Ocean Shores

It's been my mom's dream since moving up here to find a rental here all of the families can stay comfortably. Finding a place big enough and not super expensive with lots of rental restrictions was extremely tricky. What a gift it was to find out that someone in our church has connections with a rental property right on the coast in Washington.

We had SUCH an incredible time.

We decided to go a day earlier than everyone and took my mom and James & Saisha with us. The drive down was pretty rocky. We left at peak traffic time and everyone in the car, adults included, were going a little nuts. Luckily, a dinner stop and some frosties perked us all up and we maintained more composure throughout the rest of our drive. Once we got to the street that the house was on, we kept driving up and down the street and couldn't find where we were going. GPS had us looking on the wrong side of the road... the non beach side. Well, we finally figured out where we staying and we freaked out. It was a HUGE house literally feet away from a bluff leading down to the beach. I hope I never forget the excitement and shrieks as we jumped out of the car and rushed to the edge of the bluff. We were SO excited.

The next day we woke up (too early) and saw a mama deer and her two babies quietly roaming through the yard. It was such a sweet moment. After some breakfast,  we had a great time at the beach, and then hung out at the house and families arrived one by one. We enjoyed a copycat Chipotle dinner, and then the adults stayed up to play some games once the kids were in bed... boy did the kids zonk out after such a full day of playing!

                                      

(Maddie never naps in the car, so the next day she was SO tired. She literally fell asleep on the beach) 

The next day we went down to the beach again, and then went into town to explore some of the shops for a little bit. That night the boys really wanted to run into the freezing water. The house was equipped with some serious spotlights, so it wasn't totally dark, but the ladies were a little bit nervous. They were in an out in about 30 seconds flat and all was well. Mission accomplished.

The next morning we were really wanting to avoid hitting Sunday traffic, so we headed out soon after breakfast with our hearts brimming with so many wonderful memories. I'm so thankful to be in the same place as my family. It is so neat to watch our kids play together, and just enjoy being together.

Here's the highlight reel:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=38NiOZY87dg&feature=share

an Edmonds kind of 4th

Seeing as though it's the end of August, i'm having a little trouble recalling the 4th of July :)

We kept our tradition of going down to Edmonds for the kids to be in the kids parade. We first met up with my mom and sister's family down at the beach for breakfast. Whole Foods has the most ridiculous breakfast pizza with scrambled eggs, hashbrowns, cheese and bacon. It is delicious. Ben's cousin's family walked on to the ferry and spent the weekend with us. It was fun to show them around Edmonds and have them participate in all the festivities with us.

I no longer have ambitions of winning the wagon decorating contest, after feeling excited about the possibility every year, only to show up and see wagons with fog machines and live animation. I stuck with the classic dollar store patriotic look :)

This year we remembered to bring candy with us (good candy!) and threw it to people along the parade route. That definitely made me popular, but the kids were hoarders and spent the whole time eating the candy. I even found like 10 snickers shoved in Maddie's purse a week or so later!

After the parade, we came back to the house and got ready for our party. Unfortunately, it has been so dry and hot this summer that fireworks were highly discouraged. We didn't want to risk lighting someone's roof on fire, so we stuck to some small fireworks. The kids did their usual run around craziness. This year we did a water fight and I bought this water balloon as seen on tv kit that filled up 120 balloons in like 2 minutes. It was awesome. but pricey. It was very convenient, but in the long run, I think i'll stick to paying $2 for the same amount and keep the blistered fingers from tying. We had great food, and great company. 4th of July has quickly become one of my favorite days of the year. I love the traditions, the people, and the weather!

Perhaps one of my favorite parts of the night is going outside after the kids are in bed, sitting in a lawn chair, and watching all the firework shows going off around us. It's such a peaceful end to the evening.

Happy 4th!

June little things

We started out the month with a visit to my friend Adelles house. Adelle is a friend that I always miss so much in between our get togethers. She is so warm and genuine and speaks such truth. She is the best hostess, inviting anyone into her home and offering such love. They recently moved into the most perfect space. We enjoyed their hot tub and fun play room. Popsicles were an obvious bonus.

Maddie is so opinionated about how her hair is worn and what clothes she wears so it is very rare that I actually get to do anything other than a braid in her hair. And look! She's not in a fancy dress or a swim suit! Gasp!

This particular day I did not win with her! Ha. Full on tutu and an umbrella on a sunny day. Sweet. They are a pretty cute duo and could spend hours in lowes.

