End of the Summer at Blake Island

For the seventh summer in a row, Lia and I headed out to Blake Island for our end-of-the-summer camping trip with my family.  This is honestly one of my favorite things that we do all year long as I just love it on this quiet island in the Puget Sound.  It is always so beautiful and calm and it is the one place where I don't have to worry about where my kids are or what they are doing.  They can roam free like we did as kids growing up in our neighborhood.  This year, I gave in and decided to take Logan with me under the condition that he was not allowed to throw any tantrums...and he kept his end of the bargain until the final hour of our trip.  Oh well, he almost made it.  This year, we joined Chris' family and my mom for the overnight camping trip.  My dad and Natalee's parents came out and joined us for the day on Monday.  Normally, we go overnight on Friday night, but we changed our plans last minute and went Sunday through Monday to avoid the bad weather that was forecasted for Friday (rain and thunderstorms).  Sunday turned out to be a beautiful, sunny day in the low 70s and although it was cloudy on Monday, it did not rain...so I'd say we lucked out.  As always, we had a glorious time out on the island exploring the beach, the marina, the park, and enjoying the beautiful scenery.  The kids got a big kick out of the deer and raccoon everywhere and had a great time playing with the cousins.  We finished off Monday by picking up a few crabs from Chris' crab pots and heading back to his house for an end-of-the-summer feast.  It was sad to say 'goodbye' to everyone and to summer when we headed home that night, but as always, it was a wonderful way to end the season!

The amazing view from our campground.  

The kids always get a kick out of playing on the make-shift teeter totters on the beach.  Here are Lia, Riley, Logan, and Trenton playing on two that were side by side.

Logan and Trenton had a great time playing in the tents before all of the beds were set up.  Here they are in Chris' tent.

After getting out to the island, setting up our tents, and making foil dinners, we gathered around the picnic table for dinner.  Here we are eating away as the sun started to set.

I was able to get some great shots of the kiddos at twilight as they played on the beach.  Here is an awesome picture of Logan walking across a large piece of driftwood suspended on some rocks.

A beautiful shot of a sailboat moored in the water off of our campsite.

A picture of Lia leaping off of the driftwood. 

All of the cousins lined up in a row.

My cute Logie boy.

A happy brother and sister.

A happy mama with her kiddos.  Oh, how I love summer and enjoying it with my children!

After a not-so-stellar night sleep (our air mattress had a leak), we woke up a to a cloudier and cooler day.  Here are the kiddos and me with grandma.

Logan showing off the perfect crab shell he found on the beach.

Trenton, Brynn, Lia, and Logan playing next to the marina.

For a second year in the row, some of the kiddos made cute, fairy houses next to our campground.  Here are Calllie, Lia, and Riley showing off their miniature homes.

After breakfast, we spent the rest of the morning playing on the sand.

Lia and Brynn.

After Logan requested that we make a fort on the beach, Chris agreed to help us.  All of the kids pitched in and we ended up with quite an impressive fort made out of driftwood. 

Lia trying out the fort.

Uncle Chris and some of the kids showing off their finished product!

Chris, Brynn, and I dashed over to the Tillicum Village lodge after seeing the boat arriving with all of the tourists.  A few years ago, we learned that if you walk up to the lodge and blend in with all of the arriving tourists, you can get a free bowl of delicious, clam chowder!  It's kind of naughty, but they always have extra clam chowder after everyone has moved inside the lodge that they probably throw away, so we really are only eating something that would have been thrown away anyways.  Here are Brynn and me enjoying the delicious soup.

After lunch, we enjoyed some more beach time before packing up and heading back to Chris' house for dinner.  The kids found another awesome teeter totter and enjoyed putting three on each side. 

A close-up of Logan, Riley, and Callie.

And a close-up of Brynn, Lia, and Trenton.  

Thanks, Blake Island, for yet another end of the summer trip!  We sure love it out there and can't wait for next year.