It was a HOT one today! I am so glad we adventured with the Arnold's at Tolt Park. The cousin friends got to enjoy some river adventures, a little blackberry picking, and finally a campfire to close out our day. Day camping is the best. Auntie Lorna is the best. Seriously. The. Best.
Adventures in day camping! I'd never heard it called this but I kind of loved the idea. You get a camp site for the day, setup chairs and cars there, then head to the beach for the day. We played in the sand, water, more sand, flew a kite, and ate snacks. When it was getting close to dinner time we drove back to camp. A fire was started and chili was made. You get all the fun adventure of camping at the beach, but get to drive home and sleep in your own bed. Kinda loved it.
This adventure took place at Ocean City State Park (with a stop off in Ocean Shores for salt water taffy!). Sugar sweets!
The kids love the beach as much as I do. So fun to see all the "littles" playing and having fun together.
Ava looks tiny and in awe of the horses!
I could fill up an entire post with these guys...they were SO sandy and didn't mind a bit. They kept trying to run away. No fear, just kept getting farther and farther down the beach.
The last image is my FAVORITE of all the pictures. Ava and Lucy are adorable playing the sand....then you take a closer look and see two little boys streakin down the beach.
Fun at the beach...
Family Camp ~ Cama Beach ~ Camano Island
What a fantastic weekend! My amazing cousin Morgan, a mere 18 months ago, put together this cabin + camping = campining trip for our family. Brilliant. To me, it was exactly what we needed.
We headed up north on a beautiful Friday afternoon. There was a bit more traffic than anticipated, plus one extra stop, but we made it around 6:30 PM. Before I could even get all of our things in the cabin my kids were in the water! I don't just mean wading....Ava was soaked and Noah was wet almost to his waist. Let the good times begin.
The one snag in the weekend happened early. Apparently, if you arrived in a timely manner (check in was at 3 PM) the staff provided you with a stern warning about keeping your cabin key with you at all times. We did not. I took the kids for a little walk to explore and didn't think twice about closing the cabin door. When we returned I wasn't able to get the door open. Weird. Perhaps if I jiggle the handle...no. Jump up and down a little while trying to open the door...nope. Surely it must be stuck, I didn't lock it, right? I started looking around, as if the answer would simply drift in from the sea, and Auntie Lorna came walking my direction. I tell her what happened, and she relays the "stern warning" that I didn't receive upon our arrival. Oh dear. The events that followed were a testament to my amazing family. First, Isaac jumped into action and began trying to get the door open. He was quickly joined by Rhodrie and Justin...queue MacGyver theme. They tried all windows, locks, and other means to get in that cabin. At one point I looked over and Xan was about to crawl under the cabin! (don't worry I didn't let her travel thru middle earth on my behalf). Where was I...oh yes...and second my awesome Auntie Lorna and Ranger...eh...Rick(?) came to our rescue! She found a number to call in the cabin notebook and worked her charm. Thankfully, despite the firm warning against any help arriving after hours if you lock yourself out, a kind ranger took pity on us and came down with a key. My hero(s)! I should also mention we had several offers to stay in other cabins, bless all of you, but I don't think anyone wanted my kids on their floors. Lightest...sleepers...ever. BUT my favorite part was when I told Rhod he could stand down because the ranger is coming, he grinned and said "how much time do I have?"
Once we got back in our cabin it was time to for (a very overdue) dinner! By the time we finished it was time to get these kids in bed, at 10:30 PM!!! Top photo @ 10:34 PM, bottom photo @ 10:40 PM. That didn't take long.
Next morning Ava was up and ready to start a new day full of adventure. She kept looking out the window for any sign of other adventure seekers, and there they were. Rhod and Justin were bringing the boat down, gideeup.
Then it was time to warm up by the heater and read a good book. LOVE this girls hair!
The rest of the weekend can be summed up with boat rides, s'mores, beach combing, swimming, bike riding, walks, cousin bonding, and "bouncey bed".
Boating!
Ava was one very happy girl! She loved every minute of cousin time with Jade & Amaris, and the independence to roam and explore the camp. And...well...who doesn't love marshmallows?
Too grown up.
This guy had a pretty fantastic time too. Especially when he and Uncle I joined forces. Camping breakfast, mmmmmm.
Here's something I didn't know about my cousin Lorne, he is secretly a master of rock skipping. While there was a lot of cousin love going around, there were a few "moments" when they needed to take a break from each other. This was one of those times, and Ava was having a moment. Lorne happened to be nearby and distracted Ava by bestowing upon her the art and technique of rock skipping. (LOVE him). She took to it pretty well and I have to say I was impressed by the results. Well done Lorne.
One final note, and this is important, my beautiful cousin Tori was 39 weeks pregnant with #2 and still came campining! What?!? Wait...it gets better. She made it all the way through the weekend and went into labor on Sunday night. Monday morning came and so did Amelia Quince Alexandra Bond. Isn't she a beauty? Tori was also sweet enough to capture a picture of Amelia wearing the very first hat Ava knit. LOVE.
For the kids birthday's this year Gramma and Grampa got them a big kid tent complete with tarp and lantern! Before we take it out into the wild we thought it best to give it a try. I think they love it.
