Little Things

 We have had a busy August that has seemed to fly by. I can't believe that it is almost September and school is starting up again this week. Here are such a few simple things that were captured this month. It really is the little things in life that make life that much better and full of joy.

One evening we went to Tacoma with Dale and Margaret. We had a picnic dinner at Owen Beach which I have never gone to but have wanted to. It was pretty busy but very pretty. Then we walked along the water front near Tacoma and found a fun spot for the girls to play in the sand. It was such an enjoyable evening!

 Bedtime with them in the same room has slowly gotten better. We have our nightly routine and one night these 2 wanted a picture in Paige's bed and can I just say they are the cutest and why do they have to grow up so fast?

 We have had play dates with Addison about once a week. One of them they had fun in the kiddie pool and in the sprinkler. They are good sports to include Baylor in all their fun.

 Then another hot afternoon we went and cooled off at the lake. Baylor likes to test the limit with how far she can go out. She also tested out her life jacket by herself. It took her a little bit to get the hang of it and one of the first times she tried to float on her belly and went too far forward and her face went in the water. I ran out there so fast but it didn't even faze her and she must of held her breath since she didn't come out of the water sputtering. Paige loves to swim with her life jacket and is slowly getting a little bit better at swimming and floating with it off.

 Paige often likes to help Baylor get dressed and does her hair so that she can take her outside and take pictures of her with my phone. These ones turned out so cute!

 We love blackberry season. We especially love it when we are out on walks and can pick a few here and there. Both of the girls love them. I was also able to make some blackberry pie filling and also some triple berry jam. It is mostly blackberry and blueberry along with some raspberries. It is so sweet but so good.

 Another play date with Addison but this time we invited Kinsley to join us. They had so much fun! They made necklaces/bracelets with the beads and played dress up. When Baylor went down for a nap, they had fun and kept each other entertained outside the entire time.

 Another day we went up with Nona to Bellevue. Paige got to pick out a scripture case and a necklace for her baptism and while we were looking around, Baylor found a comfy seat and grabbed a primary children's songbook from the shelf and was looking through it. It was the cutest thing to see and watch her do it all on her own. We then went and walked around the temple. There are so many beautiful flowers and we enjoyed this quick outing on a beautiful day.

 I know I say cute so much when I talk about them but they truly are so cute and I love watching their relationship grow and I  love watching them interact and play with each other.

 Baylor is at the stage where she loves to dress herself and some of her choices are so funny. She also is all about accessories. Another cute thing that she says that I always want to remember is when she says helmet is sounds like "homot"- "I want to wear my Minnie homot!" It is so funny and cute!

One day I decided to go and walk on a trail that I haven't ever been on and finally made the time for it. It was a beautiful walk and on a boardwalk most of the way. Nona joined us and afterwards we made a stop at Hobby Lobby. It was a fun little adventure!

 The girls helped Pops with some apple drying one day.

 Then this past week we had another play date with Addison and Kinsley. The day before Paige picked out some frames that everyone got to paint. They turned out so cute and fitting to the personality of each girl.

 They had lunch outside and stayed busy pretty much the rest of the time with the Barbies. They played outside with them and had the Barbie pool set up. 

 And they also went in the hot tub. I love this picture! They are all so cute and I am so grateful that Paige has such an amazing friend like Addison. I have loved having both of them over. They do so well together and keep each other busy and have so much fun together.

Port Gamble

 Last weekend we took a little vacation to Port Gamble. I wanted to go somewhere just our family and rent an Airbnb and was originally looking along the coast. There wasn't much available so we looked on the Puget Sound and found this perfect little house for us right on Gamble Bay. We left after Nate was done with work on Thursday and it took us a little bit longer with traffic in Tacoma but it was a beautiful drive and we were excited for our little stay away. We got to our little house and once we unloaded everything went to check out our view of the bay and it did not disappoint.

I had planned for each meal and we were able to eat in for every meal. We had our dinner on Thursday evening and then spent the rest of the evening down at the bay watching the sunset. It was a beautiful, still evening and the view was gorgeous.

