Our mini vacation

I need to back up a little. 
I have a problem and it goes like this:
I take a lot of pictures, we go somewhere fun, we do something different, I want to write it all down.  We come home, I take more pictures, we do more fun things, I want to write it down. The actual 'writing it down' part just all depends on bedtimes, and the 'flow,' and...mostly bedtime.  Then I start blogging from the latest thing that happened, forgetting all those fun things before.
I do this a lot.
So I'm backing up to the beginning of May, right after Isabella's birthday and first ballet recital and our quick trip to the beach.

Ryan's mom and sister had booked a time share for an event they needed to go to at Virginia Beach. They only needed the place for the weekend, so she kindly offered it to us for the remainder of the week. And we gladly accepted.  Ryan couldn't go because of some prior work commitments, so mom took some vacation days and early monday morning we headed to the beach. 

Do they actually sell these things? Because if so, I think I need one.

It was a quick trip, but a relaxing one. We got to spend a lot of time with Genivieve and Zoey, the kids got to play in the sand for hours, splash in the (cold, cold) waves, walk along the boardwalk, buy hermit crabs, and play at the Norfolk Botanical Gardens (of which I am eternally jealous that we don't have....).  A trip away is a trip away, and it is always a good thing.

Quinn has been to the beach many times, granted all of those times she was too small to remember.  Upon this beach visit, her first as a toddler, she rejected the sand and the thought of any of it touching her. She sat in mom's lap for awhile, then transisitioned to the beach towel next to her--careful still not to touch any sand and demanded it be swept from her towel if any blew in her direction, and then within about ten minutes, touched it with her hands, then her feet, and before we knew it, she and the sand were good buddies again.

Very soon a new little cousin will be born, the 'now baby' will turn one, and the 'used to be baby' will turn two.  This is all just very fun.

Mid-week the storms came in and we spent one entire day watching the rain pour from the sky. There were a few breaks in there, just enough to scoot Declan out the door to exude some energy and run back in before the next rain cloud. But we were able to spend that day at Genivieve's house and it was exactly what I envision when I'm sitting at home, in the rain, with my kids.  So many times when we're cooped up in the house, I'll call Gen and we talk about being "cooped up in the house" and I wish that three hours did not separate us. Because let's face it, being stuck in the house all day is way better when you can be stuck with you sister and niece....well, at least that's how I feel....

On our last day there, we wanted to visit the botanical gardens.  We had high expectations, but they were exceeded, by far.  The weather was perfect, the gardens and paths absolutely gorgeous, the children's area--amazing, and like I said earlier, if we had a place like that around here, you'd always know where to find us....

                                  22 months....has never fallen asleep in a stroller....until now

There was some sentiment there too. Close to thirty years ago, my parents got married in these gardens.  Simple, beautiful...a time when we were only a thought (well, I'd like to think we were all a thought...).  Although they are not together anymore, we all began in this place.  As we walked the paths with our mom and our babies, Gen and I talked about our parents getting married in this place.  This was their beginning and so much of their future was right around us, where they started.

 
I am so thankful for Ryan's mom for affording us this reprieve. It was relaxing, it was fun, and if nothing else (although, the trip was far from 'nothing else'), my kids found their new favorite toy.  I should have known.