Jack & Anna Turn 8: Part 1, Yorktown

On October 3, Jack and Anna turned 8.  Jack wanted to go back to Yorktown.  Anna thought that said that sounded like a good plan and asked to repeat her 7th birthday request--Busch Gardens. We settled on Fair Weekend and I made reservations. Last year, we stayed at Cheatham Annex in a 2-bedroom, insect infested cottage. I didn't want to repeat that experience, but I remembered that their 3-bedroom cottages were new, so I booked one of those.

The weather forecast was not kind. We had a clear forecast for Thursday, but rain the rest of the weekend. Our optimistic plan was to go to Yorktown and Yankee Candle on Thursday, Busch Gardens Friday, Jamestown Settlement & the Yorktown Victory Center Saturday and Kings Dominion on the way home Sunday. I was very excited about these fun plans. Unfortunately, most of it never happened (curse you mother nature!).

We kept the kids out of school and headed straight to the Yorktown battle field Thursday morning. Jack and I watched the film in the visitor's center, and then we explored the battlefield. From there we went to lunch at our favorite spot--the Carrot Tree Inn.

Luke and his buddy Kara walking to the redoubts.

We sat outside to eat, which was nice because the kids could explore while Thomas and I finished. Here's Jack with a statutes of Washington and DeGrasse.

We walked around this cute little windmill and didn't notice that there was a no entrance sign until after we left.  Sorry!

It was early enough that we figured we could squeeze in another fun activity (Busch Gardens isn't open on Thursdays, so that was never an option). Since it was Jack's day, we let him choose and he picked Jamestown. We drove across town, unsure of what to expect. It was the only "new to us" place on our itinerary. It had an extremely large visitors museum, with lots of historical information and exhibits and a living history outdoor area. The kids weren't particularly interested in the indoor information so we didn't get to spend much time in there. The outdoor area had three parts: a Powhatan Fort, a 1607 colonial fort, and 3 ships that were recreated to show what the ships looked like that delivered the settlers in 1607. The kids loved the outdoor exhibits!

Here they are their armor.

In front of one of the ships. 

In the Powhatan fort.

Never one to be left out...

From there, we went to Walmart to pick up food to bring back to the cottage. Our key was waiting for us at the gate (by the time we got there, it was after hours) and we excitedly drove to our cottage. Thomas and the kids were thrilled when they saw where we had been placed: the VIP cottage! I was less thrilled. I really wanted one of the newer cottages and was apprehensive about the insects that could be present in the older unit. But, the view quickly won me over. It was beautiful! When we stood on the deck, we felt like we were floating on the water. The furnishings were fine and it was moderately clean. Of course, there were lots of daddy long legs and other spiders. But, the coup de grace presented itself after dinner when a very brazen mouse came out to see what we had left of the floor.  Seriously, there were still lights on and we aren't exactly a quiet family! I was the only one that saw it and I managed to contain myself, since I didn't want to scare them. After seeing me, he scurried back in the kitchen, where I henceforth refused to go (well, at least for the rest of that day). Right before bed, the mouse appeared again and this time Jack saw him and screamed, "a rat, there's a rat in the house!" The kids were afraid to go to sleep after that, but we managed to settle them down after checking all their beds to reassure them no rodents resided beneath the sheets.

Looks cute enough, right?

The million dollar view.

The forecast never improved and it became clear that our outdoor weekend plans were out of the question. The home forecast was better and we decided to just leave on Friday, so the kids could participate in their sporting events on Saturday morning. It was a bitter pill for all us, but especially Anna who didn't get her promised Birthday outing. We told her we would try to come back and that we would still do something special on her actual day. She was moderately appeased.

We checked out early, but still had to pay the 2-night minimum (we were booked for 3). I don't think they were surprised to hear about the mouse, but she made a good show of putting a note in her notepad.  1990s style.  It was overcast and drizzling, but we decided to go to the Yorktown Victory Center. The girls were not pleased by this, so we had to bribe them with the promise of a treat from the gift shop if they managed to behave and have a good attitude. We hate doing that, but didn't want their sour mood to spoil it for the rest of us. Especially Kara--she is stubborn and can definitely carry a grudge when "forced" into an activity.

The Victory Center is a sister attraction to Jamestown Settlement and had the same large gallery area, however 90% of it was still under construction. So, fortunately, for the kids, we spent most of our time outside. They were also doing construction there, so the area was a bit compressed, but it was still very neat. They have a recreated Continental Army Encampment and a colonial-era farm. We enjoyed exploring. Jack participated in a cannon demonstration and learned more about muskets. Then, we sat and listened to the camp "doctor," whose treatments were definitely more harmful than helpful. I enjoyed hearing him talk about how the doctor was chosen (if you could read, you were a good candidate) and the practices of the day. After that, the kids enlisted! They signed their paperwork, collected their enlistment pay and agreed to stay for the whole war to get a bonus. They probably had no idea it was going to last 8 long, hard years. We all got in a tent together, which was perfect since they were 6-man tents and there were six of us. Definitely not comfortable living quarters.

On stage, in one of the only open areas. 

They had this neat contraption that showed how profile drawings were created. Anna took this  picture of me. 

Would you trust that kid with gun powder? Neither did they ;)

Signing their lives away for a few shillings.

From there, we went into one of the movies. Luke made it approximately 3 minutes before I took him out and Kara gratefully followed. So, we browsed the gift shop, bought the promised treats, and left for home. It was not the weekend we expected, but I feel like we made the best of a not-great situation.