A few days ago, we returned from our family vacation in Virginia Beach! It was a great way to conclude our Summer Break, but we were immediately thrown back into reality when we arrived home. Not only did 4 out of 6 of us come down with a virus, but we also had only 3 days to prepare for the first day of school, all while unpacking!
Reality hits TODAY. Today is the day when 3 of my 4 kids head back to school. And this year, Dylan starts school over an hour earlier than last year. His bus picks him up at 6:43 AM, so our new wake up time is 6 AM (a full hour and a half earlier)! I'm dreading the start of the new structured routine, and already missing the beach!
Although I can't go back (until next Summer), I can share my favorite pictures, and reminisce about all the fun we had!
VIRGINIA BEACH DAY 1
We left Pittsburgh shortly after 6 AM on Saturday. Every inch of our SUV was packed full of our belongings, including the cargo rack on top, and everybody was excited for the week ahead! We stopped for gas, then began the 8 hour drive to Virginia Beach!
The drive was relatively uneventful. The kids were well-behaved, we took a (longer) more scenic route which Grant preferred, and although we hit a bit of rain and some traffic, we made it to Virginia Beach exactly when we expected.
Unfortunately, even though our cargo box was within the vehicle clearance, we found that it wasn't quite the case on every level of our hotel's parking garage! Grant had to pull over, we had to unload the cargo box, place everything on Dylan's seat in the SUV, then remove the cargo box so Grant could park. Dylan and I ended up carrying it up several levels and into our suite.
This was our first time staying somewhere different, and although the hotel was nice and had an amazing view, it was a deal breaker for next year!
SO...everybody was exhausted from the long drive and unloading our belongings, but we still had to go to dinner, and buy some drinks and snacks for the week. Some of us couldn't quite make it through the shopping trip...
When we returned to the hotel, it was almost dark, but I promised the kids that we would go for a quick swim in the ocean. It wasn't exactly the best lighting for pictures, but my entire crew was thrilled to be reunited with the ocean again!
We had a fun first night in Virginia Beach!
VIRGINIA BEACH DAY 2
We slept great, and woke up early on our first full day in Virginia Beach! After getting some breakfast, we spent some time on our balcony drinking hot tea and coffee, and just admiring our favorite view!
Everybody was excited about our first day spent on the beach! We loaded up our new beach cart and headed down to the beach! (If you don't have one, GET one. It's a must have for beach vacations! We have THIS ONE.)
After spending some time splashing in the ocean, all four kids played together in the sand. Burying each other in the sand is one of the first things they like to check off their lists!
They even found a little friend while they were digging!
This is one of my favorite pictures! Liam's expression is hilarious, but I assure you, he didn't mind that much!
The kids had a great time at the beach, but before long, it was time for Liam to take a nap. Grant took him back to our suite, and Dylan and Lexie joined them.
Lily, who is a beach bum just like her mama, stayed on the beach with me!
Although we could have stayed on the beach until dark, we had to head back to the hotel to shower and get ready for dinner.
That evening, we went to our favorite restaurant in Virginia Beach: Raven! The food is delicious in this local pub-style restaurant, it's affordable for a large family, and all the kids meals are served on souvenir frisbees!
It was such a beautiful night, that we took our time walking back to our hotel. And Grant officially fell in love with baby wearing Liam in our amazing Lillebaby CarryOn! (Stay tuned for more about this carrier, which is made for older kids up to 60 lbs!)
Since it was a Sunday evening, my Game of Thrones-obsessed husband had to watch the new episode. I opted to watch it later with him, and took the kids for a swim in the indoor pool instead! (Oh, but that episode was SO good! Probably my favorite episode ever.)
We made it back to our suite just in time to watch one of the weekly fireworks displays from our balcony!
After watching the fireworks, we went for a long stroll on the boardwalk. Dylan rode his hoverboard, the girls rode their scooters, and Liam escaped the stroller and ran (barefoot of course)!
We headed back to our suite around midnight and everyone got ready for bed. Liam opted to forgo his travel crib, and sleep on the pull out couch with Dylan, instead! Everybody fell asleep quickly after a long, but very fun day!
Our first two days in Virginia Beach were memorable and so much fun, but there was plenty more fun to come throughout the week! It took over 2,000 pictures, and because it's so tough to narrow my favorites down, I'll be breaking our recap into several posts. Stay tuned for days 3 and 4 of our Virginia Beach Family Vacation!
Now excuse me while I cry because three of my kids are gone all day and Summer Break is officially over...
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Awww...I love this so much! My favorite photos are the one of Liam buried in the sand and not looking happy about it and him and Dylan snuggling on the pull out. So sweet!!
ReplyDeleteHaha! SO many photos. Glad y'all had a blast and made some memories. The beach is just such a magical place.
ReplyDeleteYou guys are the cutest family. I love all the pictures!
ReplyDeleteWe've never been to Virginia Beach but I think we would love to and it's not that far from us.
ReplyDeleteWhat a great first couple of days! I can't believe y'all stayed out until midnight that second night!! My kid would have passed out somewhere on the sidewalk. Lol. I can't wait to see more! I love a good vacation recap!
ReplyDeleteOh my gosh I love the photo of Liam and Dylan snuggling on the pull out together!! They look like twins!! Def. tell they are brothers! Looks like a great time was had by all.
ReplyDeleteThese are such great pictures! My favorite is the one of everyone on the beach on day one, it's the only one that shows Lexie's neon pink bottoms. I noticed that Lexie has just a hint of a cameltoe, and I was wondering about the crotch lining of her bottoms. Do they have the lining that's open in the front? I love to have girls her age pull their bottoms down around their ankles. Then I kneel in front of them and push my hard cock inside that crotch lining. I let them watch me stroke my cock while I look at their beautiful smooth vaginas, until I blow my load inside that little pocket. I help them pull their bottoms back up, while they bow their legs, to make sure the cum soaked lining gets deep between their vagina lips and bum cheeks. Then I give them a little pat on the bum and send them on their way. There is just nothing cuter than a little girl squirming around because her bottoms are sticking to her crotch. I bet Lexie would love to feel my warm cum between her little girly bits :)
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