"Fuller Family" Beach Trip

Last week, we went to North Myrtle Beach with my parents and sister. Unfortunately, Brian was only able to come Sun-Tues since he hasn't worked at UPS long enough to earn vacation. That made things harder for me since he is such a huge part of our kids' lives and I depend on him so much but my mom, dad, and Kristin all went "above and beyond" to help out so I could enjoy the week! As those of you that have kids know, a vacation with a 4 year old and a 7 month old isn't much of a vacation, but, aside from the work- yes... we had fun! The weather was a little cool the first few days and then it warmed up nicely about midway through the trip! Avery enjoyed the pools, lazy river (although, not too "lazy" when he was in there!), and hot tubs. We were lucky that there was even a small kiddy pool and hot tub on our floor which was perfect for the nightime dips! Both kids got some great "Quality Time" with Mimi and Papa and they even spoiled them one night to allow Kristin and me to go to dinner. I had snow crab legs for the first time... way too much work for such a small amount of meat, but I enjoyed my private lesson by our waiter to learn how to eat them! Ha! We celebrated Avery actually turning 4 on Wednesday (we had seriously celebrated his bday 4 times already, so I'm not sure he understood this was his REAL birthday) and mom's birthday with dinner at the Olive Garden on Friday! It is at times like these when I stop and thank the Lord for my loving family and how blessed I am to be so close to my parents and sister. It is so easy to take for granted the good things that you have in life and no matter how many times we go to the beach, I am still amazed at God's beauty in the ocean. We joked that I didn't need to take a lounge chair since I never hardly sat still long enough to warrant the effort it took to haul it, but I did take a few moments to relax and reflect on my blessings. I hope I never get too busy to cherish each second with my family and to thank God for all he has given to me. Bare with the long slide show... but, when you have the time, please enjoy the many awesome photos from our week! (Hey... I could have put all 140, but I picked my faves...)