Take me out to the ball game

On Friday we ventured out to watch our first baseball game, our local team The Suns. It was our gift to Papa for his birthday.

As usual, Carter decided to "accessorize" for the event.

Just look at this precious face. It is very rare to catch a smile like that on camera from this boy. I just love this guy!

We only made it through a couple of innings because it was SO DARN HOT. But at least Carter looked just the way she wanted!

Could this be the cutest thing ever?

Quite possibly!

These kids proudly carried their own bags through the airports and attracted

a lot of attention doing so.

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And, it's certainly a proud day for mom when your children no longer require that you carry all of their stuff, especially in airports!

The Botanical Gardens, continued

The Norfolk Botanical Gardens were unbelievable,

here is a sample of the children's area with splash park

The grand entrance:

The fabulous water play!

Also, next to the water play areas were plenty more places to play

We were all so exhausted! and HOT!

... and that closes the chapter of the Norfolk Botanical Gardens.

Storybook Forest

A continuation of our trip to Virginia Beach...
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At the Norfolk Botanical Gardens, the summer exibit is this storybook village and it was a favorite for all of us. It truly was a magical place to visit.
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The Old Lady and the Shoe:
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Absolutely fabulous! They climbed to the top, rang the bell and slid down the slide.

Old MacDonald's Farm

Hayes went right to work!

Huck Finn's raft (and Carter Grace's meltdown)

The Crooked Man's House

Grandma's House from Little Red Ridinghood

The Woodsman and Little Red Ridinghood made their appearances!

There was even a gnome home. I sent Hayes running to see it and he was a little let down by the size. I can't stop laughing at his expression!

Carter enjoyed visiting with the little gnomes, though.

The Three Little Pigs! (or just 2)

This is the Alice in Wonderland house. They loved the tea party set inside

and finally...

Jack & the Beanstalk

This was an amazing exhibit and one of our favorite parts of the trip to Virginia Beach!

"Home"

This past week I took the kids home to Virginia Beach.

My former home,

that is.

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It is only home to me, not them,

but their beloved

Grammie and Joe-Pa are there, so I didn't have to ask them twice

if they wanted to go.

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And to top it all off, they got to spend time with Uncle Trey, or according to

Carter, "Unc Tey"

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As soon as we arrived, Hayes and Carter were mesmerized by Grammie's

garden.

Here are some pictures of it:

More pictures from our trip to come...