My favorite thing about living in Western Washington is

going to beach parks in the summer. They are just so beautiful and fun to visit. I feel like I am living in a resort area as I sit in the sand and see the green trees and beautiful houses surrounding the lake. This summer I took my kids to several of the beach parks in our area. The first one we went to was Idlywood beach park on Lake Sammamish. This one is my favorite because it has lots of nice clean sand to play in. In this photo my big girls are hard at work building a pool in the sand.
And here they are enjoying it with our friends the Smiths. Nine kids in dirty water--priceless!

The second park we visited was New Castle Beach Park on the east side of Lake Washington. We went there with our friends the Molinas that we met in Texas 10 years ago. These two boys had fun playing with trucks in the sand.

Megan had fun with their son her age wading in the water. I think she may have a crush on him.

And Holly and her friend enjoyed checking out the dock.

Our third beach park was in Seattle. Matthews beach park on the west side of Lake Washington. We went there with our Walker cousins. I love this photo of Nathan and his cousin from behind.

The kids waded in the water and found some little seashells but unfortunately we hadn't brought our swimsuits.

Luckily there was a fun playground complete with this fun spinning toy to play on. My five kids are on this as well as their three Walker cousins.

Our fourth beach was Lake Wilderness in Maple Valley. We went here with my brother Aaron's kids. They had fun looking at the lake while standing on a log.

There was a fun botanical garden to explore.

And of course a fun lake to wade in. Nathan went ahead and got soaked. Boys will be boys!

Our final beach to visit was Idlywood (same as the first). Laura's kids had fun playing in the water and sand with my kids. Melissa was turned into a mermaid.

Holly built a cute little sandcastle.

Megan got buried up to her head.

And all the kids rode around in their tubes and our raft in the lake. Holly was nice to pull them all.

Our highlight at Idlywood beach was seeing a Bald Eagle fly by and dip down into the water to catch a fish. It was like a real life version of the nature channel.

So come visit us during the summer and join us at a beach park. I'd be happy to share my beach blanket and umbrella with you. Friends make everything more fun. (: