We came to Williamsburg from the Outer Banks North Carolina and Mrs Ann and Mr Lee (Pauls parents) followed us up. We stopped at a cracker barrel on the way and ate lunch, who doesn't like cracker barrel its so good and reasonably priced. Mckenzie started to not feel good when we go there so she laid down and I took her temperature and it was 104 so I had to stick her in a cold bath before we even got anything set up. So while Paul was setting up I was taking care of Mckenzie and was debating on if we were going to making a trip to the ER. Her fever came down eventually after taking a nap with an ice pack on her head so crisis averted but she did throw up a couple of times and refused to eat dinner.
While mckezie was napping Mrs Ann and I decided to go to the local Walmart to do some grocery shopping and some in promp to school shopping. Ive been to that Walmart a couple of times and thought I could find it with no problem to the point where I didn't bother listening to the directions Paul was trying to give me. Needless to say we got a little lost and Mrs Ann couldn't figure out how to find it on the GPS, but I didn't let it feak me out i just found and exit and made a uturn and headed the other way lol. Mrs Ann however was freaking out a little because i was trying to figure out where we were on the GPS while I was driving. Eventaully I found the exit I needed and we were fine.We made our way back to the campground with no problem I blame me getting lost on the fact that it was dark lol.
The next day Paul and I took the kids to Water country USA while my inlaws went to the outlets in Williamsburg. If you ever get the chance to go to Water counrty USA don't bother, it was crowded, we waited in a line to get on a raft ride for 2 hours and the kid sections were out of control. Not only do they make you pay to get in the park they also made you pay 15 dollars for parking, 18 for a locker, and we payed 29 dollars for 2 drinks and 2 soft pretzels. If it wasn't for the fact that we got free tickets through the military we would have left and demanded our money money back. The only reason we stayed as long as we did was because the kids were having a good time and didn't want to leave. we left there after being there maybe 4 hours and went to the pool and had a much better time. Mrs Ann and Mr Lee come home and we had dinner together and sat by the fire.
Thursday we were conflicted because I wanted to go to the oulets and do some school shopping for Mckenzie and of course Paul and the kids wanted nothing to do with that, so we went our seperate ways. Paul Mr Lee and the kids went to play pirate golf and Mrs Ann and I went to the outlets. The Williamsburg oulets are huge, one of the biggest I have seen anywhere, and they have a lot of kids stores like Carters, Childrens place, and Osh Gosh. I bought some stuff and so did Mrs Ann so I think Mckenzie made out pretty good, and I got JP a pair of monster truck footie pajamas because he's been wearing Mckenzies daddy princess ones lol.That night we visited Mr Lees aunts and cousin, Aunt Fran Aunt Bay and Debbie. I really love visiting Aunt Fran she is the nicest lady and so easy to talk to. We stayed there tilll 930 and she had lasagna and garlic beard and salad for dinner and ice cream for dessert everything was so good. the next day we left.
I can't believe I didn't take any pictures on this trip. We didn't do much and non of it was super interesting.
Friday, August 29, 2014
Monday, August 25, 2014
OBX Camp Hatteras 2014
I have to tell you I was not to happy about going to the Outer banks to camp. Not only because it was over 6 hours away but also because I hate the beach, the sand, and the heat. Pauls been wanting to go for a couple of years and since the kids were 6 and almost 5 I decided to agree to it. Surprisingly the drive wasn't that bad, I think we left around 10 and got there around 6:30. I made sure a packed them each a busy bag and plenty of DVDs.The busy bag included their leap pads, coloring books, a couple of cars, some paper, and crayon. The crayons fit perfect in those travel soap bar containers you just have to make sure they put them all back or they will melt onto your seats. We stopped a couple times once for a bathroom break and once for lunch and a quick stop to get a North Carolina map.
Apparently the OBX was hit by a hurricane fourth of July weekend because we arrived at our destination and thought we were in the ghetto because there was trash and debris piled up on the sides of the street. The campground itself was in pretty good shape though considering.
This was the start of a 17 day camping trip, we set up the trailer and met our neighbors Nicole and Mick and their children, very nice people.Camp Hatteras is a very basic campground all they really have to do is a playground, a small putt putt course, a small indoor pool, outdoor pool, hot tub, and a lounge with games and puzzles and a TV. Other then that there's not much to do but go to the beach, and that would have been ok but it rained all but one day we were there.The one thing I really didn't like about this campground was the fact that they didn't allow you to have a fire unless you had a fire pit that sat off the ground.
