Tofino

 This morning we packed up camp bright and early and hit the road for Tofino. Packing up after a few days proved to be a bit of a challenge. One of the sleeping bags refused to fit in the roof rack and was almost left in the forest after being thrown from the van by a disgruntled packer. We ended up with a few more things in the van and under our feet, but the kids were still smiling.

We stopped on our way out of town for groceries, water shoes, and sandals. Fitting it all in the van was like a jigsaw puzzle! I'm still not sure how we did it! With the van stuffed to the top, we were off to spend a week on MacKenzie Beach!

The last leg of the trip, although short, is dreaded because of the crazy winding road nick-named "the puke road". From Nanaimo it didn't take long to make it to Coombs where we had to stop and pick up our favorite candied salmon.

This old car parked on the square was a fun find for the littles!

I had told them about the goats on the roof in Coombs before we left home, but they weren't sure what to expect! They thought it was pretty cool that they lived up there. And brainstormed all of the different ways they could have gotten up there.

We watched them for a little while before heading into the famous market to look at trinkets and toys.

This little girl found a goat stuffy the second we walked in. Collecting stuffed animals is kind of her thing. She held onto that thing the entire time as we browsed through the rest of the toys at the store. 

I could have stayed in the market forever! These things are my favorite! I wanted to pick up Christmas presents and gifts for everyone I knew, but I restrained myself and settled for a cute little Nativity that has me excited for Christmas.

While the boys were deciding on their souvenirs Mr. Stannix picked up some salmon and then we were off!

We found this little gem near the check-out. It totally screamed "Mike" and we had to buy it! With that we set out on "the puke road" where we lost a few to motion sickness and sleep. They all came to as we saw the ocean playing peek-a-boo through the trees while we drove. 

The littles could hardly wait to see the ocean up close! We ended up with the perfect campsite with stairs to the beach on one side and a bathroom on the other. After we were all changed into our swimming suits we ran down to check out the beach!

The tide was just right for swimming and wave jumping.

I could sit and watch the waves roll in all day long and never get bored. I love the Ocean and the way it is constantly moving and changing with the tides.

While Mr. Stannix was wave jumping with the big kids, I hung out with the younger two on the beach. Finley dug and dug all afternoon.

This wild baby crawled around the beach dipping in and out of tide pools.

The water was cold, but the weather was perfect! I was in love.

When everyone was shivering out of their swimming suits we rinsed off and head up to camp. After a warm dinner, we tucked the littles into their sleeping bags for the night.

While Mr. Stannix waited for them to fall asleep I snuck down to the beach to watch the sun set behind the rocks. The tide had gone out quite a bit and the sky was painted in pastel pinks and yellows.

I walked the beach until Ollie fell asleep, admiring the shells left behind by the ocean and soaking in the fresh sea air. 

I was so excited to finally be here to enjoy one of my favorite things. I looked forward to sneaking out and relishing in many more sunsets as the week went by!

Mr. Stannix was building a fire when I returned and we finished off our evening eating salmon and laughing together. We fell asleep with grateful hearts to the sound of the crashing waves below.

Parksville

This morning we woke up, showered the kids and ourselves, got dressed in our Sunday clothes and went to church in Nanaimo. One thing I love about our church is that it is the same everywhere you go! We bumped into some old friends from Edmonton and had fun catching up and commenting on how big our kiddos are now. Joe and Ollie slept through the whole meeting and the other three were so tired that they hardly moved. 

After church we went back to camp and ate lunch. We made our way to Parksville for the afternoon to walk around and explore. On the way there Joe educated us on breathing. "Daddy, if your  tummies movin', that means you're breathin'!" 

We found ourselves in the middle of beach fest! It took a while to find a place to park, but we were so excited to run along the beach in our barefeet! I almost stepped on a million of these little guys after I busted my flip flop walking through a rather deep tide pool. 

We picked up many treasures along the way and they begged to keep them all! I soaked in the smell of the ocean, the sound of the waves and the colors of the bright kites floating in the sky.

The tide came in as we combed  the beach and we constantly had to move our stuff. As we waded across this particular tide pool we came across a whole bunch of Jelly fish! Camilla lost her sandals and both the boys were crying by the time they made it to the other side. After a little while Camilla laughed about the whole thing and told me that she was so scared that she "jumped right out of her shoes". 

