Washington Coast

We spent this past weekend with Justin’s parents on the coast. We stayed in Ocean Shores at the same house we stayed four years ago. We got there around noon on Friday and while Katie (and Justin) took naps, Linda and I took the kids to the beach to see if we could manage to fly some kites. It's important to note (for anyone who may not know) that visiting the ocean in Washington is not what most would think of as a beach vacation... the water is freezing, the sky is usually cloudy and grey, and it is usually quite windy. It was great conditions for flying a kite though and without much effort all three kids looked like pros.

The wind was so strong that the kites basically flew themselves.

Jason was hilarious to watch. He was having so much fun running around with his little kite. I love this next picture of him dragging his kite down the beach hoping the wind will get it back up in the air.

Jason also caught on to the idea of chasing his sisters around trying to get his kite caught up in the string from their kite. It was so fun for me to watch them try something new and have so much fun with it.

Before heading back to the house the kids played a bit in the ocean.

After dinner we all drove down to the beach. Justin’s parents were following us in their car and called us questioning Justin’s judgment about driving on the sand. There were many other cars parked down by the water so Justin confidently dismissed their warning. Of course, less than a minute later Justin had us stuck in the sand. Thankfully there were a few nice people nearby that helped him push while I plowed our way onto more solid ground. Abigail commented that she will remember our first trip to Ocean Shores because she had to go to the ER to get stitches and she will remember this trip because Dad got the car stuck in the sand. Aside from that little adventure, the kids also had fun flying kites and playing on the sand dunes.

I’m one lucky Momma!

Jason discovered the joy of rolling down the sand dunes – needless to say showers were needed before bed.

Saturday morning we headed up north a bit to check out the beaches. I also wanted to visit Seabrook – a new seaside community that I’ve heard fabulous things about. I’ll admit to falling in love at first sight. It’s a little town straight from the movies. Someday I’d like to return for a few days and stay in one of the cottages.

We stopped at played at Pacific Beach. Again, great conditions for kite flying.

But there was a significant difference – can you tell?

Though still cold, the sun was shining and the wind wasn’t nearly as overwhelming.

The kids also enjoyed playing in the sand and attempting to build a sand castle.

Unfortunately, with a toddler around they didn’t get to far.

I was surprised how much Katie enjoyed the beach. My kids typically don’t like getting dirty, but Katie didn’t seem to mind at all.

By the end of the day she had sand everywhere. She was shivering cold (didn’t help that she played in the little stream) and quickly fell asleep in the car on our way back to Ocean Shores.

After we ate lunch we decided to take the kids miniature golfing. This is something I’ve been excited to do as a family for a while now. Unfortunately Katie had only napped 30 minutes in the car the entire day so she wasn't the happiest to be there and was difficult to keep contained on the hole we were playing on. Half way through the 18 holes Justin ended up sacrificing his game to keep Katie entertained. It was still a fun experience though.

Jason had lots of fun though he shows no signs of future golf greatness

Sunday we attended church at the small branch in town and spent the afternoon playing games and relaxing before heading home.