Williamsburg, Jamestown, Yorktown, and Virginia Beach

After the depressing news that our Outer Banks vacation was out of the question, we changed plans and last Tuesday headed off for Williamsburg, VA. Rain was in the forecast but nothing was stopping us! We were gonna get our vacation- rain or shine! And what an awesome vacation we ended up getting. The rain kept us indoors on Tuesday- which was fine cause our place in Williamsburg was pretty sweet with tons of stuff to see and do. And the kids were just having a blast kickin it together!

Morning cartoons in bed!

With Spencer and Stacy as our chefs, we ate like kings and queens for 3 solid days. Seriously, every meal was incredible! And an added plus was having 2 other adults with tons of tricks up their sleeves to get Madi and Elle to actually eat their food. Dinner time is always a stress for me and I get so annoyed when we're with company and my girls won't eat the delicious food that's been prepared. Stacy and Scott were amazing though- the "Boom" game still continues to be a hit with my girls. Thanks guys!

Wednesday morning we hit up Colonial Williamsburg. It was fun just to be down there and get a feel for life back then.

We lasted about an hour before the rain started- at first it was a light sprinkle which didn't slow us down, but what followed was a torrential downpour!! We ran for cover and stayed put until it had pretty much stopped. By then it was nap time though, so we headed back.

Of course as soon as we got back the sun was shinning and it was hot! So while Elle and Weston snoozed, Spencer, Stacy, and I headed off with Madi and Owen for some swimming. Scott was a good sport and stayed back to man the house!

Thursday morning we headed over to the Jamestown Settlement. Last year we went to Jamestown and drove around, but never went through the actual museum there. But I'm so glad that we did this time- it's incredible and very fascinating! The indoor exhibits were awesome and super interesting. I really would have liked to take more time to read through everything, but with 2 two year olds and 2 four year olds in tow we were forced to move at a much quicker pace. They liked the outdoor/hands-on stuff much better.

Thursday afternoon we went to the Yorktown Victory Center.

After the museum closed we headed over to the beach there in Yorktown. My girls have been begging to go to the beach for months now, so they were instantly in paradise!

I thought it was hilarious how each kid set up their own sand castle building area.

We stayed for about an hour and a half, then rinsed off, went out for ice cream, and headed back for dinner!

Friday morning we had to check-out. So we packed up all our stuff and were on the road, headed to Virginia beach by 10am! We knew we wanted to go to the beach, but we wanted to make sure we had some beautiful weather. Thankfully we totally lucked out and couldn't have asked for anything better! It really was the perfect day- just what I needed.

It was super hard for me to leave- one good day at the beach just wasn't enough. Good thing in just one month we'll be living only a 15 minute drive from the beach!!!

1st Day of School

* Disclaimer: Lots and lots of details in this post. It's purely for my record of Madi at this stage. But the title sums it all up- so for the majority of you readers, just enjoy the couple of pictures.

Today was Madi's first day of "real" pre-school. I'm not sure who was more excited- me or her! I've been looking forward to this day since we finished our preschool co-op in May. Madi is just such a structured kid and would love to be in school all day everyday if she could. I tried playing "school" every morning at home, but it's hard to keep up such a strict schedule. We've really been struggling with Madi and behavior this summer, and I've been at a loss as to what to do about it. Then the other day Spencer had an epiphany- we figured her crazy, argumentative, sassy, unruly behavior must have something to do with her not being in school. I realized the trouble started right around the beginning of May and has lasted all summer long. I have high hopes that starting back into school will help get things turned around- cause right now, age 4 is my least favorite age!

The morning started out perfect! Madi was excited- she ate extra fast at breakfast, requested to take a bath after eating, then quickly dressed and didn't argue about me fixing her hair. She was a little worried about not knowing all of her numbers (she sometimes gets 2 and 5 mixed up), but other than that she was feeling great and ready to go! Spencer had given her a father's blessing before he left for the airport on Saturday, which I think really helped to calm her nerves. She'd picked out a new "first day of school outfit" awhile back and just got a new backpack on Saturday!

We got to her school a little before 9am and as we weaved our way through the parent crowded hallway I started to get a little choked up- not the "my baby's so old and finally going to school" kind of choked up, but the thrill, excitement, and newness of "back to school" choked up. I absolutely love the beginning of a new school year and it truthfully makes me miss teaching a ton. We met Madi's 2 teachers- super cute and friendly, gave big hugs to Madi, and then were on our way!

Elle and I lived up the morning. We first made Target returns and then per Elle's request, went for a walk around the lake at the Rio. It was a gorgeous morning and I think this walk is going to become a regular morning occurrence for Elle and I. Then we headed home for snacks and to clean up from our crazy morning. Elle was an absolute angel (as she always is when we're one on one) and I was loved every minute of our morning alone together.

At 11:15am we headed back to the school for 11:30 pick-up. I was anxious to see Madi's excited face and hear about all the fun she had. But when I picked her up she didn't seem very happy at all. I asked her what was wrong and she whispered in my ear about the picture she'd drawn and how she wanted to take it home with her. Her teacher let me look at it, telling Madi that she was going to hang it in the hall for everyone to see- reassuring Madi that she could take it home in a couple of days. Didn't help though- Madi was still bugged about it. Once we got to the car I continued to ask about the day- what she did, who she played with, what they had for snack. Madi still seemed really let down. She told me how they didn't do any math, she didn't make any new friends (she did say she played with Owen- so glad they lucked out being in the same class, but I've got to work with her on being more outgoing and meeting new friends), and she couldn't take her picture home! Darn, I was crushed. I was hoping for a better response from the first day of school. But then as the afternoon went on I continued to probe and was glad to hear that in response to my daily question of, "what was your favorite part of the day" she immediately answered, "going to school." She also ranked it a 10 on a scale of 1-10 (not sure if she completely understood what giving a 10 meant, but I'm taking it as a positive). I really think Madi was just bummed not to do more "learning" (math, letters, putting words together, etc). I know what the beginning of the school year is like and I'm sure Madi wasn't the biggest fan of all the waiting, listening, sharing, taking turns, etc- which is one of the very reasons I want her in school right now! I'm sure she was quiet (she did tell me how she didn't talk cause the teacher told them not to) and didn't speak her mind like she usually does.

