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Friday, July 25, 2014

NYC-Niagara Falls-Michigan


 Lady Liberty

 My Grandma's apartment building when she lived in NYC.

 A boy & his baguette.



 NYC Public Library.  In his element.

My sweet Bella, who drove in just to have brunch with us!

Books & Games--perfect for my kiddos.

  On to Canada...

  Finally to our destination.
 Our baby bamboo, from our dear friends, The Miravites, made the trip.  
It helped make our new house cozy.

"Slowly but surely" has been our unpacking motto. 
Our only "finished" room, aside from the purple paint that Tate is requesting we change. 

Friday, July 18, 2014

Be Back Soon! Moving Again...

We have left Norfolk, headed to NYC, then to Niagara Falls, and then finally to Michigan.  It was torture by vacationing!! (Paul planned many, many stops with very little sitting time.  Or, as I like to call it "coffee with pinterest time".)

I will have photos later, as I sit surrounded by lots of boxes, and can barely get the kids fed at this point.  We have had a trip to the ER, a shower-pipe-poop-fountain explosion, and Paul has a cold flu thing that has knocked him out.

I am very excited to be at my forever home, but hey, I'm human and unable to keep up with it all.  Grateful for the very little things at the moment... xoxoxo


Thursday, July 03, 2014

Norfolk, VA with kids

Paul and I have been making a list of all the things that we like to do in this area with little kids.  Some of of our suggestions are obvious, others are things we discovered as we lived here, as we saw what our children enjoyed.

In no particular order:

Book Exchange-Wards Corner--They will give you a credit when you bring in your used books.  It is set up like a book store, and has a small toddler play area, and you can use the credit to buy new books.  The kids LOVE this.  (You can also buy books for half of the value.)
VA Childrens Museum in Portsmouth-there is a great cafe across the street.  They also have donuts and ice cream for a post museum treat.  I love the soup in there.  Another option is Artisan Bakery, which is also close by.
Music at Ocean View Beach, Norfolk  This is one of the many events sponsored by The City of Norfolk via their Festevents.  I don't recommend going to this beach when they aren't having events or when there are no lifeguards.
Skinny Dip Frozen Yogurt- in Ghent (Colley Rd.)
Hermitage Park-The park is open to the public and has a nice fence around it, and is shaded by trees.  There are also many kids events held at the Hermitage Museum.
Winter Whale Watching Boat at the VA Aquarium
VA Aquarium and Adventure Park-They also have Toddler Tuesdays.
Sandfiddler Cafe for breakfast, and then quick beach trip across the street.
Mermaid Factory- Paint your own mermaid or buy mermaid paraphernalia, especially "There Goes a Mermaid" book by Lisa Suhay. ("Mermaids and Yellow Jack" is actually my favorite book written by Lisa, but you have to get that on amazon.)
Jungle Golf Mini Golf (there is always a coupon!) and King Neptunes 3D Golf.  You can host an event in the winter at King Neptune's for a very low price, as the oceanside is empty at that time of the year.  During peak beach time, you can pay to park at Jungle Golf, (which is one of the cheaper places to park), and they will give you a free game!
Larchmont and Pretlow Libraries-Both have play areas and lots of events.
MacArthur Center-Toddler Play area on 3rd floor
East Beach, Norfolk-Because of the rock jeties that are in place there, the water forms a shallow pools of water, making it perfect for little ones.
Norfolk Botanical Garden- They have an entire children's section with a splash pad, which is barely even mentioned on their website.  There is also a small cafe, and tons of places to have a picnic.  Currently, they have a butterfly exhibit, which is also geared toward the little ones, as well as a huge sand area with hammocks and toys.  You can definitely spend an entire day there.
Lambert Point Rec Center-Chess club, climbing wall, mini adventure course, lots of kids events
Beach when it is COLD-During the colder months, dress warm, pack a thermos of hot cocoa, a blanket, and bring the sand toys!
If you are military, we love the Little Creek or Oceana pools.  They are like mini water parks.  Also Ft. Monroe Beach Club is amazing.  It is on the Bay, and has a pool, tiki bar, restaurant, volleyball, and live music.  Lastly, Pierside Lanes-$1 games on Wednesdays.

If you have any other suggestions or questions about any of the above, please feel free to send me an email or comment below.  I love this place, and will be sad to leave the area.

Our most recent trip to the Norfolk Botanical Garden.