A Journal of Our Days
Sunday, November 30, 2008 at 11:49PM After we got settled, our first night in Williamsburg was fairly quiet. Eliana spent some time checking out this new place.
Christian did a little coloring.
And these two...well, they were all about making a plan!
When it was a little closer to bedtime, Grandma read a sweet story to the kids and then they went to bed.
In the morning, the kids discovered Grandma’s “special bag,” which always shows up on a trip like this. She gathers crafts and neat books to share with the kids, and they were anxious to dig in!
Eliana and Grandma shared a game of peek-a-boo.
We also spent some time outside before lunch; it was a beautiful day and we enjoyed some sunshine and fresh air.
Michaela and Eliana have such a sweet relationship. In many ways, Michaela is like a “second mommy” to Eliana. Christian was showing all of the girls his amazing climbing ability; I think he actually might have been saying,“I’m the king of the world!”
They have fun all together too...
Eliana was fascinated with the tunnel slide, and wanted to get on (at the bottom) and then slip off, and turn around and get on again. It’s always fun to watch her learn about her world.
More sliding fun with Michaela...
Grandma wasn’t about to let these kids have all the fun. No way! She wanted some of the action.
This ride was kind of crazy for Grandma (or is it Grandma is kind of crazy for this ride?), so Christian gave her some lessons.
She decided that the horse was more her speed.
Christian thought it was all funny.
We finally headed back inside and hung out for a bit. Eliana discovered the curtains and had a lot of fun playing peek-a-boo. This is her favorite game to play, and she had found the perfect spot for her tiny self.
She thought she was pretty funny. I think she knows she’s cute, too. Later in the afternoon, I took the kids over to the clubhouse for an on-site activity, “Create-A-Card.” They picked someone for whom to make a card, and then picked what they wanted to put on them. It’s always great to watch them do this kind of thing. They are creative in such different ways.
It got closer to dinnertime and our tummies were talking to us. Because of our wacky car situation we had not had a great opportunity to go to the store yet (and I had already improvised lunch with what we had on hand), so we decided to go out to dinner. We passed an Outback Steakhouse and since there is not one near us back home we thought it would be a fun place to eat. Eliana was introduced to their yummy bread.
She ate half the loaf! Just kidding. She did have several little slices though. We only had one major spill the whole time we were there! Our waitress was very kind, and took good care of us. After that, it was fun, games, and food.
Next, for a special treat, we went to visit Ben and Jerry. What a sweet way to end our first day in Williamsburg!
This first day was packed with a lot of activity. It still took these crazy kids forever to get to sleep. The excitement of a new place and being with Grandma will do that to a person. Even I didn’t want to go to bed. But we finally turned out the lights; we needed rest for our adventures the next day!
We stopped to get gas...and it seems like the whole country is seeing the benefit of 
So after we filled up the car, we hit the road. Almost halfway to Williamsburg, Mom (a.k.a. leadfoot) gave it some gas in order to get in the left lane to pass someone. Much to her surprise, as soon as she got over she noticed the gas gauge slowly moving down. She said,“I’m losing power.” I said,“What? What do you mean, you’re losing power?” She quickly made it over to the right hand shoulder of the highway (which is amazing because of the steady flow of traffic we had been seeing). As soon as she pulled out of the driving lane the car cut off. We looked at each other, exchanging a silent,“Weird...” And so we sat for a minute watching the cars speeding by. 
And the scenery not speeding by. 
It began to get dark, and by that time we had called my dad and he headed our way in order to pick us up in the church van and get us on to Williamsburg. He helped my mom move their van further off the road first (another miracle). In the end, we arrived safe and sound and got unloaded and semi-settled that first night. This is just one example of many, many, many of how you can make a great plan, and even think it’s going well...but, well, sometimes that guy Murphy comes along. People-meet Murphy; Murphy-meet people...oh, you are already acquainted? That’s what I keep hearing! The truth is, even though it was a crazy trip, God did watch over us while we were on the highway. And I’m always grateful for His watchful eye. In so many ways, I take for granted His care. I hope that things like this can help me remember that we are in His hands, no matter what.
Saturday we prepared for a dinner with Matt and his girlfriend, Jane. We got food ready, set the table, and cleaned up our mess (it looked like a tornado hit my parents’ living room with our stuff everywhere). Michaela loves to do this kind of thing, and appreciates the aesthetic element of having company over. 
Christian also loves to help; Grandma gave him a job... 
Eliana was also very busy. 
It wasn’t all work for everyone else and fun and games for Eliana... 
The anticipation rose as the time for Uncle Matt to arrive got nearer. The kids couldn’t wait for him to get there. 
Even Eliana was there, waiting to see who was going to come in through the door. 
And Jane is with him... 
One of the first things Matt noticed was this... 
He said,“Is that for Jane and me?” He’s so silly. 
He’s not quite the right size... He is quite a storyteller, and the kids are always a captive audience. He saw a book on the couch, The Wizard of Oz, and told the kids how Frank Baum came up with the name for his famous city. They were entranced. 
I have to say, so was I. Matthew isn’t the only one who can captivate an audience, though. Michaela did a little entertaining too. 
And captivated audience... 
Uncle Matt can get Christian really crazy. He likes to do so right before he walks out of the door and goes home. But this time I gave them permission to do the “silly face” before the “good picture.” 
That’s nice, isn’t it? While the boys were being silly, the girls were having some serious discussion on, well, it’s a secret. 
And Eliana continued to entertain herself. She went from snowman, to Grandpa, to exploring these new surroundings. 
It’s always nice to see something familiar when you’re far from familiar... We were so glad to see Funcle Matt and Miss Jane. The kids had a great time, dinner was wonderful (thanks, Mom), and everyone was exhausted by bedtime! I wish we could see Matt more often, but I’m so grateful for the time that we get to spend with him when we do visit. Distance is a hard thing but somehow our family has a bond that overcomes that obstacle. So, even when we are far from home, we’re still home.
