Monday, March 9, 2015

Charleigh's Birthday Weekend


Charleigh turned four over six months ago. I wrote her birthday post but didn't share photos of her birthday weekend, which we celebrated at Jellystone in Natural Bridge. I like to use my blog as a kind of scrapbook and print and bind every so often, but I'm way behind; I'm going to try and catch up.

Charleigh's is our only summer birthday, so we make the most of it. This was our third birthday celebration at Jellystone in Natural Bridge. (We didn't go in 2012, when I was pregnant with Chip.) The first time had been a little rough because Charleigh didn't particularly care for Yogi Bear and his friends (also because 2.5-year-old Clementine had released the parking brake on a golf cart, sending it crashing into a fire pit, but we don't have to talk about that). The second time had been close to perfect, so we tried in many respects to replicate the experience.

This is Cade's our friend Sam, who always takes the seventh seat in our minivan without complaint and makes sure everyone's buckled up for safety, back there. We love him so much.


If I'm being honest, the thirteen-year age span between our oldest and youngest children can make it challenging to entertain them simultaneously. We've found that one easy solution is to include one of Cade's friends as often as possible; they're all such great kids. And certain places--Jellystone, Chuck E. Cheese's, Busch Gardens--are fun for everyone.





My parents have driven from East Tennessee up to Natural Bridge every time we've camped at Jellystone. I'm so thankful for all the memories we've made with them, there.



What with arts n crafts and events in the rec center; the pool, splash park, lake, and river; miniature golf, the arcade, and the jumping pillow, there's plenty to do without ever leaving Jellystone. We're talking about me, though, so in 2011 we visited Natural Bridge, also a toy museum and butterfly exhibit (included, at the time, for the price of admission), and in 2013 we visited Natural Bridge Zoo. In 2014, we decided to visit Virginia Safari Park, where...

...Charleigh lost it. I've been her mother for 4.5 years, now, and I've never seen her so completely and utterly freaked out. Those big animals started sticking their heads into our minivan for food, and she melted down. All the way down. We're talking hyperventilation. ("I was a little freaked out myself," Sam said, "by the emu." Jim--concerned about the paint on the minivan--would've preferred a bit more distance from the elk.) Charleigh survived the drive-thru experience by climbing into Cade's lap in the back seat and smashing her face into his armpit until it was over.

She's still talking about how we tortured her on her birthday. Oh, and I forgot candles for the ice cream cake that Yogi delivered. She's still talking about that, too.








The great news is that Virginia Safari Park includes a walk-thru village, which was much more Charleigh's speed (even if she would take no part in petting the giant snake or feeding a budgie).







Overall, Charleigh's birthday weekend was a fun time. Sam's mama came and picked up the big kids early (Sam had to play soccer; Cade had to march his bass clarinet; and both had to start high school.), but Jim, the little kids, and I were able to watch Mark Cline perform a magic show before heading home. (I didn't take photos.) Oh, and I paid twenty-five cents, that same day, for an old book of children's Bible stories that I love far beyond any other homeschooling resource we have.

I wonder what Charleigh will remember, years from now. Love, I hope.


15 comments:

  1. I want to go to that safari place! So cool, but I can see how it could be scary.

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    1. The zoo (as opposed to the safari park) is my pick for the area, so far. Charleigh rode an elephant there, for her third birthday.

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  2. What a cool place to have a Birthday party.... I can see why you've been there a few times (there's so much to see and do!) Great idea to include an friend for Cade and Sam sounds like a neat young man, almost like another brother to Charleigh, Clem and Chip. :o) Love all your photos Brandee (I always do)...looks like it was a wonderful family day together. xoxo

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    1. Yes: an extra brother, for sure. Thankful for him and how he enhances what we have going on. love you

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  3. I loved reading this post! What a fun time. We will have to check that place out. I think we will be doing our first family camping trip this year. :) There are SO.MANY.CUTE.PICTURES in this post!!!!

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    1. Highly recommend Jellystone. You'll pay for it, but worth it. They're all over. Our next trip will be to Jellystone in Luray. When are you coming back to RVA?

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  4. Wow, looks like a fun time for everyone!!! (and that snake is a patient fellow!)

    And I have to visit Natural Bridge one of these days.

    :-)

    -Andy

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    1. Hi, Andy. Thanks for being here! And, yes, Natural Bridge is awesome...especially if you have an appreciation for large fiberglass structures!

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  5. SO COOL!!!!!!
    I love Sam, too! What a great guy! Plus, he plays volleyball, one of my favorite sports, and the only one I could EVER play without looking like a cow on crutches! Given the hair color range of your kids, I'd just count Sam as one of yours! Cade's fraternal twin! HAHAHAHAHA And of course, the pic with ALL your kids, is the best.

    And you got a visit from Yogi Bear! That's awesome!!! One of my favorite cartoon characters (but much lower than the Tasmanian Devil, the Roadrunner, and Wile E. Coyote!).

    My experiences with animal heads in the car include ponies on Assateague Island, and llamas in Giles County. Why llamas in Giles County? The farmers use them to protect the sheep from coyotes (see above). They are better than dogs, sense the danger earlier, need little more care than the sheep themselves, and will chase coyotes, kick them, bite them, and generally try to kill them unless they escape! WOO! We missed out on bison in Wyoming (though one didn't like me taking its picture and chased me back into the truck), and elk in Yellowstone (they were very shy). I need to go to Natural Bridge! Oh, and I had a budgie as a pet for many years! Greenie Bluetail! I cried like a baby when he died. In 8th grade.

    GREAT POST! I loved it!

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    1. Volleyball? Our friend Sam plays soccer. It is weird about the hair color among my kids; huh? Natural Bridge is AWESOME. Go!!!

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    2. Awwww, I mistook the shirt for a volleyball!!!! They do look similar!

      Just sent you an email!
      Jay

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  6. Those pictures are lovely and fun! Looks like a great place to spend a birthday. I loved watching Yogi Bear when I was a kid - need to introduce him to my boys.

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  7. LOVE this pictorial. And yes, she will remember love, Brandee. And that meltdown will become part of her own particular family story-telling. Sorry - but it will. And it will be good. Those weird, scary, surprising things are often the ones that stick and that also bind families to one other with cords of love and shared memory.

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    1. I want to believe things like this but know in my heart that I'm still about half traumatized by some of the tantrums Cade threw, back in the day. :) Thank you for being here. Love you! Hope you're feeling better!

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