Virginia Beach for the Win

Yesterday we hopped in the car and drove over to the Military Aviation Museum in Virginia Beach.
Chris wanted to check out this museum and so we decided to make this our first stop.
It turned out to be pretty cool. One of the favorites was this astronaut space suit. Bailey just had to hold it's hand. lol.

The museum held planes from both WWI and WWII, but it also held lots of other cool stuff too, like this enigma machine from WWI. How cool is that? 

While Dad explored more of the museum, the kids thoroughly enjoyed the kiddie area. 

Then we got to go look inside the various plane hangers. This was the best part. There were so many planes. This one was Tanner's favorite.

Tucker loved this blue plane. 

This little tiger was actually designed by Walt Disney during WWII.

This plane had a pretty colorful history. After the war, this plane was being used to haul cargo back and forth by private owners. In 1963, while carrying a shipment of snakes and alligators the right engine died and the co-pilot bailed. The pilot landed the plane successfully and the cargo was unloaded. Can you imagine going to help out with a potential plane crash and opening the door to see a huge alligator on board? The newspaper clipping showed one of the alligators being unloaded and it was massive!

We also got to watch some of the planes take off and land. That was pretty fun!

Tanner was so funny. He was giving us guided tours of the plane. His tour was pretty hysterical and not at all factual. 

After a while, I looked around to find the kids and this is how I found Bailey and Tuck. Apparently the heat was too much and they had to find a cool place to rest. I was cracking up!

In another hanger, Bailey found her dream car. She thought this car was so cute and just perfect for her. This little "scooter with a cabin" is german made and just the right size for Bailey. 

Tanner typically alternates between wanting to be an astronaut when he grows up and wanting to be a pilot in the air force. He was happy to pose in this fighter pilot suit for me. 

We explored a couple more hangers before heading out.
What a cool place!

Next on our agenda, was the random dinosaur park we found near the museum.  

We completed a puzzle about the dinosaurs and earned dinosaur toys for the kids. 

This place was completely random, but the kids really enjoyed. 

This raptor got a little bit frisky with Tanner

And Daddy tried to feed Bailey to this sharp-tooth. Bailey totally thought it was real and was freaking out. Like any good parent, I was totally cracking up and taking pictures of the trauma. 

Then it was over to the 7-11 for our first "ICEE" experience. Somehow, I've lived nearly 30 years without ever drinking an icee. This is a travesty.  The kids loved it and so did I. So fun. 

For our last stop of the day, we boarded a pirate ship. This particular adventure has been on our bucket list for a couple months and it did not disappoint. 

We had so much fun on our pirate cruise. 

Tanner loved watching the water and the waves. He decided a pirates life is the life for him.

We joined the pirate crew and set sail to find Blackbeard's treasure.
The cast was awesome and totally stayed in character the whole time. The interactions were awesome and the kids were totally into it. 

The crew helped the kids practice firing the water cannons. This was a big hit.

At one point the pirates decided the children did not look enough like a pirate crew, so they decided to give them all tattoos and face painting. They told Bailey she had to grow a mustache if she wanted to be a pirate and this picture captures her reaction perfectly. I crack up everytime I look at this picture. 

Tucker didn't want to get his face painted, but Tanner was all about it. 

Bailey did not want a mustache but she settled on a scar on the side of her face. 

Tucker and Dad hung out on the upper deck while the kids got their faces painted.

After the face painting, the kids were ready to join the pirate crew. 

Then the learned how to load a cannon. Because you can't fight other pirates if you can't load and fire a cannon. 

The kids were all told to cover their ears for the cannon fire. 

Then they worked on their swordsmanship. The had to learn to duck for cover and swing a sword.  

Then we spotted Blackbeard's boat and the kids used the water cannons to attack. 

A very fierce water battle ensued.

This was definitely Tucker's favorite part of the cruise.

We were victorious and we stole back the treasure that Blackbeard had taken and had a pirate celebration. This included pirate limbo and some songs. The kids learned a hysterical pirate dance. 

Then we each got a share of the treasure to keep. 

Tucker didn't care much about the treasure, but he did enjoy the treasure map. 

We had so much fun! Seriously, the kids were totally in character and totally loved it. Chris and I had a blast watching them enjoy themselves. They were adorable little pirates. 

It was such a fun day in Virginia Beach.