Hi Everyone ~ What a busy 3 weeks we just had. We just got back from Myrtle Beach last Thursday, & we had a really fun time. We went with our Mommy's side of the family...Opa, Oma, & all our Van Wingerden uncles, aunts, & cousins. It's a lot of pictures, we know, but it was Brady's first experience with the sand and ocean (Last year at 2 weeks old doesn't count since he didn't go in the sand!), and we wanted to share in all our good times! Enjoy!
Here is my big sister, Averie, on the first day at the beach. Unlike me, she jumped right into the sand...digging & searching for sea shells.
And, here am I...it took me a few minutes to get used to the sand, but the first part of the week, I LOVED it. The sand was so cool, and so was the ocean. I really loved this shovel.
I started digging...
and thought, "mmm." So, I tried the sand...and not so yummy!
Averie came to join me, and we had fun playing in the sand together...which really boiled down to me just watching her play!
Averie 
Me...Brady Boy
Averie loved the beach..all day. She would play in the sand, swim in the water, and build things with our cousins. Here she is running to get some water for whatever they were building.
She loved the water!
She went in all by herself...I just simply stayed at the edge!
Me in the sand
Digging...
...and making sure Mommy was close by!
Here is my facial expression after eating sand for the 3rd time! I am not sure why I kept doing it...
Check out what I found in the sand...I upgraded from my little yellow shovel to this huge red one. It was fun...but much harder to play with!
Every day, the older cousins (& some of the uncles) would go out on their boogie boards and ride the waves. Averie even joined along the fun!! Pictured from left to right is Uncle Michael with Brayden, Daddy with Averie, Cousin Noah, & Noah's cousin Brayton.
H
ere they are getting closer to shore...same people minus Noah and that is cousin Grant standing. They loved doing this every day!
Then, Daddy thought it would be fun for me to try the ocean...past the edge. So, we put on Averie's bubble and headed out. I wasn't sure what to think!
I am holding on pretty tight to my Daddy's neck, but I did love it!
Another day...& here I am in the sand again.
Mommy put me closer to the water's edge so that I could try it out. So, I was just busy digging in the sand when...
...the water just came up...check out my face. I was not sure what to think!
Then, the water didn't just come up a little, it covered the entire area where I was sitting. 
As it slowly went away, I looked up at Mommy and smiled. I thought it was pretty cool!
Then, it came back again...
...and I smiled even bigger!
I got brave enough to start crawling in it, and it was so much fun!
This kept me entertained for quite some time. I thought it was so cool, and Mommy just kept taking pictures!
I also enjoyed watching the waves crash before they would get closer! My Mommy says the ocean is constant entertainment!
And, here is Averie...playing in the sand again...and very happy to be at the beach!
Another day...guess where I am? At the water's edge with my yellow shovel, of course!
I also loved "cruising" around the beach chairs. I would also climb in the chair if no one was sitting there. Here I am with my oldest cousin, Eric, my Uncle Art, and my Oma.
Then, it was time to watch Daddy take Averie out on the boogie board to ride some waves in...by herself!
It looks like cousin Grant is coaching her behind Daddy, but he was just excited to watch her do this for the first time! So, Daddy gives her a big push, and Averie is all ready with a HUGE smile on her face!
Averie loved it. She calls it "sledding" for some reason. Mommy & Daddy told her it was called "boogie boarding," but you know Averie...she just kept calling it "sledding" since everyone laughed when she said it!
So, Averie enjoyed "sledding" all week!
Daddy & Averie
Opa with his buddy, Averie. She tried to convince him to take her "sledding" also, and even though she can talk Opa into a lot of things, she couldn't quite convince him to do that!!
One night for dinner, some of us went to the Dixie Stampede. You get to see lots of different animals run around, especially lots of horses, and you get to eat a really yummy meal. And, there is a lot of music. Averie & I both loved it! It was so much fun! Afterwards, Mommy took a group picture, but I was too tired to be in it! So, here is Averie with some her cousins...Carter, Brayden, Kaitlyn, Stephanie, & Jackson!
Another day at the beach...here I am "walking" with Oma along the beach!
Then, Averie gets a turn to "jump" the waves with Oma.
Most of the cousins were having so much fun burying Paul, so Mommy tried to take a group picture. Surprisingly enough, only 2 cousins were missing from the picture (Sam & Zach...they were playing paddle ball!)(From left to right: Me, Kaitlyn, Grant, Stephanie, Eric, Averie, Brayden, Andrew, Noah, Jackson, Carter, & Paul being covered with sand.)
Look what I found again...the big red shovel!
Averie having so much fun!
Another fun morning playing in the sand with my sister! And, look, she is even playing with my favorite yellow shovel!
I love watching her all the time. She is so entertaining for me. Mommy liked this picture because, in this one, she thinks our profiles look so much alike. Either way, we were having fun!
Our attempt to look at Mommy and smile...even though the sun was beaming in our eyes! Either that, or we are just getting very tired! :)
More playing in the sand!
I was thinking of heading to the edge of the ocean again...
...but decided to play in the sand with my Daddy instead!
Of course, others came to join us in the fun!
As I mentioned earlier, one of the things I loved at the beach was cruising around the beach chairs. Well, someone got up, and I took their seat...sitting right next to my Oma. We had a lot of fun together...just relaxing on the beach!
She tickled my bellybutton, and I kept giving her the sweetest smile!
So, Mommy got a few pictures of my sweet smiles to my Oma...
Here is Averie picking more seashells at the beach. This cup came from the lemon quenches that Oma would buy us almost every day at the beach. It was a yummy treat...and Averie enjoyed the cup afterwards, too!
Averie playing with her cousin, Stephanie.
Some of the crew hanging out on the beach...Daddy, Aunt Lindsey, Eric, Oma, Uncle Thomas, me, Uncle Art, & Uncle Todd
One of Averie's favorite things to do at the beach...pick sea shells with Daddy!
Aunt Lindsey was having fun putting Uncle Thomas' sunglasses on me...
I looked like one cool dude!
Guess what else I learned to do at the beach? Averie learned to crawl at the beach 3 years ago, & I learned to walk this year! Mommy just loves how my arms are always up when I am walking around...
One of the last days at the beach...our family picture!
Mommy & Averie
Averie picking a few more sea shells...
...and then giving Mommy a precious smile!
On our last night at the beach, we got to go putt-putting. Well, I actually just hung out in the stroller the whole time, but Averie got to play. It was her first time ever! She loved it and had a great time!
Daddy showing Averie how to putt.
She did a good job...
Daddy, Mommy, & Averie
Averie with her putt-putt buddies...Jackson & Brayden. They had a lot of fun together!
And...me...hanging out with the golf ball! We had such a wonderful time at the beach. We always make so many happy memories there, and we look forward to going back next year! Thanks, Opa & Oma, for such a fun trip!
Each day was spent with lots of shopping, walking, eating, talking, & laughing. From Macy's & Bloomingdales to China Town & the subway, it was a really fun time. Here they all got "make-overs" by the ladies at Bare Escentuals. Mommy said it was so much fun...and they all turned out quite lovely! (Don't they look great for having shopped for over 6 hours, including China Town, and walked through various bouts of rain?)
The night of Aunt Courtney's birthday, they went to eat at a very yummy authentic Italian restaurant. They took this picture right before walking in...
Mommy said it was such a great trip. Spending 7 hours in Macy's (7 stories of shopping) was a huge highlight, getting make-overs was fun, having dessert every night after dinner was yummy...but in the end, it was just having a girl's weekend away was the best part.
...and getting under the fountain of water...it looked so cool!
