Cooper Family Vacation 2016

It's been several weeks now since the first Cooper family vacation to Myrtle Beach (Surfside). Though I've refused to officially unpack my bags, we've all settled back into normal routine. I wish I had broken this up into multiple posts, but maybe next time! This might be my longest to date!

The boys had a great time on their first trip to the ocean! We also got to see a good part of the Southeast since we made a big loop to drive there and back. Most importantly, my family was under one roof for a solid week without any major events! Hallelujah!

We started out on a Saturday morning and made it to Knoxville, where we met up with Grandpa Don & Grandma Kathi. 

gas station breaks

The next day we arrived and the boys got to put their feet in the sand for the first time!

perfect, affordable distance from the water

The house had its own private pool, which was a major perk for the kids. Mornings were spent at the beach, while afternoons were naps and lounging at the pool.

We stumbled upon a local DJ on the beach one night while we were out looking for crabs. I'm sure he'll make it big one day............

It worked out well that our house was in Surfside Beach, just a little south of the mega touristy Myrtle Beach area. Less people and traffic was nice, but we did venture up to the aquarium one day for all the kids and enjoyed all it had to offer. 

These nice woman stopped to tell Shiloh what a great mom she was!

On our last day, I was able to cross a big thing off my bucket list. When Drew and I have been in the mountains, I've always twisted his arm to ride horses. I wasn't sure that I would ever be able to ride on the beach with him.......so I was THRILLED to find a place in North Myrtle Beach that offered not only beach rides, but walk-trot-canter versions that are a REAL treat to a horse person like me! This was not a typical dead horse that walked nose-to-tail in a line. My mare Penny did not walk more than a few steps the whole ride. Her name should be Prancer, because she wants to go and is only brought out for the non-walking rides. Our guide told me right as I got on that Penny was "a lot of fun". We got along great and Drew had a nice horse named Tucker. This was a highlight for me! 

ahhhhh, fresh secluded beach!

On our last night, we walked to the pier for ice cream. 

The fun wasn't quite over when we left the coast. We traveled down through Charleston and Savannah, stopping to see the beautiful cities and slowly making our way through the South. 

if you didn't know, that's a "Griffin" statue

Before we headed home, we stayed the night in Mississippi with the Skinner family and really enjoyed seeing them for an evening. It had been many years since we visited and they welcomed us with a fun BBQ and great southern hospitality. Griffin could hardly contain himself after Mr. Lee took him to see their farming equipment and even gave him a ride in the sprayer. 

Can't forget this group photo from the aquarium and a bunch of pictures they took at the horseback ride (of course they suckered me into buying, I was on Cloud 9!)

And it makes perfect sense to end with our kids in a shark mouth. Until next time!