Getaway

We enjoyed a fabulous visit from my awesome in-laws in June. We had so much fun playing at the beach - even though the weather was not cooperating - hanging out in the hot tub, making s'mores in the backyard, making food together in the kitchen - including a live crab, and laughing together a lot. The girls LOVED their grandma and grandpa time. I'll mention just a few of the highlights. #1 Our whale watching boat ride from Newport. We felt a little brave attempting this one, since our last excursion on a boat (two years ago) found 4 out of 5 of our little family sea sick and crying. My mom and dad came along that last time and couldn't believe we literally "tested the waters" again. We were glad we did. The boat was bigger, the ocean was calmer and the kids were older. Natalie and Angela weren't happy with the cold winds, but they found a very happy spot with grandma inside looking out a window and both ended up falling asleep in grandma's lap. Sarah on the other hand, was our adventurous girl. She tried her hand at crabbing, played with another little girl - with whom she showed all her beach treasures she had in her pocket, and oohed and ahhed at the three whales we saw. It was awesome to follow the whales for a little bit and anticipate where they'd be popping up next. We had a wonderful time and were grateful to have a positive experience on a boat again!
Another memorable highlight was going boogie boarding. Well, grandma watched Natalie and Angela while the rest of us went. We all got fitted for wetsuits in Depot Bay, even Sarah. She looked so cute, I had to include a pciture. The boogie boarding was tons of fun, but a little short lived. Sarah actually wasn't too fond of the boogie boarding - it made her nervous and it was very windy and cold. After about 45 minutes of riding the waves, we headed inland for some Lunchables. The weather started getting REALLY windy and the girls were cold. Things went downhill fast. When our beach tent started blowing away, we decided it was time to go! As we headed back, I'm sure we were quite a site. It is HARD to put a tent away in 40 mph winds (that's what they felt like - it was probably close). Chris and I grabbed as much stuff as we could and started heading back with the girls - walking into the blustering winds and flying sand, whiel the boys finished putting away the tent. The girls were crying, my wetsuit boots were filled with sand and water and the short walk felt like the longest trek ever. We just had to laugh at how ridiculous it all was. Thank goodness we had a beautiful beach home and hot tub to return to. We were happy to head back earlier than planned.

A note on the pictures below - Starting at the top left: the Sea Mist beach cottage, the awesome gas firepit in the backyard, Jay teasing Mr. Crabs - lucky he didn't get pinched!, the HUGE waves the first day we arrived - watching Sarah and grandpa play "chase" with the waves was hilarious - especially when grandpa got "tagged"!, and Angela was in heaven holding grandma and grandpa's hands.