BLOMPS Beach 2019

25 people + 1 house + loud + crazy + love + chaos + fun = BLOMPS Beach Week 2019.

(Thank you so much, Blanchard Designs, for creating this year's shirts)

We visited a new beach, stayed in a new house, and absolutely LOVED our time in Topsail Beach, North Carolina. So much so that we have already re-booked the exact same house for next summer!

We soaked up more memories than swim diapers did sand, which I call a win. :) 

And here, in this little space o' mine, I wanted to share *some* of the memory-filled fun we shared with our BLOMPS family together last week. Photo overload starts....now. 

We stayed in a beautiful home on the beach that had it's own pool, a game-changer when you have a house full of kiddos (with my Banks, age 9, being the oldest!). And this will forever be known as the house where Harrison, and his cousin Wilson, both learned to swim! 

While the second part of the day was usually spent in the pool, the first half was spent doing everything beach. And I mean EVERYTHING: boogie boarding, sand castle making, Tidal Ball and Bucket Ball playing, water ballooning, beach (and drone!) fishing, sun tanning, baseball playing, football throwing, book reading, picnicking, shark tooth hunting, beach walking, etc. We did a little bit o' everything and got in as many beach hours as we possibly could! The Beach = My Happy Place. 

It was also so fun to spend the 4th of July on the beach! We all rocked our red, white, and blue, put on a great, Patriotic Pandora station, and just had the best day on the beach all day long! 

We had beautiful weather pretty much everyday, but one day, there was an afternoon storm, during which the kids napped and I got to lie on the porch swing underneath the house and read and doze and it was just heavenly. And when the rain persisted and the kids woke, or they awoke too early to hit the beach, or the days were ending and bedtime had not yet arrived, there was still plenty of fun to be had indoors. 

We also spent one morning putt-putting and then having ice creaming at the cutest little local shop, that had it's own big screen playing a movie. So, we cooled off and ate ice cream and watched part of the movie before venturing next door for a few beach souvenirs. :) 

And while our days were spent playing with allllllll the kiddos, we managed PLENTY of grown-up fun, too, usually after the littles were tucked in their beds! There was the annual tradition of Catch Phrase - always controversial ;) - as well as the addition of a few new games. And the beach house had it's own fire pit, which served as the favorite gathering place for us grown-ups several nights. 

One special new tradition was introduced by the newest member of BLOMPS Beach week, who hand drew a treasure map (complete with Bible verses on the back) for the kids to discover. It lead them on a treasure hunt down the beach, where X marked the spot. Each cousin, with a shovel in hand, helped to un-bury a real live treasure chest. When opened, they discovered a mountain of treasures - from candy and bracelets to toys and tattoos. They LOVED it! We all did! 

Family is just so incredibly important, and I loved soaking up time with each of my brothers and sisters, nieces and nephews, parents and Lu Crew. 

Although it is hard to leave BLOMPS Beach Week behind, I am already so excited for next year, when we will reunite in the same house on the same beach with the same people we adore - our BLOMPS family.