Busch Gardens

We are fortunate to live 20 minutes from Busch Gardens Williamsburg.  I believe the Busch Gardens in Tampa is a zoo theme, but the one by us is Europe (or The Old Country).  Somehow this includes New France (Canada) which I have never understood, but that is besides the point!

Saturday was Pass Member Preview Day for 2012.  It's held the weekend before the park opens for the season.  The weather was nice and my mom drove up from Virginia Beach to go with us after Finn's nap.  It wasn't crowded at all which was nice since Finn is now a big boy and wants to walk rather than ride in the stroller.  He was so funny and would stop every now and then to dance to the music.  Most of the people who got stuck behind our slow moving group didn't seemed too bothered by it.

We spent most of our time in Sesame Place which is a Sesame Street themed area for little kids.  It's pretty new to the park and took the place of what used to be a petting zoo area.  Since we never went into here pre-baby, I had forgotten that there is a big "splash pad" area.  I do believe that getting to play in the water makes last Saturday the best day of Finn's life.  We didn't let him get too wet since we didn't bring a change of clothes, but he was absolutely enthralled.  He kept pointing to all the water spraying everywhere and he and my mom came very close to getting a huge bucket of water dumped on them!

Hopefully we'll be able to take advantage of living so close to make a few more BG trips before we move.  Waking up on a Saturday morning and being told by our parents that we were heading to the park for the day was always a big treat for my sister and me growing up and it's so much fun to watch Finn enjoy it as much as we did.

We didn't exactly wear the right clothing to play in here.

So much fun at Busch Gardens!

Who wouldn't want to play in there?

Williamsburg Farmer's Market

On Saturday we took Finn to the Williamsburg Farmer's Market.  The market hasn't started up fully for the season yet, but it was a fun way to get out of the house before lunch.  Last fall the market was rated as #5 in the Top 20 of the America's Favorite Farmer's Market Contest sponsored by the American Farmland Trust.  What I like about these markets is that it reminds you that there are still family farms nearby.  I grew up a few miles from Bayville Farms which was a dairy farm in Virginia Beach that has since been turned into a golf course.  Naturally.  I remember visiting the farm in elementary school and I think it's really important to teach our children where our food comes from.  No, it's not pretty and while I would never take Finn to a slaughterhouse, I want him to understand one day that food does not start in the supermarket. 

So, what better place to start than a farmer's market!  There was a lot to see - people, dogs, flowers, and pie.  Lots of pie.  I guess that's what is currently "in season."  Patrick and I managed to talk ourselves out of buying any pie, but we did walk away with some amazing blueberry pineapple jam.  I've been eating it every morning on english muffins.  Finn did not bring home any treats, but he did enjoy people watching and "chatting" with the vendors.  I'm sure this is something we'll do several more times before our upcoming move back to Virginia Beach.

Patrick and Finn checking out the market.

Weekend with the Grandparents

Last weekend Patrick and I drove out to Snowshoe, WV to go skiing for my birthday.  Even though my longtime skiier friend Amber says you can teach kids to ski as soon as they can walk, we decided to do a weekend away with just the two of us.  While it is always hard to be away from your child for a few nights, there is really nowhere else Finn would want to be than with his grandparents.  I dropped him off Wednesday night and we picked him up on Sunday afternoon, so last Saturday was spent with them.

My parents' house is a home away from home for Finn and he always has a fantastic time destroying rearranging their cabinets.  My mom pulled a lot of my old toys out of the attic, so Finn gets to play with vintage Little People.  Though he'd rather chase the cat these days.

They ate at his favorite places which include Panera (mac & cheese) and Cracker Barrel (mac & cheese).  They took walks when it wasn't raining and in my parents' neighborhood you are always guaranteed to see at least one dog out.  I suggested my mom take him to Barnes & Noble to play with the train table on rainy days, so he had fun doing that.  They also spent a morning at the Virginia Aquarium where Finn was a hit at the stingray touch tank.

Until the Navy eventually sends us out of Virginia, Finn gets nearly unlimited time with his grandparents which is wonderful for everyone.  I'm waiting for their reaction the day he asks for a pony.

Patrick and Me at Snowshoe.  Notice the lack of snow in the background.