Fall in VA

*Update--I left out one of my favorite pics...from Day Two...the one of Jacks so excited to wake up on vacation! :)

I almost gave up and didn't write about our vacation...but, I decided I'd thank myself later for having these fun memories recorded. So, here goes...

In late October, our little family headed to Williamsburg, VA for our first vacation with just the 3 of us. I wasn't sure if we would truly be able to relax with a 17-month-old in a totally new environment, but all my skepticism was proved wrong. Jackson l-o-v-e-d this trip from beginning to end, and we all had the best time. I was on cloud 9 being with my 2 boys. Don't think for one second that I took this for granted because I know just how blessed I am and also that I am completely undeserving. I praised God the entire time for these 2 boys I call my family and for the chance to have 7 days with just them.

Day One--Friday
Jackson's first plane ride! :)
I was incredibly nervous about how our flights would go. We got lots of good advice from friends and packed lots of "tricks" in our carry-ons. Little did we know, I was the one we needed to worry about. After arriving at IAH and unloading all of our luggage (with the help of a precious family who would not be the first God-sends on this trip), we realized that in our rush to jump on the shuttle bus I left my license behind. Kyle was able to experience what it would feel like to be on Amazing Race as he hopped a cab back to the parking area (and persuaded the driver to go at top speed), and $22 and 15 minutes later we were headed toward security with about 20 minutes to spare. Ha! We made it. From Houston to Atlanta, we were on a plane that had TV screens on the seat backs, so Jacks had a ball playing with the buttons. He kept saying, "OH Wow!" (which sounds a little more like "OHHH Owl!") and looking out the window at all the planes taking off. He did wonderfully on both flights, and everyone kept saying, "Your baby is so good." I don't know why that made me chuckle.

We got into Newport News, VA, around 8:30 pm. We were all starving and what better for the first meal of your vacation than a KFC/Taco Bell combo? Something for everyone! I don't think I have to tell you who ate at which restaurant.

After we checked in at the Williamsburg Plantation, we headed to our condo to check it out. Jackson was precious...like any kid on vacation. He was running back and forth across the condo laughing and squealing--so excited! It was too cute. We all crashed pretty early and somehow we all woke up in the same bed at 8:30. Nice.

These headphones + a few Sesame Street episodes downloaded to Kyle's iPhone were a miracle!

Day Two--Saturday--Colonial Williamsburg
We took it slow and headed out to play on the playground in front of our condo. Jacks loved seeing two little boys and chased them around. After he face planted coming off the slide and ate a nice pile of dirt, we decided to wash it down with some pancakes from a local restaurant--Old Mill Pancakes. Jacks had fun stacking the jelly packets and charming the older ladies sitting beside us. Thank goodness we always seemed to end up near people who loved children. We finished up breakfast and headed to WalMart to get some groceries. I was in awe of all the beautiful foliage and kept snapping pics and professing my love for the beautifully colored leaves. After some relaxing and hanging out around the condo, we headed to Colonial Williamsburg. We walked around and took in some of the sights before heading to New Towne to eat some yummy pizza. One of the neat things we got to experience was the playing of the fife and drum! We topped off the night by watching the Tigers beat Auburn. Geaux Tigers!! We could not get over how amazing Jacks was being and were so glad we made the decision to bring him along!

See what I mean? So excited! :)


A view of our condo from the playground


Jacks right after he face planted and--literally--ate dirt. Boys. :)


Notice his cheek is still scratched up from the face planting episode. Ha!


It's a love-hate relationship that my lil man has with lemons...so painful...yet so irresistible!


The foliage was beautiful everywhere, and I thought it made this shopping center look glorious.

This tree was near our condo.

Fife and Drum playing at Colonial Williamsburg.


More sights from Colonial Williamsburg...


The courthouse...


...and right in front...a very guilty Kyle!


Inside the bake shop




Happy little man


He was also always glad to get back to the condo. He loved hiding between this chair and the wall!


