Summer Road Trip - Day 3

 Monday morning we hit the road and drove the 4 hours down to Vancouver.  I told T that I felt as excited as a kid on Christmas morning!  When we hit the ferry terminal my heart was exploding with happiness.  I love this pic.  I spent my childhood waiting in line for the ferries.

 We had about an hour to kill and the kids had a blast at the playground in the terminal after our drive.

 Driving onto the ferries just brought back a flood of memories (honestly the entire trip did, day in and day out).  The ferries were so exciting for the kids.

 As we set sail my heart truly felt like it was home!  Amazing how you don't realize just how much you miss a place until you go back. 

 The weather was absolutely glorious and the wind was so warm.  It made it so fun to to soak in all the sights.

 

Two hours later we arrived in Naniamo and then drove the short drive to Parksville.  We booked an older motel (but incredibly well kept and updated) that was absolutely perfect.  We wanted to be sure that we got in all the beach time possible and being right on the shore's edge allowed for this.  

 We stayed on the second floor and the view when we walked in the door just took my breath away.  It was like we had walked into paradise!  Absolutely gorgeous.

 We loved how family friendly this place was.  Majority of the guests actually had multiple suites booked and had all of their family there.  Next time we need to bring more family!

 As soon as we unloaded we ran down to the beach to explore.  It was high tide so they just explored the edge of the beach. 

 It hit me at that moment that this was  their first time to set foot in the ocean (shameful it took so long!)

 Discovering crab claws pretty much was crazy exciting for JA!

 We walked down the boardwalk along the beach to the sand castle competition.  This year was a Hero and Villan theme and it couldn't have been more perfect for our boys.

 These sculptures were just so amazing.  This Batman/Joker won 1st place and was the boys favorite by far.

 

The kids felt like they had won the lottery when they discovered the incredible park right next to the sand sculptures.  We played here every single day.

 JA probably rode this zipline hundreds of times!

 As we walked back to the motel the sun started to set and I could hardly get over the beauty of it all.  One of those "pinch me is this real" moments.

 AL was so excited to find her first sand dollar!

 I cozied up on the bed and enjoyed the view from our door as the sunset in paradise!