Jamestown and the Water Park

About mid-way through our week in Williamsburg we were starting to feel good and really wanted to make the most of our time. So we decided to go over to Jamestown to see the original settlement and check out where Pocahontas and John Smith lived.

Jamestown was very different from Colonial Williamsburg in the sense that it isn't recreated. It is still being excavated and we actually did an archaeological tour (or at least most of us did). 

Owen got a little wiggly so he and I checked out the church

Statue of John Smith 

Looking out over the James River

Rock, paper, scissors is good just about everywhere! 

Pretty girl! 

Standing where the church was that Pocahontas got married in...very cool! 

After a long day touring Jamestown and driving through Yorktown the kids curled up and watched Pocahontas and Pocahontas 2! 

And it was a good thing we rested because the next day we were off to Water Country USA! I didn't take too many pictures for obvious reasons but we had a great time!

Cute girls...

Cute boys! 

Virginia Beach and Battleship Wisconsin

Our third day in Williamsburg we drove about an hour to Virginia Beach. It's weird because even living in FL almost 10 years I was never really a beach person. We went occasionally but it wasn't frequent so I was kind of surprised how happy I was to be there.

Both my girls really enjoyed the water

Even though the waves were a bit strong and the water a little cool

Owen was a little less thrilled about it

So he stuck mostly to the sand

After a couple of hours of play Mike wanted to see if he could find some oysters and lo and behold he did! 

It took everything in me to watch her eat three of these! And love it....

Savannah tried them and decided that she sides with me on the oyster issue

 Another thing Mike really wanted to do while we were in the area was to tour the Battleship Wisconsin. It was a first for us all and overall it was really cool. I was highly embarrassed that we were touring in our bathing suits, but it worked!

On the deck

Goofball! 

Kate is ordering military operation of some kind here! 

It was a long day and we were exhausted at the end of it but since we probably won't be back in the area anytime soon, I am glad we did it!

Papa T and Polly Come to Town!

A few days after getting back from our trip Papa T and Polly were on their way south from Ohio/Indiana and swung by for a visit! We haven't seen them in a long time so we were thrilled!

They weren't here long but they know how to have fun!

Owen begged Papa T to play almost every waking minute! 

Then Papa T blessed Mike by mowing the yard and giving everyone a turn to help! 

Even Polly wanted a turn! 

And no one lost a limb

 Then it was off to watch Owen at his swim lesson!

 And while at the pool I watched my dad climb a rock wall and do a back flip off the diving board! Then it was off to lunch and birthday shopping for Owen's early birthday present!

Papa T got him this really cool submarine 

And Polly got him this cross bow....which as it turned out entertained all of us! 

Polly also gave the girls a little money to spend and Kate got this amazing light up blanket and Savannah got the unicorn pillow pet in the background! Papa T got her one last Christmas and recently Hogan chewed a hole in it so we had to throw it away. She was so happy to have a replacement!

Sad for us the visit ended too soon! But we did manage to justify eating Krispy Kreme donuts the morning they left! It was a great visit! Thanks for coming!! 

Colonial Williamsburg and Bush Gardens

The first full day in Williamsburg we explored the Colonial city and the second day we went over to Busch Gardens. We were still sort of recovering from the DC part of our trip and the drive so those were shorter days but still super fun!

Goofiness at the Gift Shop! Man were those things pricy! Each hat and gun were priced about 30 bucks! 

Getting into character! 

Most of the kids....don't ask me about the pose Savannah has going on! 

These girls got along great....that is when Savannah was in a good mood! 

A couple days after our first visit, Mike and I went back alone to have dinner at one of the colonial taverns and we saw this! Wish the kids would have been able to see it too!

At Busch Gardens Grandma offered to take Kate for a while so Mike and I took Owen and Savannah on some of the smaller rides.

Both kids got really into the rides and Savannah was braver than I expected! 

The very last evening before we headed home, we went back out to Bush Gardens for some last minute fun!

What is more fun than slamming 5 people into a phone booth? 

I was trying to get a pic of them both but her face is priceless! 

Grandma and Owen were the only ones to brave the tea cups! I personally wanted to keep my dinner! 

Roman Rapids! We snuck Owen on just an inch shy of the height requirement!!! He was so excited! 

I think Grandpa John got the lions share of the water! 

We ended the night at closing riding the scary swings and Owen's hat flying off! It was so. much. fun.!

Washington DC

It just so happened that this summer the very week before our planned trip to Williamsburg VA, Mike had to be in DC for a couple of days for a work thing. It also just so happens that I have been bugging Mike and various other people in my life to take me to DC! I love love love history and was dying to go and see everything DC has to offer. So I schemed and Mike agreed to let us crash his trip! Yes!!! And it was pretty convenient since DC is just three hours away from Williamsburg.

So the kids and I drove to DC a day after Mike flew in and had the morning to ourselves. We decided to do the monuments by foot.

It was a bad idea.....especially in flip flops!

Their first ride on the Metro

Washington Monument

At the WWII Monument the girls decided to represent FL....Owen not so much

So he and I represented KY 

This was definitely our favorite monument....absolutely beautiful! 

Reflection Pool

Lincoln Monument

In the Metro Station waiting to go to the zoo...as you can tell the trains were loud

Look who we found at the zoo! 

And a couple of hours later, look who else we found! Uncle Keith bearing gifts for the kiddies! We had a great visit with him and Savannah cried when he had to get on a different train to head home! Precious! She's a great judge of character :) 

At this point I had a gigantic blister on one of my feet the kids were falling asleep standing up! We had to call it a day. The next day I wore tennis shoes! 

The Capitol 

U S Supreme Court

Ebenezer's Coffeehouse....A coffee house run by Mark Batterson's church in DC. A must stop for us as we have done a couple of his bible studies with our small group at church. 

First taxi ride....and first time drinking cokes from a glass bottle. They were all confused and Owen couldn't figure out why the lid didn't go back on! It was priceless :) 

Next up was Ford's Theater

And the Peterson House otherwise known as The House Where Lincoln Died. Tours of both of these places are on my to do list for the next trip! 

Long walk to the White House....must stop for pictures with Weiner Mobiles...it's a rule :) 

The White House

Major role reverse! Squirrel trying to touch Savannah rather than Savannah trying to touch the squirrel. Also, we have never seen squirrels so dark!  

Last two stops of the day were Natural History and Air and Space Museums!!

Natural History....we saw animals, mummies, the Hope diamond, and an Insect Exhibit

Air and Space....we weren't there long but there was one thing I really wanted to see! 

This baby! The Wright Brother's first plane! I definitely want to go back to the Air and Space because it was huge and looked amazing but we had a vacation to catch! So off we went. 

On the way out of town, we just happened to drive by Arlington National Cemetery so I snapped a couple shots. 

Not bad for just about 40 hours in DC! I can honestly say that my feet have never ever ever hurt worse than they did those two days and I was in foot, ankle, shin, and knee pain for about another day and a half after we left! But it was totally worth it!