Myrtle Beach May 2021

 Highlights...

Madison is consistently amused by the kids. Notable moments:

M: "Diana, do you want a snack?"

D: "yeah"

Madison walks into kitchen. A few minutes pass by...

D: "George is a monkey. He likes bananas."

M: "Lol. Would you like a banana?"

D: "No"

M: "Hayden, do you want some pancakes?"

H: "YES! Hayden loves can-cakes!"

It was seriously one of the best trips. We were hesitant about how it would go bc my mom is honestly kind of crazy and moody. But I know my family and four days is the perfect amount of days before everyone starts to mentally break down. Lol. We all had the best time hanging out on the beach with Madison, searching for hermit crabs (at one point Noah even asked me to help him find some), and swimming in the pools. Noah LOVED the lazy river there. We stayed at the Island Vista which is where we stayed when he was a baby. It was so sweet to see him play in the same place at 11 as he did when he was 1. Madison and I must've pushed him around that dang lazy river in the tube 100x. His sweet grin made it so worth it though.

We also went and played putt putt at Mt Atlanticus which is our favorite place there. We started Noah on Zoloft the day before we left for the beach, and I swear it had to have kicked in. Before we left, he was so anxious about normal everyday life things. The sound of Hayden being happy and playing would send him in a tantrum mode. He would come at me hitting and screaming. It was so not my normal sweet boy. After Friday, while we were at the beach, he seemed to have turned a corner. We're only giving his half of a 25mg dose, per Dr Shah's opinion, but I could swear it's already made a difference. He was calm, played happily on the beach and in the pool, and he even enjoyed putt putt. He didn't even cover his ears in circumstances that would've normally sent him spiraling (ie. spontaneous loud cheers, ambulance driving by, etc). He even initiated running back to the van with Hayden. I've really missed my sweet boy. I hope this is the beginning of getting him back.

Our only scary moment was when the babies went into Madison's room which was an adjoining suite. She walked into our condo and let the door shut behind her without thinking. So Hayden and Diana were sitting on the balcony without us being able to get to them. It was probably only 3 minutes but it felt like an eternity. We finally found a key to her room and got in but omg I was panicking.

Brad and Art had fun playing golf twice. Art got sunburnt and Brad was tired, but I'm glad they had a chance to escape for a bit.

Most of our days were spent playing in the pools. Hayden's favorite was the outdoor pool, and he & Diana both really liked the indoor kid pool especially with the tubes. 

At night my mom and Art would read bedtime stories to the kids. It was so sweet, and now my mom wants to start her own YouTube channel where she reads children's books. Lol. 

We spent the last night of our trip, we had dinner on the resort patio around a bonfire. Madison and I both got margaritas but Art knocked hers over, so I gave her mine. The menu was limited still thanks to covid but we enjoyed burgers and chicken nuggets. Marah (Harrison's baby mama) was admitted to the hospital so we were all a little stressed about that but managed to have a good time. We talked to Steve, the Hawaiian custodian, who told us his story about being a military kid and not getting the traditional tribe tattoo. Art and Brad made friends with another Steve from Connecticut who bought them drinks at the var while waiting for food. Lol 

Later on, while it was just me, Brad, and Madison, Brad was like, "What the F is that?" As Madison turns around, each of the three orange lights over the ocean Brad saw went off. Which made him freak out even more. Turns out we're pretty sure they were mortars or flares. But still, he thought it was a UFO. Lol