The boys and I went to Norfolk last week with Jay while he did some training for work. This was the trip that made me realize that parents don't go on vacations for themselves. If we did, our children would not be there. After a few days of wondering why it wasn't fun for ME I decided that the sooner I consider trips like these extra work but lasting memories for the kids, the better I would feel. I was right. Of course, it helped that Jay had the last couple of days to spend with us after his training was done.
So, the first thing we did upon arrival was check the durability of the furniture...


Then the boys and I took a trip to the Virginia State Zoo. Aidan LOVES animals and could've watched the giraffe's tongues all day long. (think cow but much longer). Jayson really liked the train ride that doesn't actually go past any animals (lame) but there were a bell and an old guy dressed up like an engineer so...awesome! They were really good all day. And I do mean all day.




The next day we went to one of my new favorite places in Virginia..the Norfolk Azalea Gardens. The gardens were beautiful and expansive-they even had a vegetable garden with at least one of everything growing in it. They also had a great very hands-on children's garden called WOW (World of Wonders) and it was great. The boys got to dig in the dirt, play in different boats and playhouses, and they had a really cool hedge that they could run through like a tunnel. I loved it there!

The next day we went to see the big battleships at the Naval Base then we went to the mall. They had a really cool play area for the boys, and well..I love the mall. Besides, it was right across from our hotel so I didn't have to ask the Valet to get our car and tip him again.
Then Jay was done with work so we all spent the next day at Virginia Beach. It was a beautiful day and all three of my guys would rather be on the beach than anywhere else on the planet, so it was a good day. Oh, and a ladybug flew into the car and landed on Jayson when we got there. Life is perfect at the seashore :).




The next day was all for Jay. We went to Jamestown, the first British settlement in the U.S. It was actually really cool...it's an interactive museum, so you get to really see what things were like for the settlers and the Native Americans. Don't tell Jay, but I'm actually becoming more interested in museums and I didn't mind stopping to read every caption to every exhibit (even with two kids!) The boys were pretty fascinated by a lot of it, especially the ships and guns. Jayson even got to help carve out a part of a canoe with a seashell. He got very dirty doing it so we were proud of him.

We drove home that night and stopped to see the first plantation in Virginia which was beautiful then stopped at the grocery store to do our Easter shopping.

Easter was fun. After church Auntie Crystal came over and helped us dye eggs. She also hid eggs for an egg hunt for Jayson then we had a sort of blah dinner (it was very minimal effort though, which was nice after getting back so late on Saturday).

Before....





After!...







I just got so tired of everyone asking how old mylittle boy was. Besides, in Jayson's world of four year old boys, it's just "cool" to have hair like this. It's so nice! I can just rub a bar of soap on their headsandsend them on their way! No more noodles and pretzals stuck in Aidan's hair.

Food, food, food. The center of our existence lately. Or so you would think from all of the pictures we have taken of us eating at our table, or somewhere else. The first table gathering was St Patrick's Day...always an exciting event for us. Jayson told everyone we met that day to kiss him because he's Irish. We listened to some great Irish music and had a "dance party". Aidan seems to have been born knowing how to do the jig. Jay always looks forward to this day because of the food... Colcannon, Irish Soda Bread, and this year, braised roast beef with horseradish sauce (with this pregnancy I crave only one thing more than cheddar cheese...roast beef sandwiches with horseradish!). By the end of the day I felt like the Irish Washerwoman.











Also, I've been trying different recipes for hot breakfasts that Jayson likes, so every time I make something clever, like pumpkin waffles, I simply must capture it on camera. Of course, Aidan still shovels in anything, regardless of whether it is edible, so that's nothing new. He has moved to a booster seat though, and gotten very creative with his hair-food relationship.









Notice the decoration Aidan placed just so (pretzels that have been sucked on are great because they have a glue-like quality)....













One day Jayson and I made great play dough creatures. His are the ones with the gigantic eye balls.









And....more pictures of the boys eating! For Jayson's birthday we went to McDonald's for lunch after school. It was Aidan's first Happy Meal, and I now understand why they call it that. He was delirious with joy over the fries and ate everything in sight. Jayson, as usual, ate some of his cheeseburger and left the fries to tempt me. Fortunately, Aidan helped to finish those as well.

Jayson's birthday was the most exciting yet! He's four and he asked me this morning if after four he would be eighteen. Sometimes I feel like that...the days are taken up with laundry and naps and activities that I feel like I've lost huge chunks of time. When did Jayson stop being a sweet, agreeable toddler and start becoming a twelve year old that tattles? And Aidan...I still call him Baby. When he sees himself in the mirror he calls himself Baby. However, at almost eighteen months and 35 pounds, he's anything but my quiet little bundle anymore. Thank you Grandma and Grandpa for the basketball hoop and thank you Auntie Crystal for Little Leap!
























And one last shot of Aidan yet again enjoying food. We went to Noodles and Company where Aidan would have eaten anything, including the napkins, if we hadn't gotten him some yummy mac and cheese. Isn't he big using his own utensils and feeding himself?