On Friday we drove up to Richmond, VA for the first time. The traffic around Richmond is terrifying. The drivers are insane and you can tell it's an old road because the streets just end and merge without warning- like it was definitely made for carriages and not cars. I was a stress case as we attempted to navigate downtown. I was dying to see "Monument Avenue" and so once we found a parking spot, we hopped out and started exploring.
The first monument we saw was the J.E.B. Stuart monument. James Ewell Brown "Jeb" Stuart was a United States Army Officer from the state of Virginia, who later became a Confederate States army general during the Civil War. Stuart was a cavalry commander known for his mastery of reconnaissance and the use of cavalry in support of offensive operations. Many consider him to be "the greatest cavalry officer ever foaled in America" and he fought in many battles including Gettysburg and Fredericksburg.
Then we started down the avenue to find the next one. On the way we enjoyed some truly beautiful architecture. Some of these churches were hundreds of years and the stained glass windows were amazing. Tanner and I both love stained glass. He was quick to point out any stained glass that caught his eye.
Next on Monument Avenue was the Robert E Lee monument. This was my favorite monument. The stone work on the podium itself was so intricate and beautiful.
As we walked I told the kids "fun facts" about the civil war. Well I thought they were "fun facts", the kids were quickly bored. Here are a few things that I didn't know prior to our visit.
- Because of his military accomplishments in the Mexican American war and his experience being a superintendent at West Point, President Lincoln asked Robert E. Lee to lead the Union Army first. However, Lee turned down the position due to his loyalty to Virginia. Instead he served as a Confederate General in the the civil war and closer advisor to Jefferson Davis.
- General Lee's horse, Traveller, became well-known as he carried Lee throughout the Civil War. It seems only fitting that he be depicted on his horse for the monument.
Chris was a trooper and pushed the stroller everywhere so I could walk and hold Tanner's hand.
Our last stop on our walking tour was the Jefferson Davis Monument.
As we know, Jefferson Davis served as the president of the Confederate states during the civil war.
What I didn't know is that Jefferson Davis actually wanted to lead the army, not serve as a president. His wife later wrote about the day he received word that he had been chosen as president, she wrote "Reading that telegraph he looked so grieved that I feared some evil had befallen our family."
I feel bad for Jefferson Davis, he must have known the odds weren't in their favor. At the start of the war, nearly 21 million people lived in the North, compared to the 9 million in the south. The north has vastly greater industrial capacity, built nearly all the locomotives, steamships and industrial machinery and had a much great railroad system. The north also had a large navy, whereas the south only had a few captured warships. Given the Confederacy's limited resources compared with the Union, Davis decided the Confederacy would have to fight mostly on strategic defensive.
We all know how the civil war ended, Jefferson Davis was imprisoned and indicted for treason. However, after two years of imprisonment, Jefferson Davis was released on bail of $100,000, which was paid by prominent citizens. Davis remained under indictment until he was released from all liability by the presidential amnesty issued by Johnson in 1868.
At this point, the kids were hot and hungry, so we turned around and finished the rest of the avenue by car. We did grab a quick family picture on the street before leaving. I just loved all the old houses and amazing history this city offers. I'm so glad we are living nearby so we can enjoy the history and teach our kids our country's legacy.
This little guy decided he wanted out of the stroller and walked next to me the rest of the way to the car. I just love that boy and his sweet smiles.
After loading back into the car, we drove over to Pizza Hut, picked up a pizza and then drove to the drive in theater. The kids were apparently dying of starvation because they devoured the pizza in no time. We arrived at the drive-in and got all set up to watch our movie. The theater was showing "the secret life of pets" and the kids were so excited. This was their first experience at the drive in and it was a big hit.
While we waited for it to get dark, the kids played at the playground and dug around in the dirt. Lots of fun. lol.
Then we got some popcorn and candy and settled in for the movie.
Saturday morning came as bright and early as ever. I thought the kids might sleep in since they were up so late, but no. They were still up at 7 am. We grabbed breakfast in the cafeteria. Then got dressed and loaded up the car for Virginia Beach. We've all been excited to go to the beach and we couldn't wait to get there. However, on the drive to the beach it started raining.
So we decided to go eat lunch first and prayed the rain would be short lived.
Lunch was amazing. We found a seafood restaurant with good reviews and drove straight there.
While we waited for our food, the kids colored and enjoyed the view of the boardwalk, the restaurant was right off the beach.
The food was soo delicious. Chris ordered fish tacos and I had a crab cake sandwich. The kids had gourmet mac-n-cheese and shared our food. Oh and we ordered some bacon wrapped scallops- so good. Seriously. the food was great and I can't believe we are this close to such good seafood.
When we finished lunch it was still raining, so we headed over the Virginia Beach Aquarium.
This was such a hit with the kids. Especially Tucker. He lost his mind over the sea turtles and soft shell turtles.
I mean seriously, look at that face.
Bailey was very disappointed in the komodo dragon. She said that it wasn't a real dragon because it didn't have wings.
Next up was the fish tank tunnel. The kids loved walking through this tunnel and being surrounded by fish.
The sea turtles were my favorite. They kept swimming right up to the glass and the kids loved it.
Then we found the shark tank.
The kids loved pretending to be eaten inside this shark's mouth.
But I think the highlight of our trip to the aquarium was petting the sting rays.
Every time the sting rays swam past, Tucker flipped out and giggled so much. It was so funny to watch.
Bailey was fearless and got to pet the sting rays multiple times. Tanner was a little more hesitant but did pet them once or twice.
We loved the aquarium. It was so fun.
By the time we finished at the aquarium, the sun had come out and so we decided to head over to the beach. We found a beach off the beaten path and the parking charge was a third of the price as anywhere else. It was great.
We had a great time. Bailey loved playing in the ocean with just her puddle jumper on.
And she loved digging in the sand with her matching bucket and shovel. lol.
Tanner on the other hand, was all about the waves. He took his little kickboard out there and had so much fun riding the waves like a pro.
Seriously though, look at this kid! He's unstoppable.
Tucker was content to run along the beach digging holes in the sand.
I couldn't get over Tanner's energy and persistence. The waves beat him around for almost two hours and he would still pop up and run back out again to chase more waves.
We had a great time playing at the beach. After about two hours of playing hard in the sand and surf, we walked over to the showers and got cleaned off.
On the way out we grabbed dinner and then drove home.
The kids were exhausted and fell asleep on the way. But it was such a fun day.
We had a perfect weekend together and I'm so excited for all the fun we are going to have while we live here. It's such a great area and we have so many fun things planned.
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