Just like Colonial Williamsburg

 Last week my parents came to Virginia so we could go down to Williamsburg with them for the week. It was a fun and relaxing week, and the perfect way to end our summer vacation! (Plus, Sam came down for the first five days, which we loved!) We stayed at a great place that had a huge pool and they had a whole schedule of activities each day including movies, crafts, and airbrush tattoos. There was a great game room featuring giant playing cards for Go Fish, air hockey, ping pong, and a Wii with Mario Kart. We even had our own movie nights in our room, sharing Fantastic Mr. Fox with my parents.

 Of course we also did the touristy Williamsburg things like Jamestown Settlement, Yorktown Victory Center, and Colonial Williamsburg. We spent almost six hours at Colonial Williamsburg on a hot, muggy day. (We later learned that Williamsburg is the most humid place in Virginia, since it is so close to the water and is covered in swampy marshes.) My mom was in her element-- she's a total history buff-- and Bria was such a good sport tagging along all day. Of course this was made easier by her doting grandmother buying her little gifts, including a colonial bonnet. She got a couple piggy back rides from Papa, and we took plenty of breaks resting in the shade while my mom explored.

 Jamestown was a pretty cool place, where I learned the true story of Pocahontas (thanks for nothin', Disney). And we also toured replicas of the ships that brought the first colonists. Plenty of details about what it would be like to sail for five months across the Atlantic made me feel faint and then thank my lucky stars to have been born in the modern age. Also, I'm certain I would not have been tempted by an adventurous spirit to explore the New World. 

The last day we stopped at Yorktown Victory center on our way out-- the spot where the Revolutionary War ended. There was plenty to see at the replica farm. I was kind of in love with the display of homeopathic remedies (just below). It was a gorgeous setting, and Bria was mostly super patient, at least at the beginning, after what had been a long week of colonization. (And this was the first time we attempted a public outing sans stroller! She's officially grown up! Either that or I babied her way too long.)

After our last historical foray, we loaded up and set out for the three hour drive home. Bria slept mostly ok during the week, but the last night was a total bust, so she slept over half the car ride home slumped on my shoulder. Sweet thing.

Once we arrived home, we said our goodbyes, and my parents headed to a hotel for a good night's sleep before their flight early the next morning. Bria is definitely missing all the attention she got from her loving grandparents. Thanks for a great trip, Mom and Dad!

Westward Travel Part Three: La Fin!

Of course a family reunion has to include family pictures. One night we took a Cafe Rio picnic to Canyon Rim Park to see the McTree (that would be the McPhie tree). My parents started dating when they were juniors in high school, and they decided to plant a tree together before my dad left on his mission. The tree has been there for 39 years now, and it is fully grown! It's a beautiful tree. My dad told us the story of planting the tree, then we took some family pictures (which I just realized my brother took on his phone, so I don't have!).

 

 Later in the week we realized the pictures at the McTree were only of the kids and grandkids, so we took some more pictures in my parents backyard. (And this is where Sam's absence was so obvious, since he's the only one missing! I'm hoping we can at least photoshop his head in floating above us, possibly gazing down at us lovingly.) The whole family, the grandkids, the kids, the four grandchildren born in 2008. My how the original cast has grown!

Westward Travel Part Two

 Our other big outing was going to the botanic gardens one day. I wasn't sure how entertaining this would be for all the kids, but it turned out perfectly, with a little maze and some splash features. Bria was rather fond of her Uncle Scott, which is a wonderful development considering the first time they met (when she was 7 months old), she screamed in terror. My mom was in heaven the whole week with each of her eleven grandchildren around her. We got a great picture of her at the gardens with all the kids, only missing Drew, who was sick with a fever at home.

Other fun activities throughout the week were more mellow. In the mornings Bria helped Papa water the flowers (actually, she would water them at any available chance). My parents set up a giant teepee in the backyard. It was originally meant to be used for the grandkids to camp out, but that didn't turn out very well. It did, however, make an excellent play place during the day, functioning as a castle tower, a house, a cave, a spaceship, etc. My mom also had lots of fun activities for the kids like craft projects, a service project, and her playroom full of all the toys we played with when we were little.

I also loved spending one-on-one time with each of my siblings. My brother was also staying at my parents' house, and my sister Whitney was so generous to share her car with me for the week. She, Bria, and I had great times driving around SLC hitting up my favorite places (Blue Plate Diner and Caputo's). And the last day I was there, my Utah-dwelling sister Lindsay and I went to In N Out for lunch. It was so sad to separate Bria from Hunter, Abby, and Chloe after lunch, and I almost cried saying goodbye to Lindsay (right after Bria took a super flattering photo of us).
The longer I live out here, the farther Virginia seems from the West. I love to email, call, and skype with my siblings, but sometimes it just feels way too far.

Westward Travel Part One

Last month Bria and I made the trek out to Utah for a reunion with my family. Everyone was there except for Sam (I think my family is starting to wonder if he exists anymore), and we spent an awesome week packed with fun activities.

Bria was in heaven the whole time with her many cousins. She and Abby we two peas in a pod.

The best part of getting together with my family was all the late nights up chatting with my sisters, playing hearts with my brother (and whoever else we could rope in), and playing games with all the adults. Filling the adult conversation coffer was enough to balance out being a single parent for 10 days.

The first official day of the reunion, we went up to Snowbird. We spent all day doing the Alpine slide, the zipline, the tram, and bungee trampolines-- everything. It was awesome.

The next day we drove over to my Aunt Lolly's house to gather eggs from the chickens she keeps in her backyard. She has a lovely garden, and since I arrived first, she picked some fresh zucchini and pattypan squash for me. We enjoyed her gorgeous flowers and amazing view of the valley before everyone else arrived. Lolly gave us some instructions, and then each child went in to gather an egg.