At the end of July we finally we made it back to Virginia! I didn't find out until about 2 weeks before our trip that we would actually make it so I was thrilled. We stayed with my good friend Wendy and her family in Virginia Beach and had a wonderful time reconnecting. It was so nice to get out of the Arizona heat for a change and be back near our old stomping grounds. Kaitlyn and Emma got along so well, I was very pleasantly surprised at just how much they have grown and picked up right where they left off 2 years ago. Camden enjoyed meeting Emma too and still talks about her. We also got to meet baby Lola whom we rarely get to see pictures of (hint, hint Wendy :) ) and boy , was she the cutest and happiest baby I've ever been around. I'm quite jealous. All around it was my favorite vacation because I have been missing Virginia and it was so nice to have a good friend to talk to. Hopefully we didn't overstay our welcome being there so long. Thank you Wendy and Jeb for your amazing hospitality!!
Our first sights down at the boardwalk.
Camden fell asleep about 10 minutes prior to landing in Atlanta. The nap didn't last too long but I had to snap a picture to show just how cute he looked.
We used to fly home about every 6 months for about 6 years while living in Hawaii and Virginia Since we've been grounded for about 2 years this was exciting for the kids to ride an airplane.
Camden actually did quite well. He stayed in his seat and was really excited.
A giant crab.
Playing in the sand at the beach.
King Neptune.
Fish statues near the boardwalk.
Getting a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean.
Testing out the waters for the first time.
Picking up Emma from her Art Camp.
Seeing just how the waves work.
Relaxing on the beach. What a nice clean beach and such soft sand.
Emma and her baby sister Lola.
An evening dip in the ocean was so much fun.
Camden didn't like the sand on his feet after getting out of the water. They both had sand all up and down their bathing suits too. We aren't used to the beach so it took some getting used to.
A lovely sunset.
Hiking up his shorts which are always falling down.
Riding the waves and having a blast. They came pretty quickly but were not too big or forceful.
Some down-time at the mall.
The big whale at the mall.
An ocean themed play area was pretty neat.
Riding the two-story carousel at the mall, we've never seen one of those before.
Late night ice cream break after our dip in the ocean.
Baby Lola surviving our muggy trip to the park.
Camden loved this little claw, he wanted to take it everywhere and called it his "weapon."
Kaitlyn and Emma in the front yard on the disk swing.
Weeee, how much fun is this? Sorry kids, we can't have one in Arizona the trees aren't tall enough.
Even mommy gets in on the fun.
Cape Henry Lighthouse.
The view from the top of the light house of Fort Story where the lighthouse sits.
Mommy and Kaitlyn enjoying the view. Poor Camden had to get left at the bottom, strict rules.
Posing in front of the lighthouse.
The view from the top of a park called "Mount Trashmore" because it used to be a landfill.
Scoring a few small shells.
All Camden wanted to do was to run in and out of the water with the waves chasing him.
How cute is Lola? Looks just like her dad.
Wendy, Jeb and Lola at Fort Story.
More lighthouse photos.
Kaitlyn at her old stomping grounds in Richmond Virginia with our old friends and neighbors Bryce and Jason. I could not get good pictures of them because they were being so goofy :)
Our favorite past time when we lived in Richmond was to ride the train at Short Pump. We managed to get on the last train for the evening so that was a major bonus! We had dinner with our friends and neighbors Jim and Jenny and Margaret and her girls Anna and Rebecca. We had ice cream after and even got to see part of a movie that was showing on the lawn. It was a perfect evening. I really miss that mall. We don't have anything like it here. I wish we could've stayed another couple of days in Richmond .
Meeting little Ali for the first time. Ali lives next door to our old house. The kids always loved Scott and Alexis' dogs looking out the window when we would come home. I did not get a photo of Anna and Rebecca either, the girls next door who always played with Kaitlyn and were so good with her. Thanks you guys. It was so great to see you all. We miss the old days when we sat out front in our lawn chairs while the kids played in the culdesac. That never happens in our new neighborhood so it was really fun to do that again.
Outside our old house, hasn't changed much but the kids are 2 years older. Jenny kept joking that I should knock on the door and ask to see the inside. I'm sure they wouldn't be too inviting since we left them a bat problem (well not entirely our fault). I would rather remember it the way it was since we had so many fond memories in that house. I miss sitting out on the porch and seeing the leaves change colors in the fall. I know Caesar doesn't miss having to pick up all the pine needles.
Back to Virginia Beach before coming home. Our wagon ride at "spider park". I have to admit it was pretty humid but I didn't mind so much.
Trees! What a concept.
Emma trying out Camden's eye patch.
Kaitlyn even says, "Argh."
