We Need a Sandbox

Grandma Sharon arrived on Friday. Shae was ecstatic. Like, seriously. He ran right past all the nice people making their way to Baggage Claim, pointing and squealing at Grandma Sharon coming down the escalator. She smiled, we smiled. "He remembers her!" we all thought. Then he runs right past her for the bottom step of the escalator, still pointing and squealing all the way. 

Once the escalator excitement died down he really was excited to see Grandma again (and I believe that the escalator was only part of his initial excitement...we'll just assume it was anyways).

Grandma's arrival was the perfect excuse to go and explore Norfolk and Virginia Beach, something that I've been wanting to do for some time now. Did you know that Norfolk is home to the largest Naval base IN THE WORLD? 

We first stopped at Nauticus, a really cool interactive museum focusing on the navy and sea in general. We got super lucky because it ended up being the museums 20th birthday so everyone got in free! (We even got free cupcakes!)  Getting in free made me enjoy it even more. 

Shae had a blast pushing all the buttons and switches that could be found all throughout the museum. 

"Get me out of this fake boat!"

Attached to the museum is the USS Wisconsin which is a battleship used during WWII. It was so cool to explore the ship and imagine what it would be like to be in the Navy.

"Get me off of this top of three little itty bitty bunk beds!"

After Norfok we made our way to Virginia BEACH! I was pretty dang excited to go to the beach. Growing up in MD, my family went to the beach often. I have so many family memories of time spent at the beach. We have a few beaches closer to us than the BIG beach, but it sure was fun to see the Atlantic, play in the big ocean waves and explore the boardwalk.

We'll definitely be hitting up the beaches around here often, not only because I love the beach, but because Shae could have entertained himself in the sand ALL DAY. He sat in the sand with his shovel and bucket and was the most content I think I've ever seen him in his life. 

The only way this day could have been more perfect would have been if Wait Wait Don't Tell ME wasn't a re-run full of fundraiser bore. It really was a perfect day. Free museum. Easy parking. No traffic. Great company. New places. Little Cesar's Pizza. Well-behaved toddler. Let's do it again sometime.