Beach Camping with the Blackburn's :o)

Well, let's just say that we started out totally awesome by deciding that we NEEDED a U-haul just to get all our STUFF there! A-MAZING! This doesn't even describe how much stuff we had (or how much FUN)!! The back of their Suburban was full, stuff was tied on the top, my van, as you'll see was full of wood... SIGH!! But... we laughed about it and headed out to the beach for what turned out to be a COLD week FULL of FUN!

(The actual dates for this were:  21-26 June 2010)

Yes... THAT is pathetic!  But you have to remember, they have a family of 9 and I have one of 5.  That's 14 people in all for 6 days!!  Crazy?  Maybe, but... when you make plans and tell your children... there's no going back!  Haha!

We put up these GIANT post-it notes on my wall to make menus and a grocery list!  We stuck to it for the most part!  (I will say that we left this on the wall and headed out... only to quickly turn around again.  'Cause have you ever tried to remember an entire week's worth of menu????????  NOT POSSIBLE!)

I found a sign over by the blueberry farm that read "FREE FIREWOOD"... and I wasn't about to pass that up when we had already decided to rent the U-haul... so I called and we piled up the back + half the back seat with firewood for the week!  Yay!

Ella and Jack... ready to go, but not waiting very patiently!  ;-p

WHOA, Nellie!  That's a LOT of stuff!  And I'll tell you this:  Damian wasn't there.  He had to work, and as soon as we got it all unloaded, Cory had to head out to return the U-haul to a place nearby.  So... guess who was left with sorting through all this, setting up tents, AND keeping all the kids in view and check???????  Did you say the women?  You would be right!  Sue and I, with a LOT of help from their oldest two daughters, Alyssa and Natalie, got a lot done while we waited for the men to show up!

And at one point we had this mess to deal with.  A wet campsite is not very optimal, but it was keeping them busy for a while!  They had turned on the water and were digging and playing to their hearts' content right next to where we were to be putting one of the 4... yes, 4 TENTS!  Yep... we TENTED the WHOLE week!

By the time we got done we had a HOUSE, of sorts!  From R to L you're looking at the family room, the dining room, and the kitchen!  3 Easy-up's helped us with that!

And another view... this is looking at our 4 bedrooms, plus a reading area!

In the family room with the toys and Dad! 

Lexi and Emma sitting in the dining room... just WAITING to do something more fun!

Sophie's done WAITING... she'll make her own fun in the dining room... ;o)

Ella and Braeden playing a good game of Swingball!

Duck and cover!!  When Braeden gets a good hit on it... it just comes FAST!

The KITCHEN!!

The reading area!

You saw a LOT of this on this particular trip!  It was very chilly the ENTIRE time we were there, so... books were WONDERFUL in the sun where it was a little warmer!  Braeden, Natalie, and Audrie are filling their brains with great knowledge!

At one point, Sue took this picture of a swarm of bees on someone's truck.  SCARY!  And they didn't want to spray them for fear it would do something to the paint on their car.  I don't actually know what happened to get them GONE!  You'll have to ask Sue... maybe she knows!

Jack just got caught with the giant bag of peanut M&M's in the back of their car... munching away!

This was literally necessary!  Ella wore a double layer of pj's every night!  She was in with Damian and I, then across the hall were all the little kids:  Braeden, Jack, Audrie, Lexi, and Emma!  Directly behind them was Natalie, Braden, Alyssa, and Sophie.  And across the hall from them were Cory and Sue! 

And since we were beach camping... we did FINALLY make it down to the beach and the COLD water!  Here's Braden (theirs), Audrie, Lexi, Alyssa, and Emma!

Even I tried to get in some reading.  It proved mostly futile, since I was always looking up to get a glimpse of kids, then would lose my place and read the same thing over... and over... and over!  (BTW:  This is when I started the Twilight series!)  This is me in the chair and Natalie reading The Hunger Games.  Good stuff, I hear!

Sue's sister and her family joined us one day... and evening... and her brother-in-law actually caught this CRAB!  This is the biggest one I've ever seen on the beach!  The kids LOVED it... well, except Ella!  Haha!

Sue, her sister and her husband, and Cory... plus a couple of kids in front!

Lexi and Emma.  I'm so glad they got to spend this time together.  Lexi just adores Emma, and ALWAYS wanted to be playing with her.  We're soooo sad that they moved, but this was an awesome time for Lexi!  Cute girls!

See... a good game of baseball is never far away with Braeden around!  Alyssa took these pix which is why I have none of Braeden hitting, but he brought the bat and the balls!  Baseball is his LOVE!  LOVE!  Emma's hitting here!

And, of course, I'm the pitcher!

Some good food after a hard day's play!  Jack, me, and Ella with a grumpy face!  (One that we're all used to, anyway!)

I'm so bad... I just can't remember Sue's sister's name... or that of her husband, but he built this giant fire for us!  WHEW... it was HOTTTTT!!