Well, the picture doesn't exactly show it but prior to this, we had quite an event at the hotel. Upon checking in, Camden managed to get his left arm stuck/wedged between the two sliding glass doors. I panicked and screamed and fortunately the men at the hotel knew how to pop the glass off the track to get him unstuck. He cried for a while and it left a good bruise. It's a good thing the folks at Best Western had cookies in lobby to calm him down. So he got a special pirate toy that night to take his mind off the excitement.
Our first sights down at the boardwalk.
Camden fell asleep about 10 minutes prior to landing in Atlanta. The nap didn't last too long but I had to snap a picture to show just how cute he looked.
We used to fly home about every 6 months for about 6 years while living in Hawaii and Virginia Since we've been grounded for about 2 years this was exciting for the kids to ride an airplane.
Camden actually did quite well. He stayed in his seat and was really excited.
A giant crab.
Playing in the sand at the beach.
King Neptune.
Fish statues near the boardwalk.
Getting a glimpse of the Atlantic Ocean.
Testing out the waters for the first time.
Picking up Emma from her Art Camp.
Seeing just how the waves work.
Relaxing on the beach. What a nice clean beach and such soft sand.
Emma and her baby sister Lola.
An evening dip in the ocean was so much fun.
Camden didn't like the sand on his feet after getting out of the water. They both had sand all up and down their bathing suits too. We aren't used to the beach so it took some getting used to.
A lovely sunset.
Hiking up his shorts which are always falling down.
Riding the waves and having a blast. They came pretty quickly but were not too big or forceful.
Some down-time at the mall.
The big whale at the mall.
An ocean themed play area was pretty neat.
Riding the two-story carousel at the mall, we've never seen one of those before.
Late night ice cream break after our dip in the ocean.
Baby Lola surviving our muggy trip to the park.
Camden loved this little claw, he wanted to take it everywhere and called it his "weapon."
Kaitlyn and Emma in the front yard on the disk swing.
Weeee, how much fun is this? Sorry kids, we can't have one in Arizona the trees aren't tall enough.
Even mommy gets in on the fun.
Cape Henry Lighthouse.
The view from the top of the light house of Fort Story where the lighthouse sits.
Mommy and Kaitlyn enjoying the view. Poor Camden had to get left at the bottom, strict rules.
Posing in front of the lighthouse.
The view from the top of a park called "Mount Trashmore" because it used to be a landfill.
Scoring a few small shells.
All Camden wanted to do was to run in and out of the water with the waves chasing him.
How cute is Lola? Looks just like her dad.
Wendy, Jeb and Lola at Fort Story.
More lighthouse photos.
Kaitlyn at her old stomping grounds in Richmond Virginia with our old friends and neighbors Bryce and Jason. I could not get good pictures of them because they were being so goofy :)
Our favorite past time when we lived in Richmond was to ride the train at Short Pump. We managed to get on the last train for the evening so that was a major bonus! We had dinner with our friends and neighbors Jim and Jenny and Margaret and her girls Anna and Rebecca. We had ice cream after and even got to see part of a movie that was showing on the lawn. It was a perfect evening. I really miss that mall. We don't have anything like it here. I wish we could've stayed another couple of days in Richmond .
Meeting little Ali for the first time. Ali lives next door to our old house. The kids always loved Scott and Alexis' dogs looking out the window when we would come home. I did not get a photo of Anna and Rebecca either, the girls next door who always played with Kaitlyn and were so good with her. Thanks you guys. It was so great to see you all. We miss the old days when we sat out front in our lawn chairs while the kids played in the culdesac. That never happens in our new neighborhood so it was really fun to do that again.
Outside our old house, hasn't changed much but the kids are 2 years older. Jenny kept joking that I should knock on the door and ask to see the inside. I'm sure they wouldn't be too inviting since we left them a bat problem (well not entirely our fault). I would rather remember it the way it was since we had so many fond memories in that house. I miss sitting out on the porch and seeing the leaves change colors in the fall. I know Caesar doesn't miss having to pick up all the pine needles.
Back to Virginia Beach before coming home. Our wagon ride at "spider park". I have to admit it was pretty humid but I didn't mind so much.
Trees! What a concept.
Emma trying out Camden's eye patch.
Kaitlyn even says, "Argh."
Well, the picture doesn't exactly show it but prior to this, we had quite an event at the hotel. Upon checking in, Camden managed to get his left arm stuck/wedged between the two sliding glass doors. I panicked and screamed and fortunately the men at the hotel knew how to pop the glass off the track to get him unstuck. He cried for a while and it left a good bruise. It's a good thing the folks at Best Western had cookies in lobby to calm him down. So he got a special pirate toy that night to take his mind off the excitement.
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