Day 2--Tuesday

Day 2 started out kinda slow. We slept in just a bit and then went grocery shopping. Well Andy went grocery shopping and I stayed at the hotel with the kids. Andy was supposed to pick up just a few breakfast things but he came back with enough stuff to stock our mini fridge. Which was good thinking because it helped us save money in the long run!

The kids were going out of their little minds with wanting to get into the pool. So after a quick breakfast we all headed down. It was so nice!!! Indoor and heated with a nice hot tub off to the side. And the bonus is we were the only ones there. The first part of the week the hotel was nice and quiet. There were a ton of military men in uniform but other than that we felt pretty isolated. The boys loved getting to talk to the Army men so it was a definite plus for them!!

After a nice swim and some quick showers we headed out to Williamsburg. The kids were not happy and complained the whole time that they wanted to head back to the beach. Maia was hot and tired and she let us know in her best whiny voice ever!! Asher just kinda went with the flow. I really let the kids attitudes get to me. I wanted them to enjoy everything as much as I was. I had worked so hard planning a vacation that I thought had something for all of us in it. I think in the end the kids did end up enjoying Williamsburg but they just didn't want to let us know!!

We only had a few short hours to explore Williamsburg since we got such a late start but we did see a lot!! We spent most of our time at the farm portion. This is a fairly new edition to Colonial Williamsburg and depicts how the majority of the town actually lived. There were about 1800 residents in Williamsburg at the time and most of those residents weren't part of the wealthy elite or gentry who lived in town. Most lived on farms like this one.

Here my boys are learning to saw logs. They did this from sun up to sun down!! Talk about hard work! Notice the cool 2 man system.

Lots of these farmers did have slaves. Most of the farmers were poor and had a hard time making ends meet. They worked right alongside their slaves in lots of instances to get the farm work done. If the farmer happened to do well financially they were still not accepted into the elite gentry society of town. In fact, one of the farmers could possibly make more money than someone of the gentry class but still be considered beneath them. There was a lot of I'm better than you attitudes going on at this time. We learned that there were black farmers at this time that also had slaves of their own. I did not know this and it frankly stunned me!! Did anybody else learn this in school? We also learned lots of neat African American customs and where they originated from. Like Okra is straight from Africa not the South. It was found to grow well in the South because of the climate and it brought comfort and familiarity to the Africans so they started growing it. Africans were beading shells into their hair as a sign of wealth and status. Some of the Africans were from wealthy prominent tribes in Africa and came from more money than their owners could ever hope to possess. The wealthy white gentry class wanted the more unique Africans as their house slaves because it showed off their own status to their friends. So the Africans with many shells beaded into their hair or bones and plates in their noses or mouths or the big gigantic holes in their ears (like is popular now) were more likely to be assigned work in the house where they would be put on display as a sign of their owners wealth and status. I could go on and on I tell ya!!

Here is Asher grinding some corn inside the slave quartersI also thought it was interesting that fireplaces were made to be temporary structures. Today we worry about IF our house catches on fire. Back then they worried about WHEN it would catch on fire. The fireplaces were built so that when they caught fire a few ropes thrown around the top and a little manpower would actually pull the whole chimney away from the building structure...thus hopefully saving their house from burning to the ground. That is also the reason they built kitchens as completely seperate buildings from the main living quarters.

Isn't he cute? He is standing by the barrier that was meant to keep people out of the town's magazine. The magazine is where all the town's arms and ammo were kept.Here is an eager Isaac leading the pack of us inside the magazine.Isaac was in Heaven checking out all these weaponsI liked the drums!The boys were totally engrossed and had lots of questions. I couldn't tell you the answers now for the life of me!! Guess I didn't find this part fascinating!!

The town was closing up about this time so we headed out and looked for food. Even the the Colonial portion of the town was closing down the town itself was still hopping. There were lots and lots of shops and neat little diners to explore. We were looking for cheap so we chose an authentic 50's diner. It was fun to sit up at a bar and the limeades were to die for!! We also explored a couple of little shops and found some fun candy treats.

It was a long day and a bit chaotic but in the end it was all good. Andy and I had a long talk at the end of the night. We planned out the next day a bit better and we were determined to get an early start. We also talked about being in charge. I was so determined that everyone have a great time that I was letting the kids rule the show. And then I was upset when they would complain or whine. No matter how much we gave them their own way they were never satisfied. In the end we told the kids that mommy and daddy were on vacation and that they were lucky we brought them along for the ride. We were back in control and things ran much more smoothly!!

A couple of FYI's.....if you feel that you should bring your stroller along on a trip and your husband doesn't feel it's necessary because your car is already packed....find a way to be sneaky and pack it in there when he is not looking!! I knew I should have done this but I didn't. In the end your husband and his shoulders will thank you if you take this advice. Trust me....by the end of the trip we were thinking of picking up a cheap stroller. Even though Asher doesn't use his anymore it would've been invaluable on this trip!!

If you are going to Colonial Williamsburg and you don't like your feet to get dusty and dirty then DON'T wear flip flops. I was completely grossed out by all the sandy dirt all over my little piggies!! That is like nails on a chalkboard to me!!