Day 4- Colonial Williamsburg, Busch Gardens and a Birthday!

Day 1 saw us at the NASA center.  Day 2 at Jamestown and Day 3 at the Zoo and Williamsburg.  Saturday (Day 4) found us at another awesome tour in Williamsburg and a fun afternoon/evening in Busch Gardens.  I tried to make it extra special as it was Kiddo #4's 8th birthday!  I cannot believe it is 8 years that our sweet girl was born.  My husband was on the phone from Iraq during the birth.  It was an amazing paradox-- incredible sadness that he wasn't with me coupled with amazing happiness over the birth of our daughter.

Our morning started with the "Children's Christmas Tour" in Williamsburg.  I was very impressed with the program.  The kids were taken from station to station, preserving an orange,

 making a colonial craft (a silhouette),

 a Christmas ornament (clusters of fresh smelling pines and greenery),

 got to listen to stories from people in character and play colonial games.

 They really enjoyed it.  We also had a chance to walk through the different buildings and to see the various tradespeople at work.

We went to Busch Gardens for a special buffet dinner and Christmas show.  Kiddo #4 really enjoyed it.  They made a fuss over her for her birthday and she was on cloud nine.

The park was decorated beautifully for Christmas, with one area that boasted more than 5 million lights.  It really was breathtaking!  I was so impressed that every worker (even the younger ones!) was pleasant and courteous and was always wishing everyone a Merry Christmas.  Wow.  How encouraging to see a park filled with the sounds of real carols and to have Nativity scenes as decorations.  Love it!

Two rides really stood out-- one was the skyride.  It was like a ski-lift, but so much better.  It had multiple levels and really gave a beautiful view of the illuminated trees and decorations.  We also liked the "Fly over Europe."  Kind of like a "Soarin'"(Disney) ride, we were treated to a flight over all of the landmarks in Europe.  With the wind blowing in your face and the seats moving all around, you truly felt like you were flying by the Eiffel Tower, the Roman Coliseum and more.  I wish I was able to get the camera in my hand and photograph the joy on the kids faces while they we were "flying."  :-)

A trip to Busch Gardens wouldn't be complete without the traditional photo with the magnificent Clydesdale horses.

or a photo in the stocks for "offenses" (they tried hard to look in character, lol!)



Happy Birthday to our precious angel

She said it was her "most awesome" birthday ever.  I guess we did ok.  :-)

Day 3- Norfolk Zoo and Joining the Continental Army

Hope you enjoyed the posts on Day 1 and Day 2 of our Virginia vacation.  I will post about our last day (and kiddo #4's birthday!) soon.

Today, we visited the Norfolk Zoo.  What an amazing place!  It, by far, is one of the most beautifully laid out zoos I have ever visited.  It is wide open and spacious, the habitats are actual real habitats, with multiple species living together!  When in "Asia," you honestly feel like you have crossed continents; the same with "Africa."  Everything is authentic-- down to the food they feed the animals.  They grow only foods that would be found on that continent in each "area" so the aninals are fed these organically produced foods indigenous to the continent from which they originated.

Kiddo #3 was so excited.  He loves elephants.  I mean he really loves elephants.  He can tell you almost anything you ever wanted to know about the creatures.  He collects them in all forms (stuffed animal, figurine, toy, etc.).  He was devastated when the Philadelphia Zoo decided to close their elephant exhibit.  It upset me, as well.   Thousands of children will no longer have any exposure to these grand and majestic animals.  They claimed financial reasons.  The Virginia Zoo has a lovely train ride throughout the zoo for $2 a person.  They come right out and tell you that the funds from the ridership on the train are going to finance a new exhibit.  They also set up a tent selling Christmas ornaments and hot cocoa.  The proceeds from that are going to building a new animal hospital that will be built on site and open for patrons to walk through.  For that, I give them enormous credit!  They are proactive.  And, it is amazing that their entrance fees (and concession costs, for that matter) are significantly less than our zoo.  And yet they are able to do so much.

Ok, I digress.  Back to our vacation.  :-)

The kids LOVED this zoo.  They were able to pretend to be prairie dogs

and they suggested that I rename the blog temporarily to "Home to 4 Otters," lol

They were amazed at the one exhibit where the giraffes are able to come right up to the visitors

and of course, there were the elephants, one of whom was named Lisa.  :-)

After dinner, we headed to Colonial Williamsburg for their "In Defense of our Liberty" program.  Wow.  We literally enlisted in the Continental Army.  We were drilled, marched and trained for over an hour.  Despite the occasional giggle (for which we were reprimanded, lol!) for not being able to know our left from our right, we received many lessons.  Not just on Army discipline and how to handle a musket and cannon, but on sacrifice.  We saw first hand what the soldiers had to endure who won our freedom for us.  We experienced the smoke from just 4 muskets being fired in our direction as we were marching and it was thick and choking.  It gave us the slightest clue of what hell it would be like when hundreds of muskets were firing in both directions and how the line would have to be held no matter the chaos, no matter the losses, because the cause was too great.

The first sergeant, at the conclusion of the re-enactment told us that it was the ultimate paradox.  These men were fighting for liberty, but voluntarily gave up all of their freedom in joining the military.  You cannot think or act on your own.  Why?  Because of their families, because of their country and for posterity.  Posterity?  For us.  Future generations.  They did it for us.  And he told us what can we do to honor their sacrifice; what we can do for all of the soldiers that have fought for our freedom from the 1700s to the present: REMEMBER.

Day 2: Jamestown and Happy Thanksgiving!

Today was another fun and busy day for our family in Virginia.  Yesterday, we visited the Air and Space Museum.  You can read about our adventures at the museum here.  Today, we visited the Jamestown Settlement after a wonderful Thanksgiving morning breakfast at a local pancake and waffle house.

The Jamestown Settlement was founded in 1607, thirteen years before the Pilgrims landed in Massachusetts.  We learned how the settlers coped with an unfamiliar environment.  Located adjacent to the original site, this expansive living-history museum offers full-scale re-creations of the colonists' fort, a Powhatan Indian village, and replicas of the three English ships that brought the settlers to the New World.  I love hands-on learning experiences for my children!  :-)

Our kiddos ground corn

Dug out canoes

Stepped into Powatan teepees

Pretended to preach in the settlers' church

Were armed and ready to defend the settlement

Saw authentic meals being prepared and cooked

Played 17th century childrens' games

Climbed aboard ships that were made identical to the ones that held dozens of people for months in their voyage across the ocean

We headed out to a very nice family restaurant for our Thanksgiving dinner. 

We have much to be grateful for.  Each of us took a turn going around the table expressing something for which we were thankful.  This was Kiddo #2's idea.  Kiddo #4 thanked God for creating the beautiful world that we live in and Kiddo #2 thanked God for giving him for the talents He gave him.  :-)  Kiddo #3 thanked God for his computer.  At least he followed up with "so I can make some really good powerpoint presentations."  lol.  Kiddo #1 thanked God for his family.

Back at our room, we took out some games we bought at Jamestown: colonial bingo, nine pins, a ring toss and some other authentic reproductions.  It was a lot of fun to have a "family game night" on Thanksgiving vacation and to have a nice end to the evening together.

I hope everyone had a blessed Thanksgiving!  Tomorrow is the Norfolk Zoo and Colonial Williamsburg, God willing.  I will post our next set of adventures tomorrow night!  God bless!