Labor Day Weekend

Along with the other swarms of sun seekers, we headed south the Friday before Labor Day to spend summer's final weekend enjoying one last trip to Virginia Beach and Water Country.

While we were a little nervous about driving south on a Friday afternoon (early evening by the time), we took some back roads to Fredericksburg, and everything was smooth sailing past that.

We stopped at a Chick-fil-a that had outdoor seating for dinner. That always makes it nice when traveling with the dogs. It was dark by the time we arrived at the Credles, and it was all we could do to keep the kids from falling asleep.  We didn't do much besides hit the sack Friday night, but it was nice to wake up there Saturday morning and not have to drive.

Having heard their Daddy talk about hitting "Waffle House" sometime before the weekend was over, the kids couldn't wait to go there first thing Saturday morning.

Yep, you'd think they'd wake up asking about the beach; nope, first words out of Dan's mouth: "Are we going to WAFFLE HOUSE today?!!!"

This has become an inside joke that the kids have totally run with, especially Dan. Chip is always teasing that Waffle House has the best waffles, but he never gets to go there because we don't have any close enough. Well, he got his fill this weekend- we went twice, both Saturday and Sunday mornings. And, I have to admit, while I've always been a bit of a WH snob, (I'm not afraid of the grease, of course, I'd just rather get my grease at a less commercial, more home cookin' style place), the pecan waffle I got was pretty tasty.  

Having filled our tummies at the greatest breakfast joint on the peninsula (eye roll), we arrived at Virginia Beach ready for some sand and surf! Only, yet again, there wouldn't be too much "surf" as the red flags were flying. This is the second time this summer they've had dangerous rip currents while we've been there.

It was about 10am, and the clouds hadn't burned off yet, so it was a perfect morning to enjoy the beach before it got too hot. I took advantage of the photo op at the park on First Street where we always park. 

On to the beach!

I love her topper- truly a castle if you ask me. 

Big waves!

Love this!

Even though I knew they weren't out going very far, it still made me feel more comfortable that they were wearing their puddle jumpers.

Last year we left the beach to eat, but it was a bit of a hassle, so this time we picked up subs from WaWa, which is what Chip and I always did pre-kids. I was a little worried about them getting sand in their food, but I poured water over their hands and had them keep a towel in their lap, and they managed fine. Dan didn't eat much after eating such a big breakfast at WH, but Anabella did. She loves roast beef subs as much as her Mommy. 

 

Nothing like a Slurpee to top off a great beach day!

 We weren't nearly as tired leaving the beach this time as we usually are. I think the overcast skies really helped.  The kids caught a quick nap on the way back, so we decided to take advantage of the nice weather and hit Busch Gardens after having dinner that night at the Thai restaurant.

MaMa is always smart to bring entertainment. 

The lady whose kids I tutor after school twice a week gave me these matching outfits that she'd gotten from Hawaii for her kids a few years ago, and I just couldn't wait for them to wear them. They're a size too big for them this year, but I think they'll make for cute summer pictures next year. 

This is the selfie I took of us ascending the roller coaster....look at that thrill seeker with his hands up! 

While Dan and I rode the roller coaster, Anabella rode her favorite water ride. I love this video that PaPa made of her.  So sweet.

I hadn't packed for Busch Gardens since we weren't planning on going there, so I didn't have anything with me except sun dresses. I managed, but next time I better bring some shorts "just in case." 

Go, Dan! 

All the trips we've made to BG, and we're still discovering new rides! 

Don't let the sour "don't take my picture" face fool you, he loved the bumper cars! 

Whew, ok, we were pretty tired by the end of the night. But, a little sleep and a big ol' Waffle House breakfast the next morning, and we were ready again!

We got to Water Country when they opened, at 10am, but, man, so did everyone else!!

I have never seen it so busy. We went straight for the Meltdown, the water slide Dan really enjoyed our last visit. Anabella rode it this time and loved it. We rode it twice before the line got too long. We've learned that WC, in order to avoid lines, you have to RUN (not walk) to whatever "ride" you want to do as soon as the park opens.  Then, we go to the amusements that are more kid friendly and generally don't have lines. For now, Meltdown is the only slide that they can ride that is also a "grown up" attraction.

The nice thing about a lot of the sections (the Hubba Hubba Highway, wave pool, H2O UFO, Cow-a-bunga) is that it can be busy but you can still enjoy the park.

Not a long wait, but his was the first time ever they've had to wait for a raft at Cow-a-Bunga.

This section had a slide similar to Meltdown that Chip and I could ride with the kids, and the line wasn't too bad. 

We headed back home after spending most of the day at Water Country on Sunday. Believe it or not, we went back to our community pool for one last hurrah on Monday. No pictures. Whew, what a fun summer!