The Kiefer Crew: "Relaxing" weekend at Whidbey

Is it possible to go out of town for a little getaway and have it be entirely relaxing and chaotic at the same time? That's how our weekend at Whidbey Island was these past few days. Alex & Courtney Tucker had a few families/couples to their family "cabin" and we had the best time. There was no TV so we found lots of other ways to keep ourselves busy (well, there were DVD's for those moments we needed the kids out of our hair). It felt like a true vacation and was very relaxing & calming yet at the same time 5 kids under the age of 6 will bring a certain amount of chaos to the vaca.

The weekend was full of beach time, drinks, crabbing, fishing, drinks, digging in the sand, swinging, food, poker, many more drinks, and lots of laughter. It seemed like the time flew by but yet we fit in as much activity as possible. The kids loved going out to the tide flats and digging for sand shrimp (to be used as bait for fishing). We were all sinking in the sand up to our knees. The fishing was probably the highlight of Ragen's trip because he's been waiting patiently to use his new Superman fishing pole for 2 weeks. He was the only one to catch a "fish" but I think they all enjoyed trying. The funny thing is when my dad asked him how big his fish was, Ragen smiled big and held his hands out at least 18" apart (like a true fisherman!) and I was right behind him smiling just as big with my hands out about 4". Madison & Ragen had a sleepover in our room both nights but poor Mads got banished to a seperate bed instead of sleeping in the same bed as Ragen. What's wrong with him?! Maggie was in heaven keeping up with the big kids and getting as dirty as possible. She became a big fan of dogs thanks to Tucker's dog Diesel and Mike Berg & Elizabeth's dog Callie. The kids played hard all day, went to bed late and best of all - slept in! Ragen actually slept til 8:30 Saturday and was the last kid up!

Once the kiddos were in bed, there was plenty of adult fun too. We played poker til the wee hours and the veteran players were kind enough to remain patient with us newbies. I love the game though! We laughed alot, played alot and spent a memorable weekend with great friends. Thank you so much to the Tucker's for having us and we look forward to next year!

Getting ready to collect the crab pots

Jeremy, Gabe & Alex brave the open water with the 5 kids

Alex decided it'd be a good idea to push the raft out so it was floating but didn't realize they couldn't get back so he had to jump in fully clothed.