Day Three--Sunday--Busch Gardens
This day we headed to Busch Gardens. The weather was beautiful, and the park was amazing! J's favorites were the animal show and most of the kiddie rides. He was slightly terrified of carousels, which we found hilarious. Kyle was able to do some coaster riding before we left the park for nap time. We came up with a brilliant plan to grab lunch outside the park and then take a drive down the Colonial Parkway, where we saw the beautiful James river. We all ended up taking a nap in the parking lot. Sweet. After naps, Kyle took off for more coaster riding, and Jacks and I headed to see the Sesame Street 3D show. J loved it but wouldn't keep glasses on. Our night ended with the Sesame Street Character Dinner, which was one of the highlights of our trip! My, how things change when you are a parent. It was so fun to see Jacks have the time of his life. Literally. I think this was the best day of his life so far. The food was good, and the characters were wonderful. They paid a lot of special attention to Jacks. I'm pretty sure his favorite was Abby Cadabby, with "Melmo" being a close second. He did have a little trouble understanding that the characters had to talk to the other kiddos, too. Ha. He got a little upset when they walked away. Don't worry...Kyle walked him around the room stalking down different characters, never willing to not get his money's worth. Ha! A really funny moment happened when Grover came over to talk to Jacks, and he (J) backed up and sat down on the step next to our table. So Grover plopped down right beside him. :) After a few more rides, we called it a day and headed home to put Jacks to bed so we could watch The Holiday, one of my favorite movies.


Kyle was in heaven!


Watching the animal show...it was so cute!


Throwing the hay instead of posing for a picture! :)


It's funny how the things that would have bored you to tears five years ago become the thrill of your life when you get to see your lil one enjoy them! So much fun this dinky little ride was!


The theme park was beautiful!


I absolutely love this because it cracks me up every time I look at it! We are definitely two peas in a pod.


At the Sesame Street Dinner Show...meeting characters.


"Melmo!!" Boy, did Jackson LOVE Elmo!


...And Big Bird! He didn't want to come off the stage after having his picture made!


Day Four--Monday--Blue Ridge Parkway
This was they day we drove to Charlotsville, VA, to eat at Michie's Tavern and drive the Blue Ridge Parkway. All I can say about Michie's Tavern is it was the best food either of us have ever had in our life. Amazing. We ended up doing Mileposts 0-60 of the BRP, and it was absolutely gorgeous. We had so much fun just being together as a family and getting out at some of the stops. Jacks slept through a good portion of the drive, which worked out nicely. We definitely would like to see more of the BRP in the future!




Apple Cider!


A beautiful church next to a winery near the beginning of the Parkway


This was actually right outside Monticello (Thomas Jefferson's home), which we were going to tour...but decided not to due to the crankiness of our youngest member in that particular moment (without naming names, of course)


Foliage on the Parkway!!! Breathtaking!!!









See the stinging caterpillar he's looking at?? I know you people with girls would say the same thing, but everyone needs a BOY! It's just too much fun. :)






Covered Bridge...so cute



Day Five--Tuesday--More Colonial Williamsburg/College of Will & Mary/around town
We all kind of slept in and had a slow morning. It was cloudy and still wet from overnight rain, so we decided to find an indoor playground for J to play while we ate breakfast. Headed back to the New Towne shopping area for a little while before going back to the condo for naps. Notice we slept a lot on this vacation? It was so restful! In the afternoon, we headed back to Colonial Williamsburg and had a great time walking around some of the shops at the College of Wiliam and Mary and touring the colonial town again. J had fun running free. We visited the bake shop where I got some yummy hot apple cider and then watched part of a show by sneaking in again. I don't think I told you about the first time, but it was illegal and did happen by mistake. ;) We wrapped up our night with New York Deli for supper and dessert from a local ice cream shop called Handel's.

The shops at the College of Will and Mary were so quaint!