Thursday we had a great beach day, like I said I am not a beach person but i did have a good time. I had my blanket and umbrella and it was very breezy. after we left the beach we sat down and got to know our neighbor, we got along so well that we both didn't get to cooking dinner till after 7 I think. Pauls parents came down that night around 8, they planned on staying with us will left for Cherrystone. When they arrived we finally ate dinner, I made marinated chicken with noodles and broccoli, I had to ask Nicole if she had extra broccoli since I only planned on cooking for the 4 of us. That's why its good to make friends with the people around you.
The next day (Friday) we woke up to rain and it didn't stop until the day we left. I think this was one of the most disappointing trips we had, mostly because of the rain. Even though it rained we tried to make the best of the day. We heard from some of the people at the campground about the aquarium so we all piled in the truck and made the 45 minute drive to the aquarium. I think we paid 10 dollars per person to get in and considering its close to 40 a person at the national aquarium in Baltimore that's pretty affordable. it was a nice place but it was small but it wasn't crowded and there were decent amount of fish to see. They had a lot of local fish from the bay and ocean. Unfortunately though almost as soon as we got there JP started to get a little sluggish and started complaining that he wanted to go home so we had to kind of rush through everything because he wasn't feeling well. When we got back to the trailer I took his temperature and It was 102.9. Now I always pack a little tub full of medicine and the thermometer because my kids, mostly Mckenzie, always get sick when we're camping. i thought I packed Ibuprofen or Motrin but all i packed was cold and cough, and of course the closest pharmacy was like 20 minutes away, and of course it was closed. So once again like I saw always get to know your neighbors because I had to ask the family two doors down if they had some and luckily they did.We stayed in the rest of the night and just relaxed and watched the direct TV. Thank god we had it and we actually got a signal.
Saturday again we woke up to rain but decided we were going to take the Ferry to Ocracoke and on the way there we saw the Cape Hatteras light house so we took advantage of the break in the rain and Paul ,Mr Lee, and both kids climbed the 257 steps to the top of the light house while Mrs Ann and I stayed behind. I think the kid were really excited about seeing me waving to them from the ground. Some fun facts about the the light house it was moved from the beach because of the erosion of the sand. It was moved intact and was not taken apart at all, they have a little museum and it shows pictures and facts about the light house.The drive to the ferry took about an hour from the campground and the ferry ride itself took about 45 min. I have never been open a ferry before and it was one of the coolest things I think we've done and it was completely free... not including the gas we burned getting there lol. Ocracoke was very small and it only took us probably 20 minutes to drive to the other side so we picked about a spot called Jasons and ate some dinner. After that we got back on the ferry and made the hour and 45 minute rip back to the campground and stopped at the dairy queen across form us and had some ice cream. when we got back to the trailer the kids kept bugging us about going to catch ghost crabs, another fact we got from our awesome neighbor Nicole and Mick, so we went to go check it out. Me and the kids went out together with our nets and a bucket. I was completely blown away by what I saw, little crabs that make holes in the sand everywhere. JP was so afraid at first he wanted to go back of course Mckenzie was a natural, as a matter of fact she was better at then I was. Paul met up with us a little later and we all had a ball. we stayed out there over 30 minutes just catching crabs and watching them and then setting them free and starting all over. One of the best days we had there I think.
Sunday unfortunately we had to say goodbye to our lovely neighbors, they really were the nicest people and I wish we lived a little closer to them because I would stalk them lol. The kids stuck around until they left and then of course they wanted to go to the arcade. So Paul took them to the arcade while I stayed back and relaxed a little.That night they had a karaoke party and Kenzie and went to check it out, she wasn't digging it so we only stayed for a little while and left.
Monday I decided I was tired of sitting around again so I took the kids to the beach, in the rain, they were ok with it until it started to pour then they wanted to bolt. After we dropped all the beach stuff off at the camper we went to the indoor pool for like 2 hours. The indoor pool is right next the the hot tub and the outdoor pool is right outside. The indoor pool went to 5 feet and the outdoor pool went to 8 feet both start at 3 feet. Everything at the pools were very clean and pretty well maintained they even had a 2 foot baby pool with its own fence. While me and the kids were at the pool Paul and his parents were at the lounge playing cards. after the kids and I left the pool i got them dressed and we went to the lounge and I dropped them off there and started dinner. That night I made a pot pie and it wasn't raining so we got to eat it outside. The kids made friends with some kids across the street and we saw a double rainbow. Mr Lee ordered us a pizza from Lisas and after we ate it Paul and Mr Lee took the kids to catch ghost crabs again.
By Tuesday I was pretty happy to get the heck out of the Outer Banks and of course it was nice and sunny that day to so at least we didn't have to pack up in the rain, unlike Nicole and Mick. I think we all had a good time anyway even though it rained most of the time we were there. I think I would be ok going back every couple of years. I'm grateful for the new friends we made and I hope to keep in touch with them and get together whether it be camping or having them over.The next stop will be to Williamsburg Virginia for 4 days, about a 3 or 4 hour drive.
