Fall Family Weekend = Fun!

This weekend we took an overnight trip to central Virginia.  On Friday afternoon we drove to the west side of Richmond to the hotel.  We intended to stay in Charlotteville (our destination) however due to a home football game at UVA, there was no room at any inn!  So we checked in to our hotel and the girls quickly discovered the best part of the hotel...the pool!

Cara actually got into her puddle jumper and into the water...serious progress.

Maybe swimming isn't so bad...

Here I go!

"I swimming!"

Daddy keepin' an eye on the big girl too.

Fun in the pool

Diana dunking her face under

Floating

She even jumped off the side!

What a big brave girl!  Only a super Daddy could talk his scaredy cat daughters into swimming!  What a great guy!

That night we went to a Japanese steakhouse for supper.  I forgot my camera so I don't have any pictures of that, but the girls had a blast!  When the chef lit the onion "volcano" on fire, it made Diana a little nervous.  Both girls loved trying to catch a piece of zucchini in their mouth that the chef flung at them with his spatula!

The next morning we drove to Charlottesville and our first stop was Thomas Jefferson's home, Monticello.  The foliage was absolutely lovely west of Richmond and it was a very easy drive.  

The girls with TJ

The view from Monticello...as Scott said, "I could wake up to this every day!"

The gardens 

Mommy and the girls

Photo by Diana

The front side of Monticello

One of the side buildings

The back view, and more famous side, of Monticello...it's on the back of the nickel.  Really!  

After our tour we met the Swaims at Carter Mountain Orchard for some apple picking!  I have never seen so many people show up to pay to pick their own food.  No kidding, there were THOUSANDS of people there.  You had to climb the mountain to get up to the orchard that was open for picking (different varieties are open at different times) and then go up the rows to find the trees that weren't already picked clean.  I made the remark that I think I walked more on Saturday than I had in the last 6 months...added together.  So I felt justified in buying a 6-pack of the fresh out of the fryer apple cider donuts.  Only one survived the car ride home.  I shared though.  :) 

The view from the orchard

Tim, Norah, Diana, Delaney and Connor

Diana and Norah in the pumpkin patch.  The pumpkins at this patch were the largest pumpkins I have seen in a long time.  One lady walked out with two that together weighed 70 pounds!

Non cooperative children.  Grrr.....

Daddy and Cara

Love

Oh yeah, we drove all this way to pick apples!  Daddy helping Cara pick a good one.

Is this one OK?

Look!  I found one!

Running up the apple paths

Very, very, very high up.  I think we walked most of the way up this mountain...on gravel paths...carrying children.  We may not need to repeat this outing.  :)

Cara picking an apple

Me with the girls

Walking down the mountain...only my husband wears khakis and a tucked-in polo to pick apples...

We had a wonderful time this weekend on our mini-vacation...can't wait to do it again!  Love these guys!