Weekend on the Water

It's summer!! So we have to get to the water as often as possible, right? Of course right. We borrowed Dad's kayaks again and headed for my favorite place to take them out in Silverdale. Matthew was up for trying to go out on his own. He did a wonderful job! There were some times he was super frustrated and there were tears, but he persevered and was proud of himself at the end of the evening. 

Muscle Man!!

Sean still likes to stand up and treat the kayak like a paddleboard.  

The next day there was a kids fishing derby and the boys were so excited! They don't love eating fish, but they love trying to catch them. The volunteers would cast for them and then the kids had to reel in their fish.  

Matthew was holding one of his dead fish lovingly and said he just wanted to keep it because it was so beautiful. I told him we weren't going to do that. He saw the guys cleaning the fish and saw the heads got thrown out and asked if he could just keep the fish head. Not that either buddy!

Sunday was Father's Day and the Summer Solstice. We had to spend a good chunk of the day outside, so we went to Point No Point Beach. It was pretty divine.

Whenever I have gone, I usually stick to one spot on the beach. This time it was pretty windy when we arrived and Jon suggested going around the bend. I had no idea how perfect that would be. You can see the Seattle skyline and Mount Rainier. There were so many driftwood structures set up. We claimed one and got down to enjoying the day!

Across the water is Whidbey Island.

Starting to work on a sand castle/fort

Matthew found lots of sea life and made a little tide pool to keep his creatures in. As the water evaporated, he put them back in the ocean. But he wanted to keep them forever.

Can you see the anemones?

He also tried selling some of his finds to people walking by. 

I mostly sat back and enjoyed the view. Jon took a break from helping with the sand castle and sat with me in our sweet cabana. A family came over and struck up a conversation with the kids. The husband of the family entertained the kids for a long time. He was so nice. They played battleship (tossing driftwood "boats" into the water and trying to sink them), they found different shells together, later he showed them how to make a clam dance (he lined a plate with salt and the clam comes out to slurp it up- gross but cool!). I love it when people are kind and engaging with my kids.

Relaxing! 

The castle/fort took a long time with lots of breaks. The finished product:

A group of young ladies walked by and Matthew said "Do you want to take a rest in the fort?" They thanked him for the offer, but walked on. I love his assertiveness! 

It was a beautiful weekend full of making memories together. I sure love my little family!