On national donut day , I took the kids to Krispy Kreme and met up with my sister. I'm not a fan of their donuts but my kids are always mesmerized by the donut making process .

After donuts we went to Richmond beach and we had so much fun. For the most part, I feel like the beach brings out the best in everyone. It's always so wonderful to be in the sun, getting some exercise and enjoying incredible beauty.

One late night ben looked out the window before bed and announced we had been tp'd. We of course thought it was a case of mistaken address because we don't have any teenagers. Turns out it was my innocent big sis and my nephew. Payback is coming!!


We had a real estate agent come look at our house to see our progress on getting the house ready to list. Have I talked on here about buying and selling? Hmm maybe not. We put an offer on a short sale allll the way back in March. It was advertised as a quick closing short sale , but not so much. we are still waiting in approval but once we have it, we want to list our house right away so we don't have a double mortgage for too long. It has been a really good process of purging . I am addicted to giving stuff away!!



While we had our meeting, my mom took the kids to st Edwards park in ken more and they had a blast. What is it about tire swings?? I was so addicted ad a kid and my kids are obsessed!

And then we were off! Because we didn't need bens paternity leave this year we got a bonus vacation! We took the kids camping for the first time. I'll write about it in a separate post. Overall it was a great experience but a ton more work than I expected.

We had a great family dinner at my sisters and enjoyed their gorgeous new picnic table. I might have to put in a custom order if we get the house.

        

We went back to Richmond beach for the lowest tide of the year. Neither kid was really into finding creatures so we spent most of our time in the sand. Colter and James got really into building a driftwood fort and maddie dug in the sand with her buds. Another awesome beach time.

With all the gorgeous weather we opted for a picnic dinner at the beach . It's one dinner I don't have to be concerned about the kids eating. Chipotle for the win!

After a few attempts at trimming maddies hair, it was time to call in the professional! Thanks to Sam for not judging me and my hack job and for making her hair look cute in a few snips! Maddie requested an Elsa hair cut and sat perfectly still the whole time. Sam finished the cut with a little braid and maddie was obsessed with it! She wouldn't let my mom take it out that night during bath and she asked about it first thing in the morning.

Ben and I got to go out on one of our most favorite dates ever. Ben got an invitation trough work to sail in an old schooner that is used as an adventure camp for teens and elementary age kids. I definitely didn't bring enough warm clothes! Brrr. At one point one of the leaders suggested we all stop talking and look around. It was such a beautiful moment soaking in gods beautiful creation. We really do live in an incredible place.

My mom and I crossed one thing off my summer bucket list .. The woodinville paradise valley conservation area. I can't remember where I read about this place, but it was awesome! We walked for close to a mile on the main trail. There were lots of side paths, but I hadn't researched the area very well to know if we could bring the stroller on any of them. We only saw one other person but lots of wildlife! I would totally recommend this place!

To celebrate Father's Day, we went downtown to a classic wooden boat show. The kids were so into going on board all kinds of different boats. It was fun to engage the owners and find out how they became boat owners. You couldn't beat the weather! So gorgeous!

My sister in law hosted a fathers day/brothers birthday celebration. There was so much incredible food!!

On Father's Day, we made ben breakfast, made him a king, and went to church as a family. That afternoon ben went to play softball and they won!

I took the kids to kingston to meet up with bens cousin and kids. They had a great time playing together at the park and finding random spots to dig .  Tamara and I enjoyed the crepe shop.. Not sure what is up with our kids' taste buds to reject those beauties!

That night my sis, mom and kels all met up for gelato to celebrate my mom passing the first two exams for her certification. Go mom!!

Mary and Greg stopped into town on their way to the lake house. They jumped right into life and gave me a huge gift of having morning entirely to myself! It was delightful.

We also got a date night while they were here. We went old school and got our bowl on. After bowling, we made a pit stop for Italian sodas and watched the sunset at Richmond Beach. So much fun.

One night when Mary & Greg were in town, we met Tamara and her boys in Edmonds for dinner. We also made a pit stop for ice cream after lots of beach play.

This little lady often has a need to sit on the big girl potty and push out toots. This sight is not uncommon either.

On the last day of the month, I first had a doctor appt downtown, which almost always equals donuts with daddy.

Afterwards, the kids and I ventured to the Ballard Locks with the kids. It's always hit or miss if there are salmon in the fish ladder, but this time we lucked out! The kids were mesmerized watching the fish work hard to get through the tunnel. We also saw some boats go through the locks which is always interesting.

That's a wrap!