Myrtle Beach

P's cheerleading team had their national championship competition at Myrtle Beach during our spring break.  Grandma Paige and Poppa Fred took us to Myrtle Beach for some vacation time along with P's activities.

Our group stayed at the Dunes, which has two indoor water parks.  This worked out well, since it was still cool in early April.  From our deck, we could see the ocean {although in this photo the boys appear to be examining something else entirely}.

Our first night "on the town", we took Grandma and Paige to a restaurant we chose last summer specifically for its pirate theme.  P posed again with his pirate friend.

After dinner, we walked around and looked in some shops.  Princess Sparkles was outside her store, and C was unable to resist her beautiful pink dress.  She sprinkled some fairy dust on his crocs.

The boys had a blast at the indoor water parks.  C was an especially big fan of the waterslides.  I lost count of how many times he went up the steps, down a slide, and repeated the cycle.

P took his turn on the waterslides too, but he also checked out some of the water parks' other features.

While I wasn't exactly warm at the water parks, it wasn't as cool as the beach.  And the smiles on the boys' faces made it worth every minute.

We made a return visit to the Pirate's Voyage dinner show.  C reprised his role as a mermaid, while P was once again a pirate.

This time we cheered for the Scarlet team, and P dressed in his Jack Sparrow costume.  When it was time for the pre-show, the host pirates asked P if he'd like to come onstage!  P was thrilled to be part of a sword fight.

Grandma Paige brought P a Skylanders sweatshirt, and he wore it almost every day.  We made some time for other "beachy" activities, like frozen treats.

We took in a show at the Alabama Theatre.  P fell asleep about halfway through the three hour show, but C was entranced.  During intermission, a few of the performers came out to the lobby.  C walked right up to Gail Bliss and asked her if she would please spin around in her princess dress.  She was so sweet!  She spun around, and then she picked up C and posed for a photo.  They became fast friends!

We couldn't leave the beach without visiting the oceanfront at all, so we headed out for a stroll one afternoon.  No one had on swimsuits, but somehow once we arrived at the ocean this happened:

and then this:

and the boys ended up going back inside {in soaking wet clothes} to change into swimsuits.  I was glad they had their chance to swim in the ocean, but it was too cold for me!

And, of course, since the impetus for our visit was a cheerleading competition, P had some practices.  Here he is with his friend Anna.  It turns out she is a huge fan of Skylanders, too.  P was excited to meet a fellow "portal master".  It's too bad they didn't discover their common interest earlier in the season!

P decided to sport a red mohawk for the national competition.  As you can see from this picture, this competition was the real deal, with a dark arena and spotlights on the stage.

P and his teammates were ready to go.

So was C, sign at the ready to proudly cheer for his brother.

If you ask P his favorite thing about cheeleading, he will say, "It's liftin' the girls in the air".  You can see him "liftin'" in the center of this photo.

Here's a close up of another stunt.

Part of the routine was to My Boyfriend's Back.  P had all the girls lined up in front of him, and then he pantomimed pushing them away, and the whole line fell down at once.

Following that, P did his favorite dance move - he showed off his "strongest" muscles.  :)

After a season of hard work, P and his team won the National Championship for their division!

P learned a lot of things, including discipline and teamwork, during his year on the squad.  We are so grateful to his loving, patient, and hard working coaches.  Here is P with Coach Melanie, and they're both wearing their new championship jackets!

Way to go, P, and way to go Storm!  We are so proud of all of your hard work!