SAY YES. (kid-cation 2015)

for the past few years, stacy and i have packed up our kids for a weekend in january or february and headed out of town to try and get over our post christmas blues and cabin fever. usually we stay at my families cabin in the mountains (here’s our trip from last year), but this year we decided to try something a little different and booked a house in seabrook, WA — a new walkable beach town on the coast (just north of ocean shores). bonus, we got a smokin’ deal since our stay was during the off season.

our goal for the weekend is to keep things pretty low-key with lots of fun for the kids that’s also low stress on us. most mornings we spent chillin’ like villains around the house in our jammies. then in the afternoon we would venture into town and find fun things to do…

… like paint ceramics which doubled as little souvenirs for our trip…

… and eating delicious food.

at night (not pictured) we headed to the heated community pool (and hot tub) for more fun and to make sure the kids got all of their energy out for easy bedtimes. since it rained the first two days, which kept us off the beach) the pool was a lifesaver and definitely a highlight for the kids.

i personally loved the cute little coastal home we stayed in and having a kitchen made the weekend that much easier — because kids are always hungry and easily get hangry.

(tilly, poppy and espen – oz stayed behind for sports and griffin had a special auntie and uncle weekend planned!)

on the last day the sun came out to play so naturally we ditched our jackets and grabbed some ice cream.

(this airstream couldn’t be ignored!)

(while my kids nursed their ice cream – they take forever to eat treats, like their mama – stacy’s boys fit in a little photo-op)

(the ceramic creations they painted on our second rainy day)

before heading out of town we spent a couple hours on the beach (also not pictured) digging, splashing and taking in the scenery. it was the perfect way to end our kid-cation, but what i loved most about this trip was how much i was able to say yes. yes to more time in the pool, yes to being silly in public, yes to ordering something not on the kid’s menu, yes to watching their new stunt or silly face (watch, this mom!)… so many yeses.

a little break from being the schedule keeper, organizer and chaos minimizer was just what this mama needed to be filled up and feel more playful again.

xo . rae

ps – speaking of saying yes. stacy and i are planning a shootcamp that’s perfect for anyone wanting to take beautiful pictures of your families (like all the fun pics above), or creatives wanting to build a photography business, etsy shop (or the like) or a blog. i’ll also be sharing a few graphic design tips… you should totally say yes to joining us! (APRIL 25th) more details to come!