Apparently the OBX was hit by a hurricane fourth of July weekend because we arrived at our destination and thought we were in the ghetto because there was trash and debris piled up on the sides of the street. The campground itself was in pretty good shape though considering.
This was the start of a 17 day camping trip, we set up the trailer and met our neighbors Nicole and Mick and their children, very nice people.Camp Hatteras is a very basic campground all they really have to do is a playground, a small putt putt course, a small indoor pool, outdoor pool, hot tub, and a lounge with games and puzzles and a TV. Other then that there's not much to do but go to the beach, and that would have been ok but it rained all but one day we were there.The one thing I really didn't like about this campground was the fact that they didn't allow you to have a fire unless you had a fire pit that sat off the ground.
Thursday we had a great beach day, like I said I am not a beach person but i did have a good time. I had my blanket and umbrella and it was very breezy. after we left the beach we sat down and got to know our neighbor, we got along so well that we both didn't get to cooking dinner till after 7 I think. Pauls parents came down that night around 8, they planned on staying with us will left for Cherrystone. When they arrived we finally ate dinner, I made marinated chicken with noodles and broccoli, I had to ask Nicole if she had extra broccoli since I only planned on cooking for the 4 of us. That's why its good to make friends with the people around you.
The next day (Friday) we woke up to rain and it didn't stop until the day we left. I think this was one of the most disappointing trips we had, mostly because of the rain. Even though it rained we tried to make the best of the day. We heard from some of the people at the campground about the aquarium so we all piled in the truck and made the 45 minute drive to the aquarium. I think we paid 10 dollars per person to get in and considering its close to 40 a person at the national aquarium in Baltimore that's pretty affordable. it was a nice place but it was small but it wasn't crowded and there were decent amount of fish to see. They had a lot of local fish from the bay and ocean. Unfortunately though almost as soon as we got there JP started to get a little sluggish and started complaining that he wanted to go home so we had to kind of rush through everything because he wasn't feeling well. When we got back to the trailer I took his temperature and It was 102.9. Now I always pack a little tub full of medicine and the thermometer because my kids, mostly Mckenzie, always get sick when we're camping. i thought I packed Ibuprofen or Motrin but all i packed was cold and cough, and of course the closest pharmacy was like 20 minutes away, and of course it was closed. So once again like I saw always get to know your neighbors because I had to ask the family two doors down if they had some and luckily they did.We stayed in the rest of the night and just relaxed and watched the direct TV. Thank god we had it and we actually got a signal.
Saturday again we woke up to rain but decided we were going to take the Ferry to Ocracoke and on the way there we saw the Cape Hatteras light house so we took advantage of the break in the rain and Paul ,Mr Lee, and both kids climbed the 257 steps to the top of the light house while Mrs Ann and I stayed behind. I think the kid were really excited about seeing me waving to them from the ground. Some fun facts about the the light house it was moved from the beach because of the erosion of the sand. It was moved intact and was not taken apart at all, they have a little museum and it shows pictures and facts about the light house.The drive to the ferry took about an hour from the campground and the ferry ride itself took about 45 min. I have never been open a ferry before and it was one of the coolest things I think we've done and it was completely free... not including the gas we burned getting there lol. Ocracoke was very small and it only took us probably 20 minutes to drive to the other side so we picked about a spot called Jasons and ate some dinner. After that we got back on the ferry and made the hour and 45 minute rip back to the campground and stopped at the dairy queen across form us and had some ice cream. when we got back to the trailer the kids kept bugging us about going to catch ghost crabs, another fact we got from our awesome neighbor Nicole and Mick, so we went to go check it out. Me and the kids went out together with our nets and a bucket. I was completely blown away by what I saw, little crabs that make holes in the sand everywhere. JP was so afraid at first he wanted to go back of course Mckenzie was a natural, as a matter of fact she was better at then I was. Paul met up with us a little later and we all had a ball. we stayed out there over 30 minutes just catching crabs and watching them and then setting them free and starting all over. One of the best days we had there I think.
Sunday unfortunately we had to say goodbye to our lovely neighbors, they really were the nicest people and I wish we lived a little closer to them because I would stalk them lol. The kids stuck around until they left and then of course they wanted to go to the arcade. So Paul took them to the arcade while I stayed back and relaxed a little.That night they had a karaoke party and Kenzie and went to check it out, she wasn't digging it so we only stayed for a little while and left.
