Williamsburg

We decided to wake up early and get going quickly so we could get on the road to Williamsburg. It was about a two in a half hour drive north of Kitty Hawk. I got up a bit earlier than everyone else. I wanted to see the sunrise over the ocean and take a couple pictures of it. I was rewarded with a beautiful scene! I think this is one of the reasons why I like going to the beach. There is such peace in a sunrise or sunset. I think it is one of Heavenly Father's special gifts to his children!

I was able to get some nice pictures, but ironically enough, one of my favorite shots was taken with my phone!

We made it to Williamsburg a little later than we had planned, but we still had most of the day at the historical sight.

When we purchased our tickets, the attendant asked if our boys wanted to participate a free spy game, Rev Quest, going on at Williamsburg. The boys consented and were given a blue hanker chief and a top secret envelope to start the game.

From the visitor center you can take a shuttle bus or you can walk for about 10 minutes to historic Williamsburg. Since we were running a bit behind, we decided to take the shuttle. Austin was in heaven - he loves buses!

The first place we visited was the capital building. We went on a little tour led by a costumed guide, She talked about the role of England and what the government was currently like. The decor and artwork were beautiful. Sadly, builders just don't build like that anymore. It was also interesting to hear about some of the laws back then.

One of the boys took this picture!

When we were done with the tour we made our way to the rondeau point to start the spy game. We were met by an undercover agent. She took us to a hidden place behind some of the buildings so we wouldn't be seen. She explained that we would be helping to solve a mystery. They knew that our enemies were planning to hurt someone important, but they didn't know who, when, or how. That was our job.

She showed us how to show the proper respect when talking to people, so they would be helpful in giving us information. When she was done giving us instructions, we all had to leave in different directions (there were several other spy families there with us). Once on the street again, we started following our clues.

The game was fun, but it took up most of our day visit. It also kept us zigzagging back and forth in mainly the same area all day. Chad and I joked that this was a pretty expensive scavenger hunt we were on!



After searching for clues for a little while, I started getting pretty weak, so we decided to stop in at one of the local restaurants for lunch. We enjoyed a nice relaxing lunch.

Once energized, we hit the trail again. We got stumped a couple of times, but we solved the mystery in the end.  As a reward each of the boys got a special Rev Quest coin.  Chad and I just laughed and shook our heads! All that work for a little coin?  But hey, we saved George Washington from being assassinated, so it was worth it!!

One of the things Devon really liked was the horses.  While Chad and the other boys worked on some clues Devon and Austin checked out the horses.  Devon was not afraid to go right up and pet the horse.

Devon took all of these pictures!

Austin, on the other hand, was happy to check out the horses from afar.  He did finally warm up to the idea and was willing to pet the horse if I held him.

The boys all really liked the stalks and had to try them out for themselves.

Tanner really liked all of the carriages. He wanted me to take pictures of all of them.  Luckily, for you, I will only share a couple with you.

We also liked seeing all of the people dressed in period clothing.  At the end of the day we watched a the townspeople do act out things that would have happened back in the day.  It was interesting, but by this time the boys were pretty hot and tired.

So we decided to go back to the visitor center and call it a day.  We did stop by the gift shop to get a Christmas ornament.  While Chad was waiting to buy the ornament Austin, Devon and Trevor tried on some hats.  They also showed me the proper way to address someone.  You take off your hat and and lower it while you bow.  They are naturals!

Kitty Hawk

Tuesday morning we all slept in a bit . . . It was great! We got ready and enjoyed a quick breakfast at the hotel. Then we headed off to The Wright Brother's Memorial.

When we entered the visitors center the attendant asked the boys if they wanted to participate in the Junior Ranger program. The boys all had fun becoming Junior Rangers on our last trip, so they were excited to participate again. They each got a Junior Ranger booklet to work on as we visited the memorial. Austin was excited to find a small bench just his size to sit on while he filled out his booklet!