 Friday morning we had some breakfast and then went to Shine Tidelands State Park. We got to cross the Hood Canal Floating Bridge to get to it and then had an amazing view of it from the park. We made sure to go at low tide and it was a perfect little outing. There were so many shells and little creatures to find and see. There was amazing drift wood along the shore that the girls loved to climb on. The view was amazing and the weather was perfect. Just a perfect little outing with my family. I love beach combing and listening to the water and watching Nate and the girls look for rocks, shells, and creatures and just how happy it makes all of us.

 Then we went home for lunch before a quick little outing to go and explore Port Gamble. It is such a cute little town with old time charm. The buildings are gorgeous and it is such a fun town to walk through. It's like walking in the past and you can imagine what it was like when it was a busy, bustling town. We went to the General Store because it has Of Sea and Shore Museum on the second floor and is free to walk through. It has one of the largest seashell collections in the world. It started as a high school biology project and has continued to grow over the past 40 years with a collections representing 40 different countries. It is such a cool setting and was fun to walk around and explore. There are some incredible shells there and Paige absolutely loved it.

 Then we were walking around town and saw this old cemetery. It was such a beautiful setting for a cemetery since it was set up on a hill with a view of the town and the water. Most of the graves were from the 1800's and it was so cool to walk through. I would love to know more of their stories and just to see what life was like for them living in this small town on the bay. 

 We went back to our little house so that Baylor could take a nap. Nate and Paige went to the store and went down to see the bay a little more and picked some blackberries. The house really was perfect for our little family. When you walked in it was like a studio with a queen sized bed, a little kitchen area, a table, and a couch. There is a bathroom on one side and then you walk down this narrow hallway where there is a bedroom that was perfect for the girls. There was a bunk bed and another twin sized bed but they also had a pack 'n play that Baylor slept it. It is always nice for the girls to have a separate space to sleep in. There was no TV or WiFi so we played games in the evenings and when we had some down time. 

 Then after we ate some dinner we went and explored Point No Point County Park which has a lighthouse and a gorgeous beach. The lighthouse had some really cool animals made out of driftwood and the view was incredible. We spent the evening on the beach. The sand was so nice on your bare feet and Nate and Paige went beach combing looking for shells and agates and Baylor was happy to put her feet in the water and play in the sand. I loved sitting on some driftwood watching my family in our happy place and watching the fishermen and the boats and just listening to the water. You could see Mount Rainier fainting in the distance and a little bit of the Seattle skyline. It was a perfect way to end our perfect day!

 Then to end our fun day we had a fire right on the bay at our house and roasted some marshmallows and had some smores. The view is just gorgeous and again we got to watch the sun set and once it got darker on the other side of the bay someone was lighting off some fireworks. It was pretty cool to see and an unexpected surprise.

 Saturday morning we had some breakfast and before checking out we went down to the bay one more time before leaving. This morning we got to see what low tide looked like at the bay and it was incredible. I have never seen so many oysters all at once. When we first got there we could see a little family of sea otters swimming and playing together right at the edge of the water. They were so cute! It was a great little beach to find all sorts of little creatures and shells. There were also a ton of small clams that you could easily dig up and find. 

 We were all sad to leave but it was an incredible little spot for our family and a great little getaway!

 We got to the Kingston Ferry terminal just as one ferry was about to leave. We didn't really know how busy this ferry usually is and so we decided that if we got on that ferry that would be great and if not we would just wait for the next one and find something fun to do while we waited. When we got there, the ferry terminal was busy so we parked our car and walked around. The terminal has a marina and lots of boats to look at on one side and an amazing little beach on the other. We got to explore both and made the most of our wait. It was another fun little adventure and a great way to end our little vacation.

 We found a shady spot on the beach for the girls to play in the sand and also a perfect view of the ferry so we knew when to head back to our car. We ate some lunch in the car while we waited for the ferry to be unloaded and then it was our turn.

 Baylor was excited to be on the boat but did not like being outside with how windy it was. She was happy to be inside and just look out the windows at the water. 

 Paige and I were outside most of the time and enjoyed the view. It is only a 30 minute ride so it went by quick. 

 You know it was a fun and busy weekend when they both fall asleep on the car ride home. :)

We loved every minute of our stay and I would be happy to go back again!