Anna and I just got back from the Boyack family trip to Williamsburg, Virginia. Too bad Dave couldn't join us, but he has this little thing called med school to finish up. We had a fun time being with all of our family, especially seeing our DC cousins and Colorado cousins that we miss here in SLC. I guess soon we'll be the NC cousins. Who knows when we'll all be together again. The trip was way fun, and a bit challenging, but all-in-all we had a great time!
The first day, we went to the National Zoo in DC. It's an awesome zoo and it's free! (but there's parking fees of course)
Here's Anna watching the sting rays swim
And then we saw one of the coolest things ever. They have this rope lines that go across part of the zoo and we were lucky enough to see the orangutans (I think?) swing across the lines above our heads. No nets or anything below, just us. It was pretty amazing. Anna loves monkeys and does the cutest monkey sound, so she liked it. For a few seconds.
And then Anna fell asleep for a much needed nap. But we did also get to see the Pandas.
When we arrived in Williamsburg later that day Anna was ecstatic to be with all of her cousins. She LOVES other kids. All of her cousins were so sweet to her. Brigham was especially cute with her. He was always dancing for her and trying to cheer her up. Anna was extra excited to be staying in the same condo as Caroline. Plus they loved having their own little "stage" to show off on. I loved seeing these two together! They were pals all week and they even shared sometimes! And Caroline was extra helpful in telling Anna not to get too close to the fireplace. I loved that whenever Caroline would see me, she'd look at me puzzled and say, "Anna?" and look around to find Anna who was usually taking much needed naps.
Here are the only two Boyack chicks chillin in their shades.
And then they had a staring contest.
When Darcie and I weren't looking, they were being much too quiet and so of course they had pulled out all of the wipes. But the A/C repairman became much more interesting.
Another fireplace performance
Just two babes kickin it back in bed.
WilliamsburgWhen visiting Williamsburg before, I've always found it so fun and interesting. I love the colonial era and it's so fun to learn more about it and see how people lived and the history that was taking place at the time. This visit however, was not quite as interesting. Anna of course had no idea what was going on and was more intrigued by all of the cobblestone paths and rocks on the ground. My goal was to be easy going and go with the flow on this trip. But Anna did not agree. She also has decided that she absolutely hates being in her stroller, so it was a bit challenging on our visits colonial williamsburg for me. Anna is really testing her independence and loved running around this new place. Multiply that with one sleepy girl. She had multiple meltdowns and lots of running away from Mommy. I endured many glares as well as sympathy looks as I was carrying around a screaming baby who was trying with all her might to break my grip on her. A bunch of old ladies would look at me and say, "This too shall pass, dear." I even broke down one day because it was at my wits end of chasing her around and trying to stop her from eating rocks. That being said, we still had a good time for the most part. And we really do appreciate my mom and dad for putting this big trip together for everyone.
Anna did enjoy watching the fife and drum march for a little bit. Then she ran off to play with Aunt Ashley and Matthew.
The Boyack boys even got in on the marching action. Who is that tall kid in the front row in the red shirt? Everyone loves Uncle Wes!
Then we attempted a grandkid picture. you know how these go, this was as good as it gets.
Once Anna saw all of the boys climbing the trees, she wanted to give it a try too. About a month ago I remember saying, Anna doesn't really try to climb up on things like boys do. It must be a girl thing. Little did I know what was coming. She climbs on EVERYTHING now!
The next day it was family picture time (minus Dave). Here are Grandma and Grandpa with all of the grandkids at the back of the Governor's Palace.
And here's the one shot that we got of me and Anna. I was sad that it was her nap time, because the Governor's gardens were beautiful and would have been some cute pictures.
Anna and Matthew playing on the seashell paths. I think this was the highlight of her day. She loves picking up rocks and handing them to me.
Later that night enjoying a Subway sandwich.
Anna not only loved being with her cousins, she LOVES all of her aunts and uncles. I was so grateful for all of their help on the trip! Anna is pretty lucky to have so many great aunts and uncles. She will miss them so much when we move! Here she is with Uncle Eric. We actually might get to see Uncle Eric more often now that we are heading East.
We went to this awesome indoor water park one day with much thanks to Eric and Andrea for arranging it. Anna was in heaven! She loves water! I think she was a little overwhelmed at first, but it didn't take her long to get in on the fun.
After a small incident on the slide, she was ready to call it a day and take a nap. Luckily Eric and Andrea had a room where I could put her down. Once she was asleep I had to go try the "tornado" slide which Wes said was "the best waterslide ever." If Darcie was willing to go down it pregnant, it had to be worth it. It definitely lived up to the hype!
We also visited Yorktown where Anna had fun watching the turkeys and chickens. This was the biggest turkey I have ever seen. If I was sending out Thanksgiving cards, this would definitely be the picture. Not only because of the turkey, but because she's actually in her stroller! Hooray!
The stroller sitting didn't last long. She wanted to go explore the little houses with her cousins. She found a little cradle with a dolly and she kept picking up the dolly and giving her loves.
We ended a fun filled day at this awesome park. Anna and I loved this big bench swing.
And that's about it! Lots more fun was had, but I'm out of time and out of pictures. I'm so glad we went even though we missed Dave. At the beginning of the trip I was thinking about how we need to have more kids because Anna loves being with her cousins so much, but by the end of the trip I truly question whether I can handle it or not. I can barely manage the one I have! I love her to pieces, but she definitely keeps me on my toes!
Thanks to mom and dad for this wonderful trip and the great experiences! And thanks to Eric and Andrea for all of their help too! Hopefully the next Boyack trip will be to North Carolina!
