Our Virginia Beach Trip

On Sunday morning, we loaded the van and traveled with my mom and dad. We drove until 5:30pm and stopped in Staunton, Virginia. We were oh so tired of being couped up in a mini-van with two toddlers (who started to whine somewhere at the end of the Kentucky line and West Virginia state line! We stopped frequently and got the kids out to stretch their legs. One rest area was a gold mine for Carleigh because they had a walk-way and nature trail completely covered with rocks! Matt and I knew we were in for a power struggle when we were ready to get back into the van. She threw a fit, but my dad picked her up and all was well with her! (Can ya tell she is a Pappaw's girl?!!)

The first night in a hotel was adventurous to say the least. Our two are creatures of habit and are used to their cribs. (We are transitioning them to toddler beds next month though.) So, suffice to say that going to sleep on regular beds was a challenge. Matt and I were bone weary from traveling so we were celebrating when they both passed out around 11pm!

On Monday, we traveled through the rest of Virginia and arrived at our hotel in Virginia Beach at 2pm. Our rooms were ready (thank the Lord!) and Cody and Carleigh had a blast exploring the room. We had a wonderful view of the beach and ocean! I will be posting several beach scenes.

After settling into our rooms, we went walking on the boardwalk outside of our hotel. The wind and the smells of the ocean were heavenly. After supper, we took Cody and Carleigh out onto the beach for the first time. Cody was in love! He loved walking in the sand. Carleigh was hesitant but enjoyed it the first time. Their reactions were priceless.

Tuesday, I was so excited about the day that I woke up at 5am. (This is shocking as I am not a morning person at all!) I have always wanted to see the sun rise over the ocean. Well, I got my wish. While the rest of my family were sleeping soundly. I snuck out onto the balcony and watched joggers jogging on the boardwalk under my room, beach maintenance smoothing out the sands, early bikers bicycling on the bike path. Then, the sun started peeking out and I was just amazed at God's creation. It is amazing how He created a beautiful scene like this! (I will post a pic of the sun coming up!)

After an early breakfast, my mom, Matt, Cody, Carleigh and I set out for the beach. This is not a long walk as our hotel is on the oceanfront. We rented a cabana which is a must for fair haired and easily to burn toddlers and myself! The kids had a blast playing in the sand. Cody liked sticking his feet into the ocean and feeling the waves splash all around him. Carleigh was terrified! After awhile, she insisted on me holding her and she put her face on my shoulder! Silly girl! I was afraid that they would run around crazy but the sand was hard to walk on so they stayed right around the cabana and played really well. A professional photographer was taking pictures of families on the beach and we agreed to let him take a few shots. We stayed on the beach until lunchtime and naptime.

After naps, we went out to dinner and then went shopping on Atlantic Avenue. There were so many sovenir/gift shops that we were overwhelmed! We also picked up our family portraits and were very pleased with them (although they were a bit pricey!). I plan on scanning them sometime later as I do not have a scanner. We also saw lots of ice cream, candy, and salt water taffy shops! We shopped and then walked along the boardwalk. The second night was much easier to get the kids down for the night as they were getting used to hotel living!

On Wednesday, Matt and I and the kids went to the Virginia Beach Science and Marine Aquarium. The kids enjoyed seeing sharks, fish, and turtles. Carleigh kepting saying "Fish! Fish! Fish!" The clouds parted and we set out for more time on the beach. After the beach and naps, we ordered pizza to be delivered into our rooms and then we shopped and walked along the board walk. The winds were becoming more and more like hurricane winds so we had to but jackets on the kiddos! The tide was getting so rough and the waves crashed so loudly that I thought for sure the water was going to head for our hotel! What was our beach spot earlier that day was completely submerged in water that evening!

That evening, we watched exhibitors put up tents for the Art Show that would begin the day we left. I felt so sorry for them and for the security officer who had to stay on the boardwalk that night in the cold, fierce winds. Oh, and Carleigh comes down with a fever and diarrhea! Whoa! I think it might have been a combination of food and sun that disagreed with her.

The next morning, we loaded the van and said farewell to VA Beach. I wanted to stop in Jamestown but the weather was not cooperating, Carleigh being sick and the rest of the family wanted to get half-way home. So, I plan on going back in a couple of years and stay in Williamsburg for a couple of days and by then the kiddos will be able to understand and remember it.

Travel was great until we hit the West Virgina mountains. It started to rain and then we heard a THUD! Yep, HAIL! And when I say we drove in a hailstorm, boy do I mean a hailstorm! It was so bad that most travelers were getting off the road. Matt being the daring one kept going and followed this semi. I was so scared and were praying the whole time! The hail was golf ball sized and the road looked like there was 2-3 inches of snow on the road! It was the worst hail storm that I have ever experienced. It lasted for 20 - 30 minutes and I thought it was never going to stop. It woke Carleigh from her nap as it sounded like our van was being hit with a baseball bat, but Cody slept through the entire hailstorm! That kid can sleep through anything! It finally stopped and I was so happy to see the sun come back out.

We stopped in Huntington, West Virginia for the night and were exhausted. On Friday, we left around 9am for home and arrived back home around 1pm. I am so happy to be home! I had a wonderful time, but there is nothing like sleeping in your own bed and having normalcy back for toddlers!