Maryland Visit 2014

So after our night in Williamsburg, Luke had to work Monday morning, so once the kids and I finally got up and packed we ate breakfast at the hotel- and the boys even got a private table where they could watch PBS while they ate their cereal- perfect!

We finally got on the road, and I planned to meet my mom at Luke's grandma's house so I could return the car I had been borrowing to the Deckers. It should have been about a 3 hour drive but we got stuck in traffic for an additional hour. It was nice to be able to visit with Grandma Martha, though it wasn't for long, and then I finally made it to my parents' house by 5 Monday night. Every day that week my dad and sister Julia would be at work until evening, and my sister Andrea would have band camp until 9, so it was nice to see everyone when they would get home each night. Julia was excited to show me new car she just got herself- very nice!

  On Tuesday morning I had a little time with Andrea before she left for camp so we went to the mall to activate my new pink iphone, shopped around a little bit and the boys got to play there too. The only thing I was sad about is that the Build-A-Bear I used to work at in the mall is no longer there! I couldn't believe it!

 The rest of the day it rained really hard so we just hung around the house; the boys had plenty of new toys to keep them occupied. Later that night, we got news that my mom's younger brother Rob had passed away. Even though we knew it was coming soon, it was sad for all of us to hear this news, and the girls and I did what we could to be there for my mom and help her put together a slideshow and things for his memorial.

The next day, Andrea and I drove by good old Hammond Elementary/Middle and went to the park behind the school.

 The boys got to play for awhile and I was also able to take some pictures of Andrea for her senior year. I'm by no means a professional, but I think some turned out pretty cute! These are a few of my favorites :)

I can't believe how fast Andrea's grown and that she'll already be a senior this year! And that she's already driving! It's weird to think that when I first went to college she was only headed into 1st grade, and now next year she'll already be headed to college and Jacob will be in 1st grade, hehe.

Later Wednesday afternoon I went to visit my best friend from high school Amy. I really thought that I was going to be able to meet her first baby, but he ended up being born one week after I visited her. I did bring her a homemade blanket that I made for her son though.

And even though I didn't get to meet Connor, I still had a great time visiting Amy, catching up, and finally seeing her cute house!

On Thursday me and my mom took the boys to Washington D.C. and they were pretty excited to take the metro there.

All Jacob had talked about before our trip was that he wanted to go see the White House so that was our first stop.

I know the kids don't seem that excited but they're still talking about how they got to see the White House where the President lives so I'm glad we got to do that.

We took a couple little stops to eat snacks, and then we ran into a little street market and grabbed some fresh peaches. 

Then Grandma found a McDonalds cart and was nice enough to get the boys and us a quick lunch too.

 

Then we finally made it to the Air and Space Museum where the boys were excited to see all the many planes!We got to look inside a lot of them too, but the boys were disappointed they couldn't sit in the cockpit, ha.

 

My mom's next children's book is about a boy who has a younger brother and also wants to be an astronaut, so we thought it fitting to get some pictures with her grandsons that she can send in to her publishers.

The boys loved all the planes, and the kids section with lots of fun stuff for them to play with too.We stayed until they were hungry and felt a little worn out.

After the museum on our way home we stepped out onto the mall to get a quick view of the Capital and Washington Monument. Jacob liked seeing all the cool buildings, and I still do too!

It had been such a beautiful day to get out and show the boys around DC! Jacob fell asleep on the metro ride home but Blake was just happy as could be riding the train. It was a fun filled day!

On Friday, we drove by our first house in Maryland and my mom and I were surprised to see the current owners have an interesting taste in lawn decor. Then we took the boys to a park I used to love going to as a child, and had a little picnic. (Note Blake with sandwich in his mouth.)  

The park I had remembered had completely been remodeled but at least they still seem to be known for crazy long slides.

Both the boys went down the huge slides, I couldn't believe Blake did it too, but they loved it, and Blake was so funny to watch! And Jacob said that it was so awesome!

After the playground I was excited to take them on the long train ride that runs through the woods but unfortunately the last ride derailed so it was closed for the rest of the day. So the boys and I went for a ride on the carousel.

Afterwards Grandma again treated the boys with some ice cream. It was another beautiful day- it wasn't even humid, it was great! On our way home, since we weren't far we drove by the temple on the way home so I could show the boys where their parents got married.