Regardless of how school went, I was mostly interested to see if it would change how Madi acted in the afternoon. And basically, it was the best afternoon I've had in a long time! Madi was awesome- she washed the kitchen table and chairs, mopped the floor, dusted, picked up toys, and played great with Elle. Not sure if any of it was due to the cat nap she took around 1:45- I was taking a nap in my room, while she was having her quiet time. I woke up at 2pm and realized it was quieter than normal, so I went into Madi's room and found her fast asleep in bed. She's just like her mama and does really well when she gets a quick power nap- sometimes just 10-15 minutes does the trick. Oh, and I also reinstituted the m&m jar today, which I think was a huge factor of her wanting to do so many jobs. But whatever it was- I was a very happy mom today!! Yay for beginning of new school years!!!

Here we go again!

We dropped Spencer off at the airport this afternoon and said our goodbyes- again (and of course, I cried- again) knowing that this time it's gonna be almost 5 weeks till we're reunited. This will be the longest separation to date. I'm feeling anxious, overwhelmed, and emotional, while also excited and empowered. I've never packed ourselves before. Spencer did everything when we moved from Pleasant Grove (I was teaching full-time while he'd just graduated), then my mom and Spencer pretty much did everything when we moved from Burbank (I'd just had a new baby), and my mom took over again when we moved out of here the first time (Spencer was in the thick of Bar preparation and I was- well, inexperienced)! But now I have no choice. Ya, my mom and dad will be out here at the very end to help, but the majority of the packing this time is gonna be all me! Luckily, we got back last night (had a fabulous time in Williamsburg- post coming soon) so I had Spencer's help today. We mostly just did pictures (something I don't like to do till the very end, but I have a feeling staring at blank walls everyday will motivate me with the packing), but we also got a couple of other boxes finished and taped up. I've got a good packing plan to hopefully keep me on track (I hate the crazy rush at the end)- only 23 days till moving day! But we're mostly looking forward to the even bigger countdown- 32 days till we see Spencer again. It's gonna be tough, but I know the girls and I can do it. I have to admit, I do feel like Supermom when it's just me and I have to do it all. It forces me to be on the top of my game. But we're definitely gonna be missing Spencer. I love the pictures he always leaves on Madi's white board- here's our little family (growing a little bit bigger:), anxious to be reunited on October 12th!!

Change of plans

Back in July- before we knew we were going to move, before life got especially crazy, before we were thinking about hurricanes, we planned a trip to the Outer Banks. Spencer and I had been wanting to get away with the girls. So we, along with some other friends, booked a gorgeous 6 bedroom beach house in Avon, NC (on Hatteras Island) for the week of Labor Day. We were beyond excited. We'd planned out our meals for week, the outings we wanted to go on, daily crafts for the kids, and nightly activities for everyone. But then Hurricane Irene made landfall directly on Hatteras Island. We were hopeful at first, but then completely crushed when we saw pictures of Highway 12 . . . all in pieces. The home was ok, but there was no way to get to it! But I really have to stop there cause I don't want to further depress myself by talking about it anymore. Since our fabulous vacation was now out of the picture, and Spencer was still flying in Saturday morning for the week, we were racking our brains as to what to do instead. Spencer suggested Williamsburg, VA and I quickly got on to check out the availability at my parents timeshare to find that there was one unit left for the days we wanted to go. So I booked it! It may not be a week on the sandy beaches of North Carolina, but we're excited and we're looking forward to a fabulous three day vacation!

Since we don't leave until tomorrow, we got to spend some much needed family time here at home the past 2 days. The girls were bursting with excitement Saturday morning when we got to the airport to pick up Spencer- you would have thought it was Christmas morning. We spent a lazy day here at home. On Sunday we went to the temple and spent some time walking around the temple grounds and visitors center.

Then today we hit up Homestead Farms for our annual apple picking! I was so glad that Spencer got to join us for this. It really is beautiful out there in the country. The girls loved every minute of it- especially the animals. At first the cow was laying down but later he got up and we were able to feed it a bunch of grass. We also pet the sheep and goats and saw chickens, a turkey, and ducks.

After hanging out with the animals we headed out to the fields.

Madi was a great apple picker.

Elle was a great apple taster!

We didn't get a ton of apples- I have no plans of doing anything fancy with them - but we will definitely enjoy eating them! The apples (fuji and honey crisp) are DE-LIC-IOUS!! I've always been an apple lover and having my bottom fridge drawer stocked with apples makes me oh so very happy! By the end of picking, both girls were exhausted, leaving Spencer with the lovely job of hauling girls and apples back to the car.

This is one thing I'm definitely going to miss doing next year. I love everything about the fall on the east coast, but apple picking is one of my favorites!

Mornings with Samantha

Today was our last morning with Samantha. Crazy to think that she's been a part of our mornings for 7 months now. It's been fun watching her "grow-up" and see her little personality develop. We sure are going to miss her! We love you Samantha!