Spring Break with the Younger Grands

I've mentioned before that we are an ocean loving family.  Not just in the summer, but in all seasons.  We all ventured to the beach for a break together this past week.  Our youngest grands were off from school for Spring Break and this was the perfect time to have a look at our beautiful ocean in Virginia Beach.  

We spent the week enjoying some pretty days and some rainy days.  It was okay because we had many German Checker tournaments and most importantly time together.  

Miles loves his long board and agreed to let Alex ride the wind for a few blocks down the boardwalk.  The wind was quite bitingly cold that day, but how can you not appreciate the beauty of the day.

Miles preferred to ride the entire length of the boardwalk on his long board under his own steam.  The length of the boardwalk is 2.6 miles and of course he traveled both ways.  We didn't walk that far, but we did enjoy walks as well.

Each pretty day we made our way to the Neptune sculpture.  This piece was placed here in 2005 and is the work of a Richmond artist, P. Dipasquale.

Neptune is quite large as you can see and is a lovely focal point on the boardwalk. 

We were able to enjoy time by the pool and one of us even went in.  One afternoon we wanted to sit on the sand and take in a closer view.  The sun was so warm and inviting, but the ocean needs to warm up a lot before any of us will be venturing in.

The bike trail is full of beautiful pansies that really love living by the ocean.  Virginia Beach does a wonderful job of landscaping the property adjacent to the ocean.  

In my family growing up and in my children's childhood and now adulthood, we bid the sand and the ocean goodbye until we are fortunate to see her again.  ♥

Catching Up

When uploading photos to One Drive I realized I had not shared some fun family times of last month.  Even though these are a few weeks old I do enjoy remembering the good times.   

We went down to visit the boys over President's Day weekend.  They had gotten a trampoline from Santa that their Dad was putting together when we arrived.  If any of you have ever had the pleasure of putting one together you know it's not hard, but quite time consuming.  The boys were delighted beyond belief at the finished project!

Yes the weather was warmer last month than this month.  Alex loves to wear Bermuda shorts on days that are 60 and above.  

Of course the big kids had to give it a try.

I have a lot more sense than these guys, so I declined the temptation.

Miles came home to stay with us for the weekend.  It's the first time he has done that without his brother.  We thoroughly enjoyed the alone time with just him.  

Ferry Farm had a celebration honoring George Washington's birthday.  Miles wanted to go so we ventured out for a little history lesson and fun at Washington's Boyhood home.  I've mentioned before about the building of the home on the original foundation.  We took this opportunity to see it up close.

First you must partake of birthday cake!

And a little sip of cherry tea!

Then off to play Colonial games.

We walked over to the site of the home construction.  It's so exciting to see the home coming together.

The home is being built as close as possible to original building methods.  Hand forged nails can be seen on the building.

Miles wanted to run down the hill to the river.  The Washington home sits at the top of the hill overlooking the Rappahannock River and the city of Fredericksburg. 

That's him in the burgundy shirt.

We reminded Miles that George Washington must have run up and down this hill as a child, just like you did!

Fun with Family in Autumn

♫ Autumn Leaves ♫

Spending time with family is one of the greatest joys of life.  Our daughter, Noel, came from New Hampshire to visit Samuel and us for the long weekend.  I know she really misses her grown son, Samuel, who lives with us while he is attending college.  It was a beautiful weekend spent being together.

Wreath on our mantle

On Friday, she treated us to dinner at a local restaurant to celebrate her Daddy's birthday.  Then on Saturday we went to our son's home in Richmond for a visit.  While we were there we cleaned out the inside of pumpkins and Alex and Miles and Samuel carved their pumpkins.

Samuel, Alex and Miles

The children certainly enjoyed themselves as well as Boo and Bear.  We had pizza for lunch, which is always a hit with the children.

The next day we went to Mount Vernon.  We are very lucky to have many historical sites to visit nearby.  We are history nuts and enjoy any excuse to go to one of these sites.  It was a rainy morning but then cleared off to make for an enjoyable day.  Of course, Mount Vernon, was the home of our first President, George Washington.  This beautiful property is on the Potomac.

Rear View of Mount Vernon

Front of Mount Vernon

I didn't realize photos were not allowed in the mansion.  So I was snapping away.  Oops-- But I must show you one photo that always gives me chills.

Bastille Key

The Marquis de Lafayette gave George Washington the key to the main prison at Bastille.  The key was given to Lafayette after the Bastille was stormed in July 14, 1789.  This speaks to the respect that Lafayette felt for Washington.

After touring the inside of Mount Vernon we explored the grounds and the dependencies.  I always enjoy seeing kitchens from long ago.

Mount Vernon is a special place to enjoy and to learn more about George Washington.  Inside the museum we are amazed at the similarity of our grandson, Samuel, and George Washington at about the same age.

The model of Washington was made from a computer generated likeness of him at the age of nineteen.  Samuel is twenty years old.

  Autumn in Virginia is a great time to explore the historical sites nearby.

Alex's Birthday

Our grandson Alex turned 12 years old on the first day of spring.  We were all happy to help him celebrate at his home with kid's favorites of pizza, cake and ice cream. It was so nice to have the whole family together to help Alex celebrate.  His Aunt Noel was visiting from New Hampshire so that helped to make it more fun.

Alex is a bright young man that we love so very much.  We learned that Alex made the tennis team on Monday after his birthday. He loves tennis and really wanted to make the team.  Congratulations sweetie!  Stay as sweet as you are now!

Alex looks so much like his Dad when he was a little boy.  It's sure fun to see him growing up to be a nice young man.  Grandchildren are such a blessing and we are blessed to have three wonderful grandsons!