Turning Eight is GREAT!

Holden's birthday was extra special this year. Grandma and Grandpa Woolstenhulme and some of his Woolstenhulme cousins were here to help him celebrate.

A birthday won't be a birthday without a special birthday breakfast. Waffles, bacon, fried eggs, and tang were on Holden's menu.

After breakfast we headed off to spend the day at Six Flags. Here are Holden and Grandpa.

The big boys headed off with Aunt Liesa, Uncle Nathan, and Grandpa to go on some rollercoasters. Grandpa was most impressed with his ride on the Flashback.

Matthew, Tyler, Austin, and I headed over to Wiggles World and did some rides there. Look at Austin on the airplanes. How can you not love that face?

Tyler really liked all the characters and wanted to hug all of them. Matthew not so much, but he will go along with anything.

After Six Flags we headed over to Red Rose for some yummy yummy pizza. Family, fun, and food. What more do you need to make a birthday GREAT?

Dear Holden,

Today you are turning 8. What a year of big steps for you. In a few days you will be baptized and make your own covenant with God. And then in a few weeks you will start public school for the first time. While it makes me happy to see you grow and experience life; a little bit of my heart is sad that the time we have together is flying by so very fast.

I love being your mom. Your sweet gentle spirit adds so much to our family. At times I am amazed at the pureness of your heart. I am sure you were sent here to be an example to me and a reminder of what is truly important in life.

Happy Birthday my son! I wish you happiness and excitement as you take these big giant leaps this year.

Love,

Mom

Driving Home

Joe likes to drive. At least that is the excuse for never letting me drive. And I mean never. Matthew even asked him once if Daddies could sit in the front passenger seat. I, however, am not bothered by this at all. And this is the reason. When leaving Virginia at 6 pm and driving all night to get home, Joe drives and I sleep. I guess that is the price Joe has to pay for never letting me behind the wheel.

Here is a really cool tunnel we drove through on the way home. Of course there was a toll. In total we paid nearly $40 in tolls to drive home. The westerner in me HATES tolls.
Joe loves to document the trips home through pictures. But of course he has to take the pictures, because I don't do it right. Apparently, it is worth risking the life of your family for that perfect shot.
And here the boys are upon our arrival at 4 am.
It was a wonderful trip and we are so glad we got to go.

Note: I think that is important to mention that I also don't mind letting Joe drive all the time because he is a terrible back seat driver. I do love that man!

Jamestown

We also visited Jamestown, which is the site of the first permanent English settlement here in the United States of America. You all know the story of Jamestown; Pocahontas, John Smith, and John Rolfe.

This is a picture of the boys in front of the Jamestown Memorial. It is hidden behind the trees. It did surprise me how many memorials are big and tall and obelisk.
Here is a picture Joe took of the monument.

It was another really hot and humid day and we were really feeling it. Nicholas is in a really bad mood here and we are trying to talk him out of it.

Matthew and Holden are looking out over the River. Pretty much just looking for someplace to sit down.

The Colonial Highway is a stretch of road that connects Williamsburg, Yorktown, and Jamestown. It is so beautiful and we drove along it for a while.

At one point I noticed some strange movement on the side of the road, so we pulled over to check it out. There were hundreds of these little tiny crabs on the side of the road. They were really neat (and a little freaky.)

Yorktown

We also headed over to the sight of the Yorktown Battlefield. Which, in case you are not a huge history buff, was the last big battle of the Revolutionary War.

There were lots of cannons, both French and American.

We went on a tour of the battlefields. Our tour guide was a volunteer who was very knowledgeable and captivating. Perhaps more for Joe and I than for the boys.

We took the free trolly ride to see the monument and the City of Yorktown,

Toured the museum inside the Visitor Center.
And visited the gift store.
I think my favorite part was just looking at the River and imagining what it was like in 1781 when George Washington faced Cornwallis.

Colonial Williamsburg

We did eventually leave the timeshare to check out Colonial Williamsburg.

We thought about bringing one of these home for our new time out, but it won't fit in the car.

A "Joe" shot of an old fence.
Cannons like those used in the Revolutionary War.

Nicholas and I waiting for Joe to finish taking pictures. If Joe has his camera we are always waiting. It was so humid. I have never felt such humility.
All the employees dress up in period costume.
My boys with Thomas Jefferson.

Activities On Site

The resort had a lot of on site activities that we took advantage of during the week. There was a scavenger hunt where you explored the property and collected items and facts.A magic show preformed by Bill the Magician.

Mini Golf. Joe would like the record to show that he got a hole in one. This was a big hit and Matthew said it was his favorite part of the entire vacation.

Racquetball.



So much fun.

The Pool

We were at the pool at least twice a day. Well, really if you count the inside pool there was four pools. The resort even showed a movie at the pool one night that you could watch while you swim. The kids swam and swam. Joe and I swam a lot as well but we also liked to hang out by the pool to read and chill. Matthew mastered the art of chilling.

My view from pool side.
Aren't they all amazing looking.

Powhatan Resort

We got to the timeshare at Powhatan Resort really late Sunday night and fell into bed. We didn't get to see how beautiful the grounds were until the next morning.

Pretty much all we accomplished on Monday was to go to Costco and buy our food for the week.

And then we just hung out. This really was the perfect vacation for us. A lot of time to relax, chill, and be together. We Loved it. These are pictures of the timeshare.

The boys are hanging out on the balcony reading.

Reading on the bed.
And on the couch. I guess we like to read.
Joe's morning ritual; mate and journal writing. He brought it all with him of course.

Charles Town, West Virginia

After DC we drove to a hotel in Charles Town, West Virginia and spent the night at a Hotel there.

West Virginia is so green and lush. Just breath taking. We went to West Virginia because Joe's friend since birth, Rick LaMalfa lives there. We went to church with him and his family and then spent the day with them.

Here is the LaMalfa family Teresa, Lisa, Samantha, Deanna, and Rick.

We didn't take any pictures of them while we were there, so I stole this off of Rick's Facebook.