All of the boys got into finding answers to the questions in their workbook. Trevor already knew a lot the answers because he read a book about the Wright Brothers before our trip. Tanner and Kaden walked around together, helping each other find answers. Devon was very excited about doing his booklet. He finished his required pages (they are arranged by age group) and then he moved onto the pages for the older kids. He was determined to finish the whole booklet and he got pretty close!

Part of the Junior Ranger program requires that you go to two programs put on by the staff at the memorial. We listened to one of the Rangers tell about the Wright Brothers and their plane. It was very interesting. He talked at least 30 mins. and the boys all listened well and didn't have any problems.

After the program the boys went up and talked to the Ranger. They asked him some questions and had him sign their booklets.

Shortly there after a nice couple asked if we would like them to take our family picture. We, of course, said yes. Afterwards, we asked them where they were from and we found out they live in the same town we live in. Wow, small world!

Next we watched a short movie about the first flight and then we walked up to the memorial. It sits up on a hill overlooking the area. It was a pretty chilly windy day, so we didn't stay very long.

The kids found a small little area to hide it in while I took some pictures.

After being "blown away" by the memorial we headed back down to the visitor center so the boys could finish the  Junior Ranger program.  The final assignment was to recite the Junior Ranger pledge.  They passed with flying colors!

On our way out of the park we stopped at the glider statue.  The ranger told us that the boys could climb all over it - they were all over that.

Once we had seen all there was to see at the memorial we headed back to the hotel for lunch and to warm up a bit. We didn't stay long, though, because we wanted to go explore the Cape Hatteras National Shoreline. Our first stop was the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

Cape Hatteras has three lighthouses along the coast. This was the closes one to us. It was really cool to see, but unfortunately, we couldn't go inside, so the kids stayed inside the car while I took some pictures.
I thought it was interesting that this lighthouse was situated about half a mile inland and it doesn't sit on a hill.

Almost directly across the street from the lighthouse, over some sand dunes was a nice beach. It was still cold and windy, but the boys really wanted to go to the beach, so we decided to stop and play a little. The only stipulation was that we would leave when someone got cold, even if it was just one person.

It was very pretty and peaceful, despite the wind. The sand was very soft and warm. I actually think it was warmer at the beach than it had been at the Wright Brother's Memorial.

When we got to the sand Kaden, Trevor and Devon took off for the water. They were determined to get in the water despite the cool temperatures. They ran down the beach and into the surf. They got wet up to maybe their ankles and then they high tailed it back up to where the rest of us had stopped to play in the sand.

Kaden, Trevor and Devon all eventually made their way back down to the water at one point or another. Kaden still only put his feet in.

Trevor actually laid down in the shallow surf (then sprinted back screaming!)

Devon ran around in the surf for a little while. He probably got wet up to his knees.

Tanner and I enjoyed looking for seashells. We found several cool shells. Some we kept and some Tanner used to make a sand castle.

One of the things on the bucket list for the boys was being buried in the sand. Kaden, Trevor and Devon were all able to check that off their list. Tanner would have been buried as well, but he opted not to get his swimming suit on because he was cold. Austin was just happy to pour sand all over his brothers!

Even though it was short, it was fun to play at the beach!

Chad and I enjoyed taking pictures of the beautiful shoreline!

As I was walking around I came upon a piece of driftwood that I was taken with.

I also loved watching the birds fly around the shoreline.

Once we had our fill of the beach, we decided to drive down the coast a little more. There wasn't much out there except sand sand water. We did come across the occasional beach town. I love seeing all the colorful beach houses!

The coast line is made up of several little islands, so we went over a couple of bridges. The boys love it because they always try to hold their breath. Austin is usually the first to spot the bridges (or tunnels) and he quickly alerts his brothers.

That night we went to dinner at a local restaurant. We enjoyed eating hush puppies and seafood!

We didn't get dessert at the restaurant though, we promised the boys we would get ice cream. We found a Cold Stone nearby and stopped there. It was still a bit chilly, so I told the boys that we should go to "hot" stone instead of Cold Stone. We had a good laugh, but low and behold when we got to Cold Stone we found out they do have a hot stone option! I can't believe they stole my idea!!