This is what happens when you roast gummy worms and they drip off your stick... only to land where their Braden accidentally stepped!  ICKY... and very STICKY!

Ella having a great time with the roasting of marshmallows... and other things!

The JOY of being a kid!  A stick long enough to stick in the fire, blow it out, and watch the smoke make a trail in the sky!  This looks like a recipe for DISASTER, haha!  But they sure had fun!  L to R:  Lexi, Jack, Audrie, and Braeden... with sunglasses on... at NIGHT!  ;)

Braeden was ALL smiles about this.  He would have fallen asleep with this in his hands if we would have let him!

And even when Damian did get there... this is what I catch him doing... MORE WORK!!!

Audrie, Jack, Lexi and Emma

So... we headed to the cove over by the jetty, and while climbing on the rocks, Jack fell and ended up with a pretty nasty GASH that was GUSHING blood everywhere.  So sad... his days at the beach in the water were pretty much OVER.  Boo.  Sue took him up to the lifeguard to get a temporary patch. 

He didn't get stitches... although I wondered for some time if he should have.  But Damian checked it out later, and provided some stuff to keep it really clean, and said it was okay...  BOO!  And poor Jack.

Sue holding Jack all bandaged up now!

I just had to post this.  OUCH!!!  Sue's back... just makes me hurt looking at it!

I don't know how Ella wormed her way in the middle, but she loved hanging with these two!  Natalie on the left and Alyssa on the right!

They all decided to RUN down the sandy hill while holding hands... and basically dragging each other!  :o)  L to R:  Ella, Lexi, Jack, Emma, Alyssa, Sophie, Natalie, and Audrie.  Aren't their faces priceless??  Wait till you see Sophie's "AFTER" picture!

Yep... PRICELESS! 

There are other things to do with a boogie board than just ride the cold waves!  Lexi and Emma!

LOVE!  I love this picture!  Lexi and Emma!  They spent so much time laughing and exploring... so cute!

Ella is FINALLY in the water!  She doesn't really like the waves, so the cove was perfect for her!

Braeden was DRAGGING this giant mess of seaweed around.  For what?  ???

Hmmm...

I love that they have so much fun in the sand and the water!

Now it's Lexi's turn to ride and have Braeden be the mule!

I love them!  And I LOVE that they ALL smiled at the SAME TIME for a quick picture!

Emma!  You're sitting on a LOBSTER!  Haha!

Getting a rest and some sustenance. 

Lexi and Emma spent a LOT of time over by the rocks looking for and catching these little crabs!

Out for a walk on the jetty... as the waves come crashing in!

We obviously didn't go without everything!  The bathrooms with showers were right next to our site, and every now and then you could catch it while the water was WARM!  But it got too chilly at night to go to bed with wet hair!  Sue... drying her lovely locks!  (And you already knew we didn't go without... you saw the U-haul, right?)

Yay!!!  Damian actually made it to the BEACH on the last day we were there.  We spent the night, and then got up early to pack up and head out!  Lexi and Damian!

Braeden and Ella... digging, piling, digging...

Sophie taking a ride in the truck... pulled by her dad!  So FUNNY!  She would have done this for MUCH longer had someone been willing to pull her!

Lexi and Audrie

What did she find??

Lexi, Audrie, and Emma

Some of the Nilsen clan joined us for the last day, as well!  The little kids had LOTS of fun chasing the bigger kids around... and...

...throwing wet sand on Taylor.  Poor guy!

Even Ella thought it was totally hilarious and had to come and tell her dad!

THIS is the Jack LOOK we got all too used to!  He has THE best pouty face... e-ver!  It makes me want to give in... soooo glad I'm not his mom!  ;)

Off to catch one last wave!

This is what kids do while parents work to clean up!  Pile on the futon to watch TV!!  LtoR:  Natalie, Emma holding Jack, Audrie, Ella, Braeden, and Lexi!

Young love.  Literally... Braeden LOVES Audrie.  And even admitted that he "will always be in love with Audrie!"  Aaaaahhhhhh!  Heaven help us all!

Dishes... and more dishes... (by this time at least they're all cleaned and set out... or rather piled out... to dry!)

And you thought that the kitchen looked bad!  Haha!  The cleanup was... RIDONCULOUS!!!

Thank you, Blackburn's... for sharing your family tradition with us! We had a great time!

And... by the way... for those of you who are reading this and don't know everyone involved... here are the names of the 10 children! Yes... TEN!!!

Alyssa (17)

Natalie (14... maybe 15)

Braden (11 now, I think)

Emma (7)

Lexi (7)

Audrie (6)

Braeden (5)

Jack (4)

Ella (2)

Sophie (almost 2)

I hope I got all their ages right... but it's somewhere right around there! The oldest were a huge help. By the time you get into the 7 and under... CHAOS! Fun, but CHAOS! ;o)