Can you see Jacks and Kyle? As soon as Jacks saw this group of teenagers that was running around, he started dying laughing and running toward them. He wanted to play! Ha!


Kyle and his cookies and cream shake.


Day Six--Wednesday--Historic Jamestown/Yorktown Battlefield and Riverwalk

This day we headed out to see the historic Jamestown and the Yorktown battlefield. It was so interesting to see the artifacts that have been uncovered from the sight. We took a lunch break to eat at the Old Chickahominy House, where Kyle enjoyed some chicken dumplings! After lunch, we headed to Yorktown. Touring the battlefield was very neat and emotional. I wasn't expecting the overwhelming rush of emotions that I would feel while standing on the very spot where our nation was born. Wow... After the tour we headed to the Riverwalk and enjoyed the view of the sunset on the beautiful York river. We had fun playing in the sand and just being silly. We then headed home to watch baseball and rest... and try to eat up some of our food that we had in the fridge and freezer. Kyle was so funny...He was bound and determined that we were going to eat up ALL of the food we bought. Ha! That's the Paw Paw Silvio in him coming out! ;)

The only structure still standing from the original settlement. All the other buildings have been reconstructed.


Inside the church. The tower (pictured above) is original; the church was rebuilt.


Statue of Captain John Smith. He's overlooking the James River, but the statue was actually intended to face the fort, showing Captain Smith watching over it. Prior to 1994, it was believed that the Settlement was lost...that it had sunk into the River. In 1994, an archaeologist discovered the remains of most of the original settlement on the land right next to the river. Only a piece of one of the three corners of the fort had been lost to the river. I guess you have to be somewhat of a nerd (like me) to find this humor in this. :)


Walking around the settlement. We didn't take one of the organized tours, opting to go at our own speed with Jacks. We actually would dart ahead of the big group if we saw them coming--ha!


Now onto the Yorktown Battlefield...Jacks and Kyle are standing in front of earthworks that were used in the Revolutionary War. Some of the earthworks were modified and used during the Civil War , but they date back to the RW.

Sunny!

We enjoyed our tour guide so much. We learned more about the RW from his brief talk than we did in any history class. It was neat! Jackson did wonderful...of course we had bubbles and Cheerios to help.


The Battlefield. There were deer everywhere! I didn't get a wide shot of the Battlefield, but it was so neat to see.


Weapons surrendered by the British...I got chills when I looked at them.



After our tour, we looked in the gift shop. Jacks loved this hat, haha.


From the Yorktown Riverwalk...

I told you he made us eat all the chicken nuggets!!!

No better place to rest than a pile of towels! If only they were warm from the dryer!

Day Seven--Thursday...Last Day :(
We slept till about 8:15 and decided to have breakfast and get packed up... Headed to clubhouse so Kyle could use the computer to check us in for our flight... J and I played on the playground and Daddy shot basketball ... J had fun playing and watching Kyle, too. We had a little more time to kill, so we hopped in the car and headed to Kidsburg, the coolest park ever...I don't even know how to describe it! The pics won't do it justice. It was a park that people in the community got together to build...all out of wood, tires, etc. SO NEAT! Kyle and I had just as much fun as Jacks did, ha!

Playground near the clubhouse

Shooting hoops! Learning to dribble.

Keeping his eye on the ball...love his expression.

I think this was right after he got smacked in the face with a ball.

So proud.

Kidsburg

Leave it to my boys to find another basketball court. :)

After that we headed back, got our luggage, and went on to the airport. Our trip home was not quite as smooth as our trip going to VA. It definitely was not because of Jacks, though. We were delayed in ATL for a LONG time due to the storms in Houston. We were tired but glad we were still all together hanging out. We finally made it home after a somewhat dramatic flight into Houston (weather weather weather). I was so glad to be on land. Whoo!

This trip was so much fun. It is definitely one of my favorite vacations we've taken. Can't wait for more with our litte man!