This boy was in heaven and couldn't stop giggling!

We built a ton of these sand castles! It was super fun.

I loved sitting back and capturing it all through my lens. Having so much extra time to spend with Daddy was a big highlight for everyone. They especially loved when he got down to their level and played with them. 

Camilla was super proud of her shell covered sand castle. 

As we explored the beach on this beautiful Sunday afternoon, I couldn't help but feel so grateful for this man that I get to call mine. He takes such good care of us! 

It warmed my mother heart to see everyone playing happily together.

It was so relaxing and wonderful by the ocean...

Our deep holes were eventually swept away by the tide.

Hyrum had a whole bucket full of treasures by the end of the afternoon and wanted to keep them all. Each shell was unique and special.

When everyone was hungry and the water had come in, we decided to make our way back to the car. We walked by the kites, the amazing sand sculptures and stopped at the park for a few minutes to play. Camilla and I walked barefooted, hand in hand, all the way back to the car since we were both without flip-flops now. It was the perfect end to the day!

Seattle Space Needle

This morning we booked an early viewing at the Seattle Space Needle. We ended up being crazy early! I played with the littles out front while Mr. Stannix waited in line for our tickets. 

They were pretty excited to go up! 

It was still pretty busy for the early morning, but we walked all the way around taking in the views. 

When we made our way to the bottom we decided to let the kids each pick out a souvenir at the gift shop to remember our time in Seattle. They each picked something unique and special to them and left more excited than when we arrived! Their new toys kept them occupied for the long drive to the boarder and then Tsawwassen where we boarded the ferry for the Island.

 

Camilla was just one year old when we went on this ferry last. She truly is our cautious Camilla and was kind of freaking out as we drove aboard. All yesterday Joe kept bringing up the ferry ride and although he always expressed excitement, I could tell there was a part of him that was worried. As soon as we made our way up to the deck, they all stood in awe.

This little guy couldn't get enough of the wind and excitement on deck. 

Camilla took it upon herself to keep Fin extra safe and warm the entire time. It was the sweetest.

We were all pretty tired when we made it to the other side. The driving, the wind, the crazy... We were happy to set up camp for two consecutive nights at the same place! When dark settled upon us we brought our chairs up to the field to enjoy an outdoor movie night. Halfway through I took the younger three back to the tent and tucked them in for the night.

Seattle

Today began with breakfast at IHOP! After being up all night long listening to intoxicated campers talking and laughing really loudly, we were feeling pretty tired. We all crammed into a booth, ordered juice, smiley face pancakes, and eggs and enjoyed a few moments of peace. The littles all sat so well and were complimented by the older couple in the table next to us on their way out. Camilla and Hyrum were the only ones who actually finished their plates. Once we were full we hustled back out to the van for our long drive to Seattle. When I put Ollie into his seat I laughed out loud at all of the half eaten cookies and crumbs that he had been sitting on!

Most of the drive on the I-90 was dull and boring. We traveled for a whole four hours with a few potty breaks in between. The littles drove like champs until the last twenty minutes. When Ollie started fussing we unrolled the windows for some fresh air. While the older kids hid under their blankets for warmth Finley busted out his best manic laugh, over and over and over again. Soon we were all giggling.

We parked downtown Seattle and walked over to Pike's Place market. I have been once before and was so excited to share it with the kids. It's such a cool place. Busy, but full of awesomeness. 

As we walked, Joe repeated, "This is BOR-IN'!" over and over again.... Soon the cool trinkets and gifts were drowned out by the complaints of small, tired children. So we took to the outdoors!

Harbour cities are always interesting to me. The scenery is so unique.

We decided to check out the famous wheel and go for a ride. Camilla was terrified, but it was all the boys could talk about as we walked. 

After she got on, she decided it wasn't nearly as scary as she thought it was going to be!

Fin got a nice sized mosquito bite yesterday and earned himself the nickname of Quasimoto for the day.

 We stopped at Daddy's favorite place on our way to the Motel. Although it's distant in my memory now, I do remember two of the children behaving so terribly that I may or may not have cried while we sat and waited for our food. But mostly, I remember how excited Mr. Stannix was and how happy we all were when we left. 

 We ordered two of his favorite things and shared halfsies.

It tasted so great! And the best part is, it cost less than McDonalds!

We all went to bed with tired legs and full tummies!