Bainbridge Island

We made our annual trip to Bainbridge Island to go to a pumpkin walk. We painted pumpkins earlier in the week to take with us. We did not get so lucky with the weather for this outing, but we made the most of it. 

Our first stop was in Poulsbo to take a little walk at the fish park. I just saw some pictures online and thought it would be a nice little place for a walk. They had some cool fish sculptures and all the trails were named after different types of salmon.

There was a nice boardwalk, and we found a little stream that kept the girls entertained for a bit. It is amazing how some rocks and sticks added with water can keep kids happy.

This girl and her faces, and the crown has become a favorite accessory.

Then we made it onto the island and had lunch in the car before going through the pumpkin walk.

First, we got some pictures of our pumpkins before they got left on the trail for others to enjoy.

There were so many fun pumpkins to look at!

Then it was time to wander around the nursery and get some fun photos.

Then we found a new place on Bainbridge Island to explore. We went to the Grand Forest and the experience lived up to its name. The walk was stunning! There were so many little things to enjoy: logs to walk on, bridges to walk over, rings to count on old trees, rocks to stack, and trails to explore.

One of the reasons I picked this trail was for this large boulder that people stack rocks on. I saw it online and I knew the girls would love it. The rock stacking fit the girl's personality; Baylor went as quick as possible and made a couple of smaller stacks, McCall wandered around and wanted to help anyone and do some of it herself, and Paige was methodical and took time to find the perfect rocks to make an elaborate rock stack.

The girls were cold and done by this point, so we got some dinner at McDonald's and waited in line for our ferry ride back to the mainland. The view of Seattle is always stunning. It was SO windy, and the rain would pelt you in the face if you were out on the front of the ferry. We enjoyed the view for a bit before we were frozen, and it was a quiet ride home.

We dealt with bad weather, hungry kids, tired kids, and moody kids but we still made this time together as a family a priority. I was telling my mom about it today how there were some beautiful moments amid it all and she said our families are like roses, beautiful but also have thorns. Life is that way and days like today show that there is such beauty amid the hard moments. I love as a family that we can grow, learn about relationships, and learn how to deal with the hard and rainy parts of life and that we can find joy in it all.