Birthday Vacation

This past weekend my little family and I traveled to Williamsburg, Virginia for a little vacation. Kind people my husband works with have offered us their time share several time over the last few years and there is always something that keeps us from using it (childbirth, family visiting, etc.)

Finally something worked out. My Beloved was presented with several dates a month or so ago and he instantly knew which one he wanted. It became my birthday trip! Yep, I had a birthday... yesterday. I'm 31. It's a little weird, but then, I think every year is weird these days as I never imagined life past 28. Don't ask me why. It's not that I didn't think I'd make it past 28, or that I've never imagined details... it's just that I never thought much about the numbers beyond that.

At any rate... we went on vacation. Let me tell you... it was so nice. This is the first vacation we've taken (since our honeymoon, which really doesn't count), just us. We've vacationed to Maine, but with friends or to visit my sister. We've vacationed to Michigan, but to see My Beloveds parents and/or grandparents. As wonderful as those visits were, there is just something special about pure vacation. No schedule (unless we want one), no need to compromise with others... just whatever we want to do, anytime we want to do it. (I'll go on and on sometime about the wonders of visiting family and vacationing with others... i.e. seeing loved ones and having babysitters for a quick evening stroll.)

I did want to share some of the fun of this weekend!

Seeing animals in Colonial Williamsburg was very exciting. We made the decision (since My Beloved was still unwell and we were getting a late start) not to buy tickets, but to see what we could just walking around.

These sheep were extra fun because so many of them were right by the fence. I was concerned a couple times that the kids were getting too close.

The coaches and carriges were fun too... and Tornado loved that everyone wore "funny" clothes, as Daddy called them.


And did you know that "oxen" are not a particular animal, but any animal breed and trained as work animals... this includes the steer (pictured), sheep dogs, water buffalo in India, and even our seeing eye dogs and such here. I had no idea... my head is still spinning a little, but a nice man in "funny" clothes told us, so it must be true.

Photo by Tornado... age 2.75

One of two highlights of the trip for Tornado was riding the bus. With My Beloveds waning energy, we weren't planning on seeing Colonial Williamsburg at all. Then we found out that for $2 a person (and the kids are free) we could get a bus pass that would make stops all around the colonial area... picking up every 5 minutes. After eating our lunch and watching the buses go by (which was also very exciting by the way), we decided that was the way to go.

Oh, and the other highlight of the trip??? Chasing squirrels! Seriously... we could have stayed home and done both of those things, but then I wouldn't feel so rested!


Saturday we visited Jamestown where we saw a musket demonstration...
and helped hollow out a canoe from a log... among other things. (Some of those things include chasing chickens, wearing armor, climbing all over a ship, laying in the first mate's bed, and lots of learning and sight seeing for Mommy and Daddy.

Sunday was checkout day, but before making the 5 hour trip north back home, we stopped into York town were we saw a working farm from that period (and learned some great things) and saw an artillery demonstration (not Tornado's favorite part... he doesn't like loud things and kept asking if we could go somewhere else.)


Well, that is vacation in a nut shell! Thanks for following along!

By the way, I had so much fun... I'm not finished glowing from all the fun I had! It was the most wonderful trip we could have had... fun, relaxation, time with my family, and more!