Monday I decided I was tired of sitting around again so I took the kids to the beach, in the rain, they were ok with it until it started to pour then they wanted to bolt. After we dropped all the beach stuff off at the camper we went to the indoor pool for like 2 hours. The indoor pool is right next the the hot tub and the outdoor pool is right outside. The indoor pool went to 5 feet and the outdoor pool went to 8 feet both start at 3 feet. Everything at the pools were very clean and pretty well maintained they even had a 2 foot baby pool with its own fence. While me and the kids were at the pool Paul and his parents were at the lounge playing cards. after the kids and I left the pool i got them dressed and we went to the lounge and I dropped them off there and started dinner. That night I made a pot pie and it wasn't raining so we got to eat it outside. The kids made friends with some kids across the street and we saw a double rainbow. Mr Lee ordered us a pizza from Lisas and after we ate it Paul and Mr Lee took the kids to catch ghost crabs again.
By Tuesday I was pretty happy to get the heck out of the Outer Banks and of course it was nice and sunny that day to so at least we didn't have to pack up in the rain, unlike Nicole and Mick. I think we all had a good time anyway even though it rained most of the time we were there. I think I would be ok going back every couple of years. I'm grateful for the new friends we made and I hope to keep in touch with them and get together whether it be camping or having them over.The next stop will be to Williamsburg Virginia for 4 days, about a 3 or 4 hour drive.
Friday, August 22, 2014
Jellystone Luray 2014
We love going to Sky Line Drive, every year we take pictures in the same spot to see how much the kids have grown. This year we decided to stay at the Luray Yogi bear, its a little more expensive but worth it. They have 2 pools, a not so well maintained gold course, a little water park area with a couple of small slide and two larger slides. They also added a new laser tag area but we didn't check that out and 2 bounce pillows.
My brother and his girlfriends came with us this time and we really enjoyed the time we had with them. the only thing I really wanted to kill him over was keeping us up half the night going in and out of the trailer at 4 am because he wasn't comfortable. I like to relax when camping but now that the kids ate older they like to keep busy. We all went down together and stopped at the Walmart to get food and beer. you have to go to a liquor store top get any kind of alcohol in Maryland, you can buy it almost anywhere in Virginia. Paul made some awesome sangria out of a pink mascato and some fruit.
The first day we just set up and relaxed. It's nice to have other people camp with us because we can set up ad take down everything while they keep the kids busy for us. we went to the indoor water park after we did our drive trough sky line drive. The kids really enjoy going to the indoor water park at Massanutten resort. Jp was finally tall enough to go on all the water slides. It took some coaxing but he got on everyone of them and so did Mckenzie. I was even able to join in on the fun this year and got on all the tube slides.
We made good use of the movie screen as well, I think we watched the Lego movie again. We also met a creepy little boy I felt really sorry for him though because It was like he was all alone. He was only 5 and he literally spent most of the day with us and his parents were no where to be found.I finally had to send him home because it was getting dark. I must say I get a little more lenient with my kids when we go camping and give them a little more freedom. I would never let them roam all over the campground alone without checking in on them. Furthermore if they do make friends at another site I always make it a point to meet the parents, as a matter of fact that's how Paul and I meet most of our friends these days.
We all had a really good time. I don't get to spend much time with my brother so it was nice to catch up. I'm a little behind on my blogging so I don't remember everything we did on this trip so I'm going to leave it at this and work on our most recent 17 day camping trip up the coast.
My brother and his girlfriends came with us this time and we really enjoyed the time we had with them. the only thing I really wanted to kill him over was keeping us up half the night going in and out of the trailer at 4 am because he wasn't comfortable. I like to relax when camping but now that the kids ate older they like to keep busy. We all went down together and stopped at the Walmart to get food and beer. you have to go to a liquor store top get any kind of alcohol in Maryland, you can buy it almost anywhere in Virginia. Paul made some awesome sangria out of a pink mascato and some fruit.
The first day we just set up and relaxed. It's nice to have other people camp with us because we can set up ad take down everything while they keep the kids busy for us. we went to the indoor water park after we did our drive trough sky line drive. The kids really enjoy going to the indoor water park at Massanutten resort. Jp was finally tall enough to go on all the water slides. It took some coaxing but he got on everyone of them and so did Mckenzie. I was even able to join in on the fun this year and got on all the tube slides.
We made good use of the movie screen as well, I think we watched the Lego movie again. We also met a creepy little boy I felt really sorry for him though because It was like he was all alone. He was only 5 and he literally spent most of the day with us and his parents were no where to be found.I finally had to send him home because it was getting dark. I must say I get a little more lenient with my kids when we go camping and give them a little more freedom. I would never let them roam all over the campground alone without checking in on them. Furthermore if they do make friends at another site I always make it a point to meet the parents, as a matter of fact that's how Paul and I meet most of our friends these days.
We all had a really good time. I don't get to spend much time with my brother so it was nice to catch up. I'm a little behind on my blogging so I don't remember everything we did on this trip so I'm going to leave it at this and work on our most recent 17 day camping trip up the coast.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)