I love seeing my temple, and it was just a few weeks shy of our 8 year anniversary, so it was neat timing. We showed the boys the Visitor Center briefly as well and then headed home.  That night, after having some pizza, we headed over to Andrea's high school to watch their band performance after 2 weeks practice of Band Camp.

Andrea did really well, and it was fun to finally get out and do something together as a family since I had spent time with everyone, just at different times. Other nights this week Julia and I went shopping, got ice cream, decorated the back patio with lights, and just watched shows together too. Since Friday was my last night, Julia went out to the movies to go see The Giver, which we both really liked especially since we had had the book, and then us three girls stayed up late and chatted that night. I had such a fun time hanging out with my sisters throughout the week!

We didn't have a ton of time on Saturday since our flight was late afternoon, but after I got us packed we all took the boys to a park to play and have lunch and from there I said goodbye to my sisters and my parents dropped us off at the airport.

I always get a little sad when I say goodbye to my family! I always wish there was a way we could be closer but I know I'm lucky I've gotten to see my family a couple times this year. We had a great visit, beautiful weather, and we made the most of the time we had. The boys love spending time with their grandparents and their aunts and I know the boys had a fun time as well! Until next time!

A weekend through Virginia

After we took off from the beach, we headed through Virginia for the weekend. Our first stop was to Norfolk to visit my first college roommate Megan, her husband, and her sweet two year old Sophia.

I was lucky to be able to visit Megan back in December when Luke and I took a quick weekend trip to Williamsburg, so it was great to catch up with her after not seeing her for about 7 years! And it was great to see her again only 8 months later and for our kids to finally meet too! Luke had some errands to run when we first got in so Megan and I took our kids to the park for awhile and it was cute seeing them play together, especially Blake and Sophia.

 Later that night, Megan made us a great dinner at their house, the kids got to play and watch shows, and then we all spent the night there. Which was nice because once our kids went to bed Megan and I were able to stay up and talk, which is always a good time! The next day we went to church together, but Blake started running a fever so we left after the first hour and came back to gather our things before heading out. We tried to get a picture with the kids but they were all being a little silly.

 Then Sophia wanted me to take a picture of her pretty nails, haha she was so cute. The boys liked her too and gave her a big hug good bye!

Then it was time for me to say goodbye to Megan! It's always so great catching up with her and she was a wonderful host for the day, we had a great visit! I still wish we lived closer but I'm always grateful when we get the chance to visit, and hopefully it's not long before we see each other again!

After we left Norfolk, we headed to Williamsburg where Luke would be working the next week doing an audit, so we briefly checked into his hotel and then headed up to Richmond to watch the Redskins Training Camp Walk-Through for the afternoon. The boys had already gotten some Redskins souvenirs, these adorable fat Redskins players, which they loved and we brilliantly named them RG3PO and RG32 to represent their love for RGIII and Star Wars at the same time!

 The boys were pretty excited to be there and it was a fun thing to do as a family on a beautiful day!

 The boys getting some pictures "next to" DeSean Jackson, and their favorite Robert Griffin III.

  Although it was a free event, there was plenty of space to casually watch from a really close view.

 Luke thought it was fun watching them do some plays and seeing some of his favorite players and how they interacted up close.

 Poor Blake was still feeling a little sick but we had a fun, relaxing time.

 After they were done with their practice, a lot of players came up to sign autographs and things.

We didn't have anything signed, but Jacob did get to go up with some other kids to meet some players. He didn't really know what he was doing, but it was still cool for him.

On our way out we browsed the shop seeing if we wanted to get any souvenirs. Jacob really wanted a helmet, so we tried to compromise with a hat. I also found a cute one I kind of liked. 

 

But in the end we just settled for some foam fingers for the kids. Later in the trip I did find Jacob a RG3 jersey, so that will fit him for awhile. We also got some free stickers and Redskin bags so that was cool too.

 

Anyway, it was a neat experience and something fun and easy for all of us to enjoy.  Later that night Luke's team flew in so we did dinner together with them and the next morning I would head off to visit my family in Maryland for the week while Luke stayed in Williamsburg to work. We were glad to end our visit with Luke doing something fun!