see what Evie thinks of the ocean. And Sissy is going to LOVE the sand.

Happy Saturday!