Williamsburg, Day 2

We started out our second day at the Governor's palace/home/whatever.  

As usual Drew was literally covered in kids.

The main thing the girls seemed to take away from the tour was that the ladies would coordinate their dresses with the wall color.  Lainey wanted to know what color dress everyone would pick: green or blue?

After the house tour we burned a lot of time in the hedge maze.  Mostly Drew and I randomly wandered through while the girls ran from us, the "monsters."  The grownups tired of the game much sooner than the children.

Couldn't help ourselves:

The girls weren't quite big enough to fit "comfortably."

Alaina was usually the last person to leave whatever thing we were looking out.  Turns out she has a really long attention span when it comes to watching basket makers, blacksmiths, weavers, and the like.

Here's one way to get a kid set up for a piggy back ride:

 

We realized the night we rolled into Williamsburg that Ellie had left her coat at home.  It was reminiscent of the times we have shown up to church only to discover that she left her shoes at home (yeah, times plural--we never learn).  Of course this was way more frustrating because we couldn't just go without her coat like we do with the shoes at church.  So, Drew got to make a late-night run to Walmart's children's section.  Fun times.

Williamsburg, Day 1

The day after Thanksgiving we headed to Williamsburg.  Lots of work, lots of fun (familiar story with kids though).  I think Drew ended up doing more work than me though.  Lainey and Ellie both wanted him to carry them (pretty much constantly).

It was our third time in Williamsburg this year.  We're trying to see everything there before our annual passes expire in the spring.  I'd say we could finish up in a weekend or two, depending on our pace.  We take it slow, we linger, we follow parades.

The kids earned a (fake/replica) coin at the Geddy house.  Liz was pretty excited about it.  Turns out she thought it was a real coin and that she'd be able to spend it in one of the shops.

We stayed in my brother-in-law, Dan's, house (he was away for the holiday).  It was much better than driving round trip in the same day like we have had to during our previous visits.  Also it had a huge back yard for the kids to run in (and also insist daddy explore with them).

The natural, plant-based decor was very beautiful (also, the main reason that I wanted to go to Williamsburg during the holiday season).   I totally want one of these wreaths for my door next year.

Thanksgiving

This year we thought we'd do Thanksgiving at a tavern in Williamsburg, but when we saw the prices we didn't think it would be worthwhile with our kids.

Next we planned to have a little feast with just our little family, then I ran into a friend whose Thanksgiving plans had also fallen through and we decided to celebrate together.

It was lots of fun.

Emma wore some adorable hand-me-down Thanksgiving garb, that I loved, and that came via Noah Eklund (so I was also reminded of dear friends who have moved overseas).

 The day's breakdown:

Drew played in the annual "Turkey bowl" with guys from church and no injuries (for Drew, that is)! Plus he was on donut duty so we got the leftovers.  Win win.

When Andrew got home we raced to the movies to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs.  It was a so, so movie and our kids regularly begging for treats and/or popcorn was annoying (they couldn't fathom the "this movie is your treat" logic), but in all a pleasant experience.

Next, we raced home to prep our part of the Thanksgiving feast: pumpkin pie (pre-made by Lizzie), whipped cream, stuffing, mashed potatoes, and green bean casserole.

And then, the delicious meal and visiting with old friends: 

 

 Seasonal décor made by Ellie, Lainey, and Lizzie respectfully:

 

Also, at preschool the girls listed what they were thankful for:

Lainey is thankful for Daddy.

Ellie is thankful for having a sandwich.