wih'numsbuhg '09

We just got home from a FANTASTIC time vacationing with Bill's family in Williamsburg... or Wih-nums-buhg, as William would say. =) Bill and I thought it was way too short... we only had 5 days together (and 2 of them were traveling to and from Williamsburg) and too much to do. So Mom is thinking about perhaps taking us back next year. Yay!!!

William especially misses it. As soon as we got off the highway into Montgomery Village and more familiar surroundings, I think it finally hit him that we were going home. He was so sad and kept saying, “Wih-num go Wih-nums-buhg. Wih’num go Wih-nums-buhg.” It was great to see how much he enjoyed himself there. He definitely loved all the activity, not having to take naps, and eating “la-la-lots of bom-byes” (lots of french fries.) Here are some highlights from our trip...

Upon arrival, William had fun riding on the luggage carts. (I know, it’s hard to tell what he’s sitting on.) Lily is William’s second cousin (I think). They became friends very quickly. I think within a minute of meeting, they were holding hands. This pic cracks me up b/c it looks like they’re trying to get away from the paparazzi. Having fun with Mema… Love this pic… There’s nothing like a grandma’s love. We had ducks that would just come up to our back sliding doors and peck on the windows to be fed. I guess they were used to having people feed them all the time. We went to Busch Gardens on our first day. All the grandkids... It was SWELTERING! William’s first train ride… We had to rent a double stroller since we only have a single stroller. William wouldn’t even walk for the first few minutes. Did I mention that it was hot? William’s first carousel ride… Back at our nice, air-conditioned suite… Ahhh… Day 2 at Busch Gardens again! The weather continued to be scorching! Lori found us a great deal online where we could purchase bounce passes and go in and out of Busch Gardens, Water Country USA (we never made it there), and Colonial Williamsburg as we pleased for a week. Trying to keep cool… I was very impressed by Busch Gardens. I hadn’t been since I was very little. But they had a bit of everything for every age. They even had a mini-z00-type area for the little ones to see some animals. During the hottest part of the day, we stopped in the Festhaus (a huge, indoor eating area in the Germany part of the park) for some r&r and to watch a show. It was great seeing William have fun with his older cousins. Going on a ride with Dada… William’s first ride by himself. I was a little wary of how he would do, but he had a blast and went on twice! He loved the “driving” rides. (Unfortunately, we don't have any pics of the very first ride William went on. But William was not very impressed by it, so it wasn't very memorable.) William went on a boat ride on his own, with some random kids sitting behind him. It surprised me to see him turn around and talk to them, since he’s usually shy. Day 3: Colonial Williamsburg Cooling Mema off… In case you were wondering, it was stinkin’ hot! We didn’t stay very long there b/c of the weather and b/c there wasn’t very much of interest to our little ones. It’s a place they will definitely enjoy more when they get older. Back at our nice, cool suite. It’s the ducks again!

Vacation totally flew by and we were so sad when it was over, but we were able to make some great memories! And the boys were awesome... despite missing naps and going to bed late. The Lord showed us so much grace in that.

Mom, thank you for doing something like this every year and making being with family and building memories a priority. These are times that we will all look back on with much love, affection, fondness, nostalgia, and appreciation. Bill and I so love these times with you and the family. It is exciting to see William start to build his own memories… childhood memories he will look back on one day and remember these precious times with the people he loves. We can’t thank you enough for our time in Williamsburg. Looking forward to next year! We love you dearly!