We Love You, Nonno & Nonna!

A huge thank you to Nonna and Nonno for hosting such a perfect family weekend for all of us!! We love you so much and we are so thankful for your generosity!! Thanks for taking care of the children, all the snuggles, reading, feeding, the list goes on......! And thanks for taking care of the big kids too - the crab night, awesome dinner, always being there with a helping hand, and being the biggest part of all the memories made while we were there!  We miss you so much and cannot wait to be back!! We all love you!!

A Few More of My Babies on the Beach...

 

  We had a fabulous trip out west and I am so thankful for all the family time and for these two very sweet and very fun little travelers!! I love my beach babies!!

Ferry Ride!

Bryn absolutely loved our ferry ride back to Seattle on Monday morning.  She was smiling and clapping while she sat and looked out the window with us and also giving big, excited smiles to everyone who walked by.  I am so glad they both think the ferry is such an adventure!!

Finding Baby Crabs at the Beach

We walked down the hill from Nonno and Nonno's house to take the kids to the beach together one last time before everyone was heading out the next day.  Andrew and his brother started lifting rocks and finding baby crabs which of course had the kids screaming with excitement.  It was hilarious and adorable to see them laughing so much!  Bennett was very brave and held one too!

Beach Walk

Boondoggle!

The Big Boondoggle was Saturday night, where many friends and families gathered from near and far to partake in this big, exciting July reunion of sorts.  It was awesome to see so many people who we do not see often enough.  The boondoggle was full of great people, lots of energetic kids, good food, and so much laughter throughout the night. The event was on a cool farm with lots of love floating through the air.  I feel so lucky to be a part of it all and so blessed to have such wonderful people in our lives! How great that we could all be there together!

Bryn & Elle

Speaking of cute cousins, Bryn and Elle, who are just less than 3 months apart, seem to have a sweet little bond and may have even created a secret language between themselves.  It was so cute to see them together, both with such sweet and easygoing personalities. 

Five Little Cousins Sittin' on A Bench....

I may have a slightly biased opinion, but I am certain that these Turpin kiddos are quite adorable!!

How special that we were able to watch them all laugh and play together in the Pacific Northwest! 

Kate,Quinn, and Baby Elle ~ we hope you know how much we all adore you and how happy it made us to share in so much fun with such special girls! We are looking forward to more adventures with you!

Cousins are the best!!! 

To the Top of Goose Rock!

We made it to the top of Goose Rock and enjoyed some snacks amidst the beautiful surroundings (check out the view!)  Bennett and Cousin Kate were such a cute hiking pair and did a great job making it up the hill on their own.  This  was such a fun outing to do together as a family, five kids and all!!

Hiking at Deception Pass State Park

 After a late night at our barbecue on Friday, we packed up the kids and headed straight up to Whidbey Island to stay with Andrew's parents for the rest of our trip.  From here, it was a family affair for the rest of our weekend as Andrew's brother and his family also made the trip up from Texas.  We all started our Saturday morning with a hike up to Goose Rock in Deception Pass State Park.  It was a great time!

BBQ with Seattle Friends

Our friends hosted a barbecue in honor of our arrival to Seattle, so we spent Friday night catching up with those very special to us.  The four guys in the picture are Andrew's closest friends from the island where he grew up and it is amazing and very entertaining when we all get together, especially now when you add the children. We truly had the best night with everyone and it does make us miss them even more! Thanks for having us and for giving us so much love - we hope you know how much we love you right back!

Pike Place Market

 We love, love, love the market in Seattle.  We enjoyed a family morning here - eating fresh blueberries, raspberries, cherries, and lemonade before heading back to the beach then on to see dear friends!

Fun with Friends

After spending a sunshine-filled day outside on the beaches, we met up with friends for an early dinner at a local brewery, then headed to Rob and Erin's place, where we met and snuggled with their darling little girl whom they welcomed earlier this year.  They are dear friends of ours who live less than two miles from our old house and who we saw often when we lived there.  It was great to have the children together and wonderful to relax and catch up with friends who we consider to be family! We miss you guys!