summer beach getaway.

 For our summer vacation this year we decided to head back to Seabrook. We went last year just a few weeks before Simon was born and fell in love with this charming little town. It has the cutest homes and cottages, a beautiful clean beach, community pool, fire pits for s'mores, lots of green grassy areas for playtime, a playground, zipline, bike trails, local shops and the perfect place to relax for a few days! It seems to be a great mix of activities and downtime where the kids can just walk and explore the town. The weather was just perfect too. It's always a bit of a gamble to head to the coast. WA beaches aren't like Florida or Hawaii but this past week was beautiful! Clouds in the morning, sun in the afternoon and warm enough to wear shorts and tank tops most of the time while still enjoying a cool ocean breeze. Love it!

 We wasted no time when we arrived. We quickly put our things away and headed out for a walk. I'm pretty sure I walked at least 3-4 miles a day around town. Each morning Simon would wake early and I'd take him out for 45 minutes or an hour to get a little workout in. In the afternoons we'd walk to Main St., the pool, playground or beach. We didn't even realize it until we got in the car to head home but we never drove anywhere for 5 days, it was great!

 Each house is just beautifully decorated. One of my favorite parts about this house was the back porch.

 The pool was another big hit. Every day the kids swam after breakfast and finally on the last day Simon actually enjoyed himself. I think the cold pool water turned him off a bit but the big kids loved splashing, jumping and showing off their new swimming skills every day.

 There was plenty of time to just relax and curl up on the couch too.

 Another adventure to Stump Town. These old trees have been here forever (obviously, they are huge and old) and even allowed the kids to explore the inside a bit. We took a nature path down to the beach this day too which was fun to walk through the forest a bit.

 These kids played in the sand forever! Simon just loved getting his hands dirty and running all over the place.

 Lucy is our animal lover in the family. She adores any animal she sees, loves visiting the pet store and always asks to pet someone's dog when she sees one out for a walk. We found this lazy cat by the pool one afternoon so naturally she had to stop and pet it. She then somehow convinced herself we were taking Fluffy (yep, she even named it) home! She ran home to ask Matt if she could have this cat, all the while Carter running behind her crying because he so desperately didn't want a pet cat. (yep, true story...pretty funny to watch unfold). Sadly, Matt said no, we couldn't bring Fluffy home. About an hour later Matt and I went for a walk to some of the local shops and found out the true story of Fluffy. Ben (it's real name) is the community cat and is pretty happy living in Seabrook. We decided to buy the stuffed version for Lucy to always remember her favorite cat!

A backyard fire pit meant s'mores! 

 Why is he suddenly looking so much older?! Definitely in the toddler phase of life. He did pretty great this week, despite being a curious little guy trying to get into everything!

 The coolest tree in town was just begging to be climbed!

 There is also a local pottery studio in town. Last year we didn't have enough time to go paint but made sure to schedule in time this summer. The kids said this was one of the highlights of their week. It took some convincing to not paint the $30 plane or princess statue but in the end I think they were happy with their new coasters.

 I was really proud of how both of them concentrated and thought about how they wanted their tiles to look. Love these little artists!

 And of course, the sweet shop. We may have just visited this place every.single.day. Vacation means special treats and we all had our fair share!

 Our house for the week! We chose a different part of town this year and while the house wasn't as big as our house last year it still worked out well for our family and was fun to try something new.

 The park put in a new zipline which was so fun!

 Another day and more sweets.

 Matt's parent's were so generous on this trip and we all had a great time spending the week together. They helped watch the kids for us while we made meals, chased after Simon while he explored everything and made special memories we will remember forever. A big thank you for all that they do!

 Our last trip down to the beach, this time to fly kites!

 Oh man were these kites a challenge to get in the air. They aren't the best quality kites but the kids were determined to make it work. They ran and ran and ran trying to get them to go up in the sky and finally, after a lot of perseverance and determination, it worked! The smiles on their faces were priceless.

 We picked up their finished pottery on our last day and the kids were so excited to see their finished tiles.

 Another bike ride/walk around town!

 Simon and Grandpa Tom have a very special bond. Simon is going through a bit of separation anxiety lately and usually only wants me. All.the.time. But, if Grandpa Tom is in the room he will gladly get out of my arms and run over to sit in his lap. They read books together, dance together and there are always lots of smiles on both their faces.

 It was a great week away, much needed and so appreciated. We